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Nitro 5 15
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Cyborg 15
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What we think

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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

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Screen Quality

6.9
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Battery

5.5 Hours
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Portability

Fair
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
$1,100
Product image
Product image

$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

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General Use

7.6
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Gaming and AI

7.5
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Engineering and Design

7.9
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Content Creation

7.5
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Software Development

7.4
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

Build Quality

7.2
Nitro 5 15
Cyborg 15
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.

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How the Acer Nitro 5 15 and the MSI Cyborg 15 compare to other laptops

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Spec Comparison

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Acer Nitro 5 15MSI Cyborg 15
Acer Nitro 5 15MSI Cyborg 15

GENERAL

Price
$780
$1,100
Release Date
May 1, 2023May 1, 2023
Overall Dimensions
14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06''14.2'' x 9.9'' x 0.9''
Weight
5.51 lbs4.37 lbs
Width
14.19"14.15"
Depth
10.67"9.86"

INTERNAL

Processor
Intel i5-12500HIntel i7-12650H
RAM
16 GB8 GB
DDR Memory Version
55
RAM Slots
22
Storage
512 GB512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
5.5 Hours7.5 Hours
Battery Capacity
59 Wh53.5 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
15.6"15.6"
Display Technology
IPSIPS
Resolution
1920 x 10801920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
144Hz144Hz
Display Brightness
262 nits234 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
7.2/106.8/10
Portability Score
6.4/107.3/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
YesYes
Premium Business Laptop
NoNo
Fan Noise Score
7.5/106.5/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
8/107/10
Speaker Quality Score
7/106.8/10
Webcam
720p720p
Fingerprint Reader
NoNo
Backlit Keyboard
YesYes
Number Pad
YesYes

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
32
USB-C ports
11
USB-C Charging
YesNo
Display Outputs
22
Thunderbolt Version
4N/A

Shopping

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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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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
48,640
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Recommendations made
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About the laptop team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Craig Russell

Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.

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