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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a more budget-friendly option with a larger screen and a more powerful graphics card, which makes it suitable for gaming and some engineering applications. However, it's heavier and bulkier, making it less portable and it has shorter battery life. The Dell XPS 13 Plus, despite being pricier, offers a high-resolution OLED touchscreen with superior color accuracy, making it better for tasks that demand excellent visual clarity. It also has a more portable design and longer battery life, but isn't as well-suited for intensive gaming or engineering due to its integrated graphics. 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 gaming and AI
Advantages of the Dell XPS 13 Plus
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Excellent portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
9.1/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
The Dell XPS 13 Plus boasts a high-resolution OLED touchscreen, more RAM, and a superior processor, contributing to its very good rating for general use, along with excellent portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life. The Acer Nitro 5 17, while offering a larger screen and dedicated graphics unit, ranks as good for general use, hindered slightly by its bulkier size, shorter battery life, and lower screen resolution.
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.4
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
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 Plus is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 with an Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 360 Hz excels in gaming and 3D applications by offering smoother visuals and better performance. In contrast, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, while still capable for gaming with its Intel Iris Xe graphics, offers a lower 60 Hz refresh rate but compensates with its OLED screen, providing superior screen quality and higher screen resolution.
Software Development
7.4
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is very good 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
8.4
17.3in
SIZE
13.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
374.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Dell XPS 13 Plus for gaming and AI, while the Dell XPS 13 Plus has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a large screen that displays vibrant colors and is bright enough for comfortable everyday tasks, but its slower refresh rate limits the immersive experience for high-speed gaming. The Dell XPS 13 Plus, with its smaller yet sharper and more color-accurate display, excels in showing fine details and consistent colors crucial for engineering and design work. However, both laptops, with their standard refresh rates, are not ideal for 3D applications where fast-paced visuals are important, falling short of the smoother imagery provided by higher refresh rate panels.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Dell XPS 13 Plus 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
2.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Dell XPS 13 Plus 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 Plus 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.
Cost
$830
$1,849
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus costs $1,849.
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Key similarities
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell XPS 13 Plus 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 CPU, high-end Nvidia RTX GPU, substantial RAM and a large IPS display which is great for multitasking and detailed work, though it's less portable and has louder operating noise. In contrast, the Dell XPS 13 Plus, with its high-resolution OLED touchscreen and a more compact form factor, offers excellent portability and a top-notch display for precise design work, along with a powerful Intel i7 CPU and integrated graphics, though the GPU is less capable for tasks requiring advanced graphics processing.
Content Creation
7.8
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
OLED
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell XPS 13 Plus to be very good 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Dell XPS 13 Plus compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Dell XPS 13 Plus |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,849 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 11.6'' x 7.8'' x 0.6'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 2.71 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 11.63" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 7.84" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-1280P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 55 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 13.4" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | OLED | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 3840 x 2400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 374 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 9.2/10 | |
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 | Yes | |
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 Plus
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | July 2022
"The XPS 13 Plus is powerful, but has its drawbacks. Dell did not only update the processor generation, but also decided to offer two completely different models from now on. The XPS 13 Plus gets the faster Intel Alder Lake-P chips, and the Core i7-1260P in our review unit offers good performance figures. However, the device once again shows the problems of the current Intel CPUs, because the high performance requires a lot of power. This affects the battery runtime as well as temperatures, so the new model (even with the Optimized power profile) is louder than the older model."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Dell XPS 13 Plus
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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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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