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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers significant gaming performance with a high-end GPU and is suited for intensive engineering tasks, but it's larger and heavier, which affects portability and has a shorter battery life. The Dell XPS 13, on the other hand, is much more portable and has a longer battery life, making it better suited for general use or business applications. It has a higher quality screen but less storage and is not as well-equipped for gaming or heavy computing tasks as the Acer. Both are in a similar price range; your choice should be based on whether portability or gaming/engineering performance is your priority. 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
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.2
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
8.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and a screen refresh rate of 360Hz, which are ideal for high-performance gaming and 3D tasks. In contrast, the Dell XPS 13 features a lower-powered Intel Iris Xe graphics and a more standard refresh rate of 60Hz, making it suitable for less demanding games and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.0
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
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 XPS 13 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is favored for engineering and design due to its powerful AMD Ryzen CPU and high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, which are well-suited for demanding applications, and a larger screen with good color coverage that's beneficial for detailed work, albeit at the cost of portability and with moderate operating noise. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13, while still good for engineering and design with a competent Intel CPU and integrated graphics, offers a higher portability score, a premium keyboard, and quieter operation, but has a smaller screen and might not handle intensive graphics tasks as proficiently.
Screen Quality
8.2
7.2
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
442.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17's larger screen and resolution make it appealing, offering clear, vibrant visuals, but some may find it less portable. Engineering and design professionals will appreciate its wide color coverage, but gamers will note the lower refresh rate, which isn't ideal for fast-paced games. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS 13's smaller, high-resolution display also provides sharp images and accurate colors crucial for detailed design work, but like the Acer, the refresh rate is not geared towards demanding 3D applications.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 13 has 10 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
Excellent
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
2.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Dell XPS 13 has excellent portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
8.5
The Dell XPS 13 has very good 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.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.7
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
442.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.3/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell XPS 13 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers a strong CPU and ample storage for general use, and its larger screen and high refresh rate would appeal to those prioritizing gaming and entertainment, but it is less portable and has a shorter battery life compared to the Dell XPS 13, which boasts a more compact design, longer battery life, and excellent portability, making it ideal for on-the-go users who still require a powerful CPU and RAM for multitasking, although with a smaller storage capacity.
Content Creation
7.8
7.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Dell XPS 13 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
6.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 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.
Cost
$830
$850
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Dell XPS 13 costs $850.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Dell XPS 13 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Dell XPS 13 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $850 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | August 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 11.6'' x 7.9'' x 0.55'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 2.59 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 7.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-1250U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1200 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 442 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 0 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
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 XPS 13
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Dig into reviews and images
The Verge
Monica Chen | April 2023
"In the past, the XPS 13 was a hands-down contender for the best laptop on the market. But the Apple-silicon MacBook has since barrelled onto the scene, and it wipes the floor with most of the ultraportable Windows laptops that cross my desk on a daily basis. This XPS is no exception. Compared to the M2 MacBook Air, battery life is worse."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Dell XPS 13
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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