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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is designed for gaming and intensive tasks, with a powerful processor and high-end graphics card, providing exceptional performance but at a higher price. It is also bulkier and heavier, affecting its portability. The HP Stream 14, on the other hand, is much more affordable and highly portable due to its smaller size and lighter weight, but it is better suited for basic tasks given its modest processor and graphics. If you need a laptop for everyday use and value portability and lower cost, the HP Stream 14 may be your choice. However, if performance for gaming or demanding applications is a priority and you're okay with spending more, the Acer Nitro 5 17 would be appropriate. 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 general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good for software development
- Good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the HP Stream 14"
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
7.8
6.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 with its powerful CPU and high-quality display offers strong performance for general tasks but is less portable and has lower battery life, while the HP Stream 14, though highly portable with better battery life, uses a weaker CPU and lower quality screen, making it less suited for demanding tasks.
Gaming and AI
7.7
5.7
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
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 HP Stream 14" is poor.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Engineering and Design
8.0
5.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is suited for engineering and design due to its powerful AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, 16GB of RAM, high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, and large, high-resolution IPS display which are crucial for demanding tasks. In contrast, the HP Stream 14" has a weaker Intel Celeron N4120 processor, less powerful integrated graphics, and a smaller, lower-resolution TN screen, making it less capable for intensive engineering applications.
Content Creation
7.8
6.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
6.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
5.2
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a screen that excels in resolution, panel type, and brightness, making it a solid choice for everyday tasks, watching movies, and productivity applications. However, for engineering and design, where accurate color representation is crucial, its color gamut coverage may not be as wide as professionals require, limiting its utility in these fields. Gamers and 3D artists will find the refresh rate of the Acer Nitro 5 17's display lacking, resulting in less fluid visuals and motion, which is a critical aspect for fast-paced games and smooth 3D rendering.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The HP Stream 14" 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
3.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Stream 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
5.5
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$299
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the HP Stream 14" costs $299.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the HP Stream 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | HP Stream 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 12.8'' x 8.9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 12.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 8.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel Celeron N4120 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 320 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 8.2/10 | |
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 | 6/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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 Stream 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Zachary Cuevas | November 2021
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the HP Stream 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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