The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers strong performance for gaming and engineering tasks thanks to its dedicated Nvidia graphics card and ample storage, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is lighter, has a touchscreen, and better battery life for everyday use and portability, but its integrated graphics and less storage make it less suited for intensive tasks. If gaming or heavy workloads are a priority and you don't mind the larger size and weight, go with Acer; if you favor portability and touch capability for general use, Dell is the better option. 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 for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good overall display quality
Good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
Very good portability
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
6.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
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 Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, equipped with a powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and a high screen refresh rate, is well-suited for gaming and 3D applications, ensuring smoother visuals and better performance. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 7425, which has an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U Vega 8 integrated GPU, offers satisfactory performance for less demanding gaming and 3D tasks, but its lower GPU power and refresh rate means it can’t match the smoothness or detail provided by the Acer.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
6.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 is only fair.
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
8.2/10
6.2/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
260.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
When considering the Acer Nitro 5 17, the strong panel type, resolution, and brightness make it an excellent choice for general activities such as browsing and watching videos. For engineering and design work, its color accuracy and range are sufficient but may lack the full spectrum professionals look for, affecting graphic work. However, the lower refresh rate can hinder the experience for gaming and 3D applications where fluid motion and rapid screen updates are crucial.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.6 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17's powerful CPU and high RAM make it well-suited for a variety of tasks, and its large screen delivers good color coverage and brightness for a better viewing experience; however, it's less portable and has shorter battery life.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
7.2/10
7.4/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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
$800
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 costs $800.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Dell Inspiron 14 7425 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."
"Overall, this Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 offers a lot to like, especially at its oft-discounted price of $800. It’s a sturdy laptop with strong performance, a convertible touchscreen, loud speakers, and a convenient fingerprint reader. But the trade-offs you’ll make in pursuit of that lower price—most notably the dim display and stiff trackpad—might just keep you from outright loving it."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Dell Inspiron 14 7425
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.
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
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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.