If you prioritize performance for 3D rendering, machine learning tasks, or heavy gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 17, with its dedicated Nvidia graphics, is a strong contender, especially at a lower price point. However, be mindful that it is heavier, has a shorter battery life, and a less color-accurate screen compared to the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023). On the other hand, the MacBook Pro excels in portability with its lighter weight and longer battery life, and it offers superior display quality, which might be better suited for professionals in creative fields needing high color accuracy and resolution. The MacBook also comes with double the RAM, which may provide a smoother experience for multitasking and complex tasks, but at a higher cost. 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
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has no clear advantages over the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023).
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
Excellent for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Excellent for software development
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
9.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
17.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with adequate CPU and RAM for everyday tasks, a good screen, and respectable battery life, is outweighed by the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)'s superior screen quality, significantly longer battery life, and a more powerful CPU and RAM setup, enhancing performance. While the Nitro 5 offers decent portability, the MacBook Pro excels with a thinner, lighter design and better overall user experience through higher-quality keyboard, speakers, and effective heat management.
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
8.5/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers a dedicated GPU and a high screen refresh rate which is crucial for smooth gaming, but it's important to acknowledge that the Apple MacBook Pro delivers superior GPU performance and exceptional screen quality, enhancing 3D work; however, gaming options are limited on macOS compared to Windows, which can significantly restrict the gaming library available to MacBook users.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
9.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good.
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.
Content Creation
7.8/10
9.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
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
9.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.5/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) is excellent for software development, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
9.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.2in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3456 x 2234
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
487.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 17 for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering the screen quality for general use, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 excels due to its high-resolution display that offers outstanding brightness and vibrant colors, making it ideal for everyday tasks and media consumption. Engineering and design professionals favor the MacBook Pro because of its superior color accuracy, covering a wide range of color gamuts like DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which ensures that the colors they work with are represented faithfully. However, for 3D applications and gaming, where a fast refresh rate is critical for smooth motion, both laptops may fall short, as they typically prioritize color fidelity and resolution over the high refresh rates preferred by gamers.
Battery
6.0 Hours
17.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 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
17.3in
SIZE
16.2in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
10.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) has best in class build quality, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$2,423
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) costs $2,423.
"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 Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
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 Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
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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