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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is often somewhat less expensive and offers stronger performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks due to its more powerful graphics card, making it suitable for intensive gaming as well. It's heavier which impacts portability, and has a higher refresh rate screen which is better for fast motion, like in gaming. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 15 is somewhat more expensive, has a lighter build enhancing portability, and boasts a longer battery life for typical use. It has a less powerful graphics card, making it less ideal for gaming, but still suitable for general use and productivity tasks. If portability and battery life are more important to you and gaming or heavy graphical tasks aren't a priority, the MSI Prestige 15 could be the better choice. If you need a laptop capable of handling more graphically intensive tasks, the Acer Nitro 5 15 would be more appropriate despite its bulk and shorter battery life. 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 gaming and AI
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 15
- Good portability
- Good battery life
- Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
6.3
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Yes
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 15, with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 144, offers superior gaming and 3D performance than the MSI Prestige 15, which has a less capable Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU and a lower screen refresh rate of 60. While both have similar CPUs and screen quality, these GPU and refresh rate differences make the Acer a more suitable choice for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.9
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
7.3/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for engineering and design, though the Acer Nitro 5 15 is somewhat better.
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.
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
60Hz
262.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 has a better screen for engineering and design.
If you prioritize everyday tasks like browsing or office applications, both the Acer Nitro 5 and the MSI Prestige have screens that will offer clear visuals due to their panel type, resolution, and brightness, making them suitable for general use. On the other hand, for engineering and design, the MSI Prestige with its wider color gamuts ensures more accurate color representation, which is critical for those fields. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, neither of these laptops will excel due to lower refresh rates, even though their resolutions and panel types are adequate.
Battery
5.5 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 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
3.7 lbs
1.0in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 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
$1,044
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 5 15 has a price of $780 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.6
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
262.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 15 provides solid performance with its CPU and RAM setup, along with a vibrant but less color-accurate screen, but is heavier and has a shorter battery life than the MSI Prestige 15, which offers a lighter and more portable experience with excellent battery life and a more color-accurate screen, albeit with a less powerful CPU and GPU, making it preferable for on-the-go productivity over gaming or intensive tasks.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Prestige 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
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 15 and MSI Prestige 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
7.4
The MSI Prestige 15 and Acer Nitro 5 15 both have good 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 Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 15 | MSI Prestige 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$780 | $1,044 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.2'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | 14.1'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.19" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10.67" | 9.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-12500H | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 5.5 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 82 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 | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 262 nits | 298 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.4/10 | 7.8/10 | |
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 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
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 Prestige 15
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | December 2022
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 15 or the MSI Prestige 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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