The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3080, providing robust performance which could be preferable for intensive tasks like gaming or 3D rendering. Conversely, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 features an Intel i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 that may offer sufficient power for general use and some gaming, with the added benefit of better battery life due to a larger battery capacity. The Nitro's larger 17-inch screen may be more suitable for those needing a bigger display, whereas the Helios' 16-inch screen offers higher resolution and refresh rate, enhancing visual clarity and smoothness particularly in fast-paced games. The Helios Neo is also slightly lighter, potentially making it easier to carry around. Overall, choose the Nitro 5 17 for higher performance in demanding applications, or the Predator Helios Neo 16 for better portability, battery life, and a sharper screen. 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 17
Very good overall display quality
Good battery life
Advantages of the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 has no clear advantages over the Acer Nitro 5 17.
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2/10
7.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
373.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 for general use, and gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 17's display provides sharp images and accurate colors with decent brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and detailed engineering work where clarity and color representation matter. However, its lower refresh rate dampens the gaming experience where fluid motion is key. Meanwhile, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 also offers good color accuracy and brightness for general activities and design purposes but falls short for gaming due to the same limitation in screen refresh rate.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 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
7.7/10
7.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 are both good for gaming and AI.
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
8.0/10
8.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and a high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, catering well to demanding engineering and design software, while its 17.3-inch screen offers ample workspace; however, it may be less portable due to its size and weight. In contrast, the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 provides a balance between performance, with a newer Intel i5 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, and portability, given its slightly smaller screen size and lighter frame, along with a better screen resolution, potentially enhancing design tasks that benefit from higher pixel density.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.7/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 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
7.4/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and Acer Nitro 5 17 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
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 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.
Portability
Fair
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.4/10
The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$799
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 costs $799.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a solid mid-range gamer. The Nitro 5 does not belong to the top group of RTX 3070 notebooks: Compared with the RTX 3070 notebooks tested so far, the computer delivers below-average frame rates - this is due to the 100-watt TGP. The GPU performance can be increased a bit with a firmware update. The device scores with a high level of CPU performance. Throttling is not a concern. CPU and GPU can produce their performance constantly. The laptop heats up moderately under load. The noise development is on the usual class level."
"The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 sacrifices portability and a truly budget price in the name of additional power. While remaining relatively budget-friendly, this gaming laptop packs serious processing chops, and Acer optimizes its internals to deliver respectable 1080p (or 1200p) gameplay from an RTX 4050. Its keyboard and chassis design won't win it any awards, but its display is a cut above for the price."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16
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.
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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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
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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.
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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.