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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you need a laptop mainly for gaming or resource-heavy tasks, consider the Acer Nitro 5 17, boasting a dedicated Nvidia graphics card suited for these activities. On the downside, it's larger, heavier, and typically has shorter battery life, compromising portability. Weigh your need for performance against your requirement for mobility and battery life when making your decision. 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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
- Very good for general use
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Best in class speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.5
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and very high screen refresh rate, is better equipped for intense gaming and 3D applications compared to the HP Dragonfly Pro 14", which has a less powerful AMD Radeon 680M GPU and a standard refresh rate, making it less suitable for fast-paced gaming tasks.
Screen Quality
8.2
7.1
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has a better screen for content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its larger screen, offers vivid colors and ample workspace, making it great for general use and detailed engineering tasks but its lower refresh rate diminishes the gaming experience. The HP Dragonfly Pro's smaller screen still provides sharp visuals and good color accuracy which benefits both general tasks and professional design work, maintaining quality despite its compact size. Unfortunately, both laptops' screens don't refresh fast enough for fluid motion during high-speed 3D gaming, which could be a setback for gamers who prioritize this aspect.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good 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 HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
8.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers HP Dragonfly Pro 14" to be very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" trumps the Acer Nitro 5 17 in portability and battery life, essential for general use, as it is lighter and offers longer battery time, despite the Acer's larger screen and storage capacity, which suggest stronger suitability for stationary use and data-heavy tasks. Furthermore, the HP has a higher screen resolution and quality, contributing to a better overall user experience for everyday tasks, whereas the Acer provides a robust CPU and graphics card, aligning it more with gaming or engineering applications due to powerful performance capabilities.
Engineering and Design
8.0
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Nitro 5 17 to be very good for engineering and design, while the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, NVIDIA RTX GPU, and large screen, is superior for engineering and design tasks that demand high computational power and detailed visuals. In contrast, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" offers better portability, a higher resolution and quality display, but houses an integrated AMD Radeon GPU, which is less suited for the most intensive graphic tasks than the discrete GPU in the Acer.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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
7.8
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | HP Dragonfly Pro 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 12.4'' x 8.8'' x 0.72'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.42 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 12.39" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 8.78" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | AMD Ryzen 7 7736U | |
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 | 64.6 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
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 | 405 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 8.3/10 | |
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 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 9.6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1440p | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 3 | |
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."
HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Brendan Nystedt | March 2023
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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