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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is generally better suited for gaming and intense engineering tasks due to its dedicated GPU and stronger processor, but it is less portable and has a slightly shorter battery life. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is more lightweight and boasts a longer battery life, as well as a touchscreen and a higher-resolution screen with better color accuracy, making it more suitable for general use and on-the-go tasks. Choose the Acer Nitro 5 15 if you need higher performance for demanding software, otherwise, the Surface Laptop Go 2 offers greater portability and sufficient power for everyday tasks. 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
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
- Excellent portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.6
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.2/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 delivers better performance for general use due to its more robust CPU, greater RAM, and high-quality screen, but it sacrifices portability and battery life compared to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, which is smaller, lighter, and lasts longer on a single charge; however, the Surface Laptop Go 2 has a lesser performing CPU, less RAM, and smaller storage.
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.0
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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
6.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
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 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is considered suitable for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i5 processor and dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, which are crucial for demanding applications, along with a decent RAM capacity and a full HD screen that supports hardware ray tracing and DLSS for better graphics performance and efficiency.
Screen Quality
6.9
6.9
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 for gaming and AI, software development, and content creation, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has a better screen for engineering and design.
When evaluating laptops for general use, the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 both have screens with satisfactory resolution and brightness, but the panel type on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 offers better viewing angles and color reproduction, making it stand out. For engineering and design tasks, where precise color representation is crucial, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2's screen boasts higher coverage of professional color gamuts, giving it an edge over the Acer Nitro 5 15 for these specific tasks. However, the Acer Nitro 5 15 falls short for gaming and 3D applications due to its lower refresh rate, whereas the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 also isn't optimal because of similar limitations, despite any advantages it has in resolution and panel type.
Battery
5.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has 8 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
Excellent
15.6in
SIZE
12.4in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.4 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
7.8
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 and Acer Nitro 5 15 both have good build quality, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$800
$600
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $800 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 costs $600.
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Key similarities
Content Creation
7.5
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 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.
Software Development
7.4
7.0
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1536 x 1024
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 are both good for software development.
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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$800 | $600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 11'' x 8.1'' x 0.62'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 2.48 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 10.95" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 8.12" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i5-1135G7 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 128 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 12.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1536 x 1024 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 401 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 9.3/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.4/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 1 | |
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."
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | August 2022
"The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review is a compact companion with old hardware. The Surface Laptop Go 2 shows some weaknesses. Microsoft didn't really develop the second generation of the Surface Laptop Go 2 any further but has only equipped it with a slightly more powerful Core i5 processor. However, the performance still remains at a fairly low level overall, but for many users, it definitely should still be sufficient for everyday tasks."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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 Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
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