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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17, often slightly less expensive, offers a larger 17.3-inch display, which may be better for immersive gaming and multitasking but could be less portable due to its size and weight. It is equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor and Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics, suitable for high-performance tasks like gaming, 3D work, and machine learning. On the other hand, the Dell G15 5520 is usually slightly more costly and comes with a smaller 15.6-inch screen, potentially offering better portability. It has an Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics, capable for general use and some intensive tasks, but may not match the Acer's performance in very demanding applications. Both have comparable storage and RAM, no touchscreens, and their battery capacities are similar, but the exact battery life may vary. The Dell runs Windows 11 Home, while the Acer has Windows 10 Home pre-installed. 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
Advantages of the Dell G15 5520
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2
7.1
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Dell G15 5520 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17 provides a vivid and sharp display with its panel type and resolution, offering good brightness for comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions. In tasks like engineering and design, where accurate color representation is crucial, both the Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell G15 5520 offer decent coverage of color gamuts, ensuring that designers see true-to-life colors. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which lead to less fluid motion and responsiveness when compared to screens with higher refresh rates, which are preferred for these purposes.
Cost
$830
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Dell G15 5520 costs $1,000.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.9
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
251.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.3/10
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 5 17 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
7.7
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell G15 5520 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and boasts a high screen refresh rate of 360Hz, making it well-suited for fluid and graphically intensive gaming and 3D work. In contrast, the Dell G15 5520 has a lower-tier Nvidia RTX 3060 and a 165Hz screen refresh rate, still offering good gaming performance but at a reduced graphic fidelity compared to the Acer, which may impact the smoothness in fast-paced scenes and the detail in 3D environments.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, along with a screen that offers good color coverage, making it suitable for tasks that require precision in visuals.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 5 17 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
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell G15 5520 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
6.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell G15 5520 has 6 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
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Dell G15 5520 and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
7.4
The Dell G15 5520 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Dell G15 5520 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Dell G15 5520 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,000 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 14.1'' x 10.7'' x 1.06'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 5.55 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 14.06" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 10.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 56 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 251 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 6.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Nitro 5 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sascha Mölck | August 2021
"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."
Dell G15 5520
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Dell G15 (2022) is a 15.6-inch budget gaming laptop, and is great for gaming. You can configure the laptop with powerful Intel 12th Gen. CPUs and various NVIDIA dedicated GPUs, all of which deliver a smooth gaming experience at 1080p. There's also a QHD 240Hz display option if you want better visuals, though you'll have to pair it with the top-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti to get good frame rates. It doesn't get overly hot or loud under load, and there's no noticeable throttling on the CPU or GPU. Unfortunately, the 120Hz panel has a slow response time, causing noticeable ghosting, and it doesn't support variable refresh rate."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Dell G15 5520
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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