If you prioritize performance for demanding tasks like gaming or engineering and don't mind a laptop that's heavier and has shorter battery life, the Acer Nitro 5 17 would be the better choice; it's designed for gaming, which often correlates with strong overall performance. On the other hand, the ASUS Vivobook 15 is lighter and more portable, making it suitable for general use, and it's also more affordable. However, its lower-end processor and integrated graphics card mean it's not suited for intensive gaming or professional-level 3D or machine learning tasks. Both have similar screen sizes and resolutions but the Acer has a higher refresh rate which is beneficial for fast-paced gaming. 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
Good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Good keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS Vivobook 15
Good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.8/10
6.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.8/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for general use, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with a more advanced CPU and double the RAM compared to the ASUS Vivobook 15, results in smoother performance for diverse tasks, and the larger, quality screen offers a more enjoyable viewing experience but sacrifices portability due to its size and weight. Despite this, both laptops have similar battery life; however, the lighter, more compact ASUS Vivobook 15 is easier to carry around, making it suitable for on-the-go use, but with less memory and a less powerful processor, it may struggle with more demanding applications.
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
5.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers superior gaming and 3D performance with its Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 360, whereas the ASUS Vivobook 15 falls short in graphical power with its Intel i3-1215U UHD Graphics and a standard refresh rate of 60, making it less ideal for demanding graphical tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
6.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 provides robust performance for engineering and design tasks with its higher-end CPU, considerable amount of RAM, and superior dedicated GPU, complemented by a larger screen with good color coverage; these factors are critical for resource-intensive applications common in these fields. In contrast, the ASUS Vivobook 15, while more portable and lighter, has modest internal components and integrated graphics which are less suited for demanding engineering software and tasks that rely heavily on fast processing and graphical power.
Content Creation
7.8/10
6.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for content creation, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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
6.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for software development, while the ASUS Vivobook 15 is only fair.
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
6.3/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
250.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the ASUS Vivobook 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you prioritize a crisp and vivid display during everyday tasks, the Acer Nitro 5 17's superior resolution and brightness make it the better choice over the ASUS Vivobook 15. For engineering and design, the Acer's wider color gamuts will ensure more accurate and vibrant colors, a significant advantage for professionals requiring color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the ASUS may be less of a disadvantage, as both have lower refresh rates, but the higher resolution and panel type of the Acer still won't align with the high refresh rates desired by gamers.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Vivobook 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$830
$529
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the ASUS Vivobook 15 costs $529.
"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 Asus VivoBook 15 is a quiet office notebook with a strong screen. However, the VivoBook 15 still has room for improvement. Office and internet applications as well as simple games do not pose any major challenges for the VivoBook - this is ensured by the built-in combination of Ryzen 7 5700U APU and 16 GB of RAM. Heat and noise emissions are acceptable. But, the laptop has weaknesses that should not be present at this level: lack of keyboard lighting, a slow memory card reader, no fast USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 4) with Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Battery runtimes can only be described as average."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the ASUS Vivobook 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 ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
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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