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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prefer a more affordable option and can accept moderate performance for everyday tasks and some gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 might suit you. However, if you're willing to invest more for higher performance, which is beneficial for demanding games or tasks like 3D rendering and machine learning, the MSI Cyborg 15 may be a better fit. Remember though, with higher performance typically comes shorter battery life. Lighter laptops offer increased portability, but often at the cost of power or screen size, so consider how important mobility is to your daily routine. Consider the specific engineering software you'll use; the MSI is likely better equipped for intensive applications, but again at a higher price. 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 overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Cyborg 15
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
6.8
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the MSI Cyborg 15 for general use.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5's screen provides clear visuals and vibrant colors due to its resolution and panel type, while the MSI Cyborg 15 offers acceptable quality but may lack some brightness. In engineering and design, both laptops deliver fair screen quality; however, professionals may find colors less precise on both models as they don't fully cover professional color spaces. When it comes to gaming and 3D, the lower refresh rates of both laptops can hinder smooth motion rendering, which is crucial for a responsive and immersive experience.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Cyborg 15 has 7.5 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.
Portability
Fair
Good
15.6in
SIZE
15.6in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
4.3 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The MSI Cyborg 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 15 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$780
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the MSI Cyborg 15 costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.3
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
234.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
7.5
7.2
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 144Hz, which are very important for gaming and 3D performance, while the MSI Cyborg 15 includes a slightly more powerful Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU and the same screen refresh rate, offering an edge in graphic-intensive tasks. However, despite the Acer having a lesser GPU, it compensates with more RAM, which can be somewhat important for overall performance and multitasking, compared to the MSI's stronger GPU but less RAM.
Engineering and Design
7.9
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Cyborg 15 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 stands out for engineering and design use with a potent combination of CPU, a substantial amount of RAM, a capable GPU, and a high-quality screen, factors which altogether enable running complex software efficiently, although it is heavier and has a shorter battery life compared to the MSI Cyborg 15, which can be more convenient to carry around. Conversely, the MSI Cyborg 15 has a more powerful CPU and a superior GPU which may translate to better performance for certain engineering and 3D design tasks, but compromises on RAM quantity, potentially affecting multitasking and large project handling.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Cyborg 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
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Cyborg 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.
Build Quality
7.2
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 5 15 to have good build quality, while the MSI Cyborg 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | MSI Cyborg 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 4.37 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 9.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i7-12650H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 53.5 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 234 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
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 | 2 | |
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."
MSI Cyborg 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | April 2023
"The focus of the MSI Cyborg 15 lies on a compromise of performance, mobility, and power consumption. Due to the reduced performance settings, the CPU and GPU perform below their capabilities. Nonetheless, their computing power is still sufficient for FHD gaming at high to maximum settings even then. The power consumption, which is low for a gaming laptop, can be translated into a good battery life. Realistic values of 7 to 8 h are still possible, despite the relatively small battery capacity of 53.5 Wh. Unfortunately the USB-C port doesn't offer any support for Power Delivery, which would be a sensible feature in the case of the Cyborg."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the MSI Cyborg 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 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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