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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers high performance, especially for 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming, due to its powerful processor and top-tier graphics card; it’s suitable for tasks like intensive engineering. However, it's heavier, less portable, and tends to be more expensive. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is more budget-friendly, lighter, and offers better battery life, making it highly portable and suitable for general use or less demanding tasks. It's particularly well-suited for everyday activities and can handle basic computing needs with ease. 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 overall build quality
- Good speakers
- Good keyboard
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
- Good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
General Use
7.8
7.0
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.9/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for general use, though the Acer Nitro 5 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with a stronger CPU and more RAM, will handle demanding tasks more efficiently and provide a better screen for visual clarity, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, which offers sufficient performance for basic use, easier carrying, and longer unplugged usage. Although the IdeaPad has adequate storage, keyboard, and speaker quality for everyday tasks, users seeking quieter operation and enhanced heat management for prolonged use or intensive applications would find the Acer Nitro more appropriate.
Gaming and AI
7.7
5.9
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
9.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is poor.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 boasts a robust Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and a high screen refresh rate of 360Hz, making it well-suited for gaming and 3D applications, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is powered by a less powerful integrated AMD Ryzen Vega 6 GPU with a standard refresh rate of 60Hz, which provides a fair experience for gaming and 3D but isn't as advanced.
Engineering and Design
8.0
6.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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.
Content Creation
7.8
7.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 are both good for content creation, though the Acer Nitro 5 17 is somewhat better.
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.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.4
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 provides a sharp, vibrant display with adequate brightness, making it suitable for browsing, watching videos, and productivity tasks, which is why it fares well for general use. Its color coverage is decent for professional work in engineering and design but may not entirely meet the high standards required by color-critical applications. However, its lower refresh rate hinders the smooth motion visuals required for an optimal gaming and 3D experience, hence its disappointing performance in those areas.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has 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
6.5
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has good build quality, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$400
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 costs $400.
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Key similarities
Software Development
7.4
7.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $400 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | March 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 14.2'' x 9.3'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.52 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 14.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 9.25" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | AMD Ryzen 3 7330U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 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 | 47 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.9/10 | |
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 | 9.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 6/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
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 | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 2 | |
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."
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | May 2023
"The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is decent for use as a workstation. Its Intel CPU and integrated graphics can only handle light productivity tasks, not demanding workloads like video editing or 3D graphics. You also can't do any color-critical work because the available displays have a narrow color gamut. It has a good port selection, but its USB-C lacks Thunderbolt 4 support. On the upside, it has a comfortable keyboard and doesn't get hot or loud under load."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3
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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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