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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 offers good performance for its lower price and is suitable for gaming, but the MSI Creator Z16P, while more expensive, provides superior performance, particularly in tasks like 3D and machine learning, thanks to its better graphics card and processor. The MSI also has a higher quality display with touch capability, better build quality, and comes with a larger battery, potentially offering longer use between charges. If portability is a concern, both laptops weigh roughly the same. The Acer is a solid budget-friendly gaming option, whereas the MSI is geared towards professionals who need higher performance for creative and engineering 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
- The Acer Nitro 5 15 has no clear advantages over the MSI Creator Z16P.
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
- Very good for engineering and design
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
8.3
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When evaluating the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the MSI Creator Z16P for general use, the MSI's higher resolution and brightness provide clear and vibrant visuals, which enhance the overall viewing experience. The MSI outshines the Acer in engineering and design tasks as well due to its wider color gamut coverage, which ensures more accurate color reproduction for detail-oriented work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops are less ideal given their lower refresh rates, leading to less fluid motion compared to models designed specifically for these purposes.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
16.0in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
8.0
The MSI Creator Z16P has very good build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$800
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $800 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is a solid choice for general use with a competent processor, a good amount of memory, and a high-refresh screen that strikes a balance between performance and budget, but it has a shorter battery life and less storage compared to the MSI Creator Z16P, which offers a more powerful processor, higher resolution touchscreen, and longer battery life, making it more suited for demanding applications, but at a higher cost and with a larger and heavier form factor that affects portability.
Gaming and AI
7.5
7.6
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with its Nvidia RTX 4050 and a screen refresh rate of 144Hz, is tailored for gaming and 3D applications, but the higher-performing Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a superior 165Hz screen refresh rate on the MSI Creator Z16P not only make it an excellent choice for gaming and 3D tasks but also provide a more fluid visual experience. Although both laptops are adequately equipped for demanding tasks, the MSI Creator Z16P's better GPU and refresh rate edge out the Nitro 5 15, making it more likely to handle intense graphics activities more smoothly.
Engineering and Design
7.9
8.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Creator Z16P to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is equipped with an Intel i5 processor and RTX 4050 graphics card while the MSI Creator Z16P houses a more powerful Intel i9 processor and RTX 3070 Ti graphics, offering enhanced performance for computational and graphical tasks in engineering and design. Additionally, the MSI Creator Z16P boasts higher screen quality with a greater resolution and color coverage, making it very suitable for precise design work where visual fidelity is crucial.
Content Creation
7.5
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 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.
Software Development
7.4
7.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 15 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.
Battery
5.5 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P 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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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | MSI Creator Z16P |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$800 | $1,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 5.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 394 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7.2/10 | |
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 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
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."
MSI Creator Z16P
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the MSI Creator Z16P
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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