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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 12, 2024·
If you prioritize gaming or tasks that require significant graphical power such as 3D design or video editing, the Acer Nitro 5, although more expensive, provides better performance with its dedicated graphics card and faster processor. However, it may be heavier and have a shorter battery life, which could affect portability. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is more budget-friendly and could be sufficient for general use, like browsing the internet, working with office applications, and streaming media. It tends to be lighter and may offer longer battery life, making it more suitable for carrying around. Consider your primary needs and whether the higher cost of the Acer Nitro 5 justifies the performance benefits for your specific use case. 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 general use
- Good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
- Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.6
6.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for general use, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" in terms of CPU and RAM, providing smoother and more efficient operation for general use; it also has a higher quality IPS display with better resolution, making for a more vibrant viewing experience. However, the Lenovo is lighter and rated as having a better portability score, which along with its good battery life makes it more suitable for on-the-go use, though this comes at the cost of lower screen quality and less powerful hardware components.
Gaming and AI
7.5
5.8
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
9.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is well-suited for gaming and 3D applications thanks to its powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz, enabling fluid visuals and better response times. In contrast, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is hindered by its less capable integrated Intel UHD Xe G4 graphics and a lower refresh rate of 60Hz, which leads to less smooth gaming and 3D experiences.
Engineering and Design
7.9
5.8
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.5
6.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for content creation, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" is only fair.
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.
Software Development
7.4
6.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for software development, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
5.2
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 Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 15's screen provides a pleasant visual experience for general tasks because its resolution and brightness are adequate, and the panel type offers decent color reproduction and viewing angles. For engineering and design applications, its fair quality reflects a limited range of colors covered by the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, which can impact the accuracy of color-intensive work. When it comes to gaming and 3D, the screen's lower refresh rate can hinder the smoothness of motion, which is less than ideal for fast-paced visuals that these activities often require.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
6.5
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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
$360
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" costs $360.
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Key similarities
Battery
5.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" has 5 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.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $360 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.78'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.75 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 14.26" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 9.98" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i3-1115G4 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 256 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 35 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 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
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 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 0 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15"
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | February 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an enduring office notebook with a powerful Ryzen APU. Lenovo's office all-rounder easily handles office and internet applications as well as modest games - the Ryzen 5 5625U APU and 16 GB of RAM make this possible. The CPU and GPU can work at consistently high clock rates. The emission values are okay, but the noise emissions should be lower under medium to full load. The relatively light notebook (approx. 1.6 kg) achieves practical battery runtimes of about 10 to 11 hours."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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