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What we think
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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 is more expensive but offers better performance with a more powerful processor and graphics card, suited for intensive tasks like gaming or engineering software. It also has a higher refresh rate screen for smoother visuals. The HP Pavilion, while more affordable, has a less powerful processor and integrated graphics, suitable for general use like browsing and office applications but not heavy-duty tasks. The HP is lighter and might have longer battery life, making it more portable. If your work involves high-performance software or you appreciate better gaming graphics and you're okay with the extra cost and weight, the Acer Nitro 5 would be a good choice. For everyday tasks with the advantage of easier carrying and saving money, the HP Pavilion fits well. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Acer Nitro 5 15
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the HP Pavilion 15
- Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.6
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
3.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.2/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and HP Pavilion 15 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with a newer and more powerful CPU, superior RAM, and a high-quality IPS display, is well-suited for a variety of general tasks and can handle more intensive applications. On the other hand, the HP Pavilion 15 offers double the storage and a lightweight design, making it a good fit for everyday tasks and users who prioritize portability and storage capacity over performance.
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.0
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
7.9
6.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for engineering and design, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is considered good for engineering and design use due to its powerful CPU (Intel i5), high-end GPU (Nvidia RTX 4050), and high-quality IPS display, which provides vibrant colors and good contrast, essential for design work. In comparison, the HP Pavilion 15 is fair for these tasks because it has a less powerful CPU (Intel i3), a basic integrated GPU (Intel UHD Xe G4), and a lower-quality TN display with a lower resolution, which may not be as suitable for detail-oriented engineering and design applications.
Software Development
7.4
6.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.2/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for software development, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.9
5.3
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the HP Pavilion 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 offers a better display for general use because it provides a balance of resolution and brightness, which makes for vibrant and clear visuals during everyday tasks. For engineering and design, its display is only fair because it lacks the wider color gamuts that professionals need for accurate color work. However, for gaming and 3D, the screen falls short due to its lower refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth motion and quick response times in fast-paced visual environments.
Battery
5.5 Hours
3.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The HP Pavilion 15 has 3 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Pavilion 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
6.2
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality, while the HP Pavilion 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$780
$587
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the HP Pavilion 15 costs $587.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.5
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and HP Pavilion 15 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the HP Pavilion 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | HP Pavilion 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $587 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | August 1, 2020 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 14.1'' x 9.5'' x 0.71'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 14.1" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 9.53" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i3-1115G4 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 3 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.3/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.3/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | June 2022
"The Acer Nitro 5 is a fast QHD gaming notebook. The Nitro 5 is a well-balanced gaming laptop for just under US$ 2400. A Core i7-12700H CPU and a GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU enable QHD gaming at high to maximum settings, accompanied by fast PCIe-4-SSD (1 TB) and 16 GB of RAM. Acer delivers a solid QHD gaming notebook with the Nitro 5 AN515-58. However, the laptop is not completely free of shortcomings. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The laptop heats up noticeably under load, but not excessively. Noise development is on the usual class level. Once again, however, Acer needs to improve the fan control."
HP Pavilion 15
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Dig into reviews and images
TechRadar
Alex Cox | August 2022
"The HP Pavilion 15 carries a fair amount of power and a sharp display in its handsome slimline shell. It's not perfect, but it's a hard worker. This is wonderfully designed and totes a heck of a lot of desktop power, with the added benefit of a decent webcam and a full-sized keyboard. If you're getting down to business on a budget, it's a great fit."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the HP Pavilion 15
About Acer
Acer is a prominent Taiwanese electronics brand which makes a wide range of laptops, with multiple product lines catering to personal use, gaming, and business use. They are renowned for having exceptional value for money, as they frequently offer good specifications at a lower price than other manufacturers.
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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