The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its powerful AMD processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, excels in demanding tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, and gaming. However, it's heavier and larger, making it less portable. Its battery life is on the lower end as well. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, while more affordable and lighter, offering better battery life and portability, has an Intel processor with integrated graphics which is suitable for general use and light engineering tasks but may struggle with intensive gaming or heavy computational workloads. Choose the Nitro 5 17 for performance-heavy tasks and the Slim 5i for a balance of portability and cost. 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 speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i
Good portability
Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
6.3/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
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 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a higher-end Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and a screen that refreshes extremely quickly, making it better suited for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, which has a less powerful Intel Iris Xe GPU and a screen with a standard refresh rate. While the IdeaPad Slim 5i does have a slightly higher resolution screen that can display sharper images, it can't match the gaming performance of the Acer Nitro 5 17 due to its lower-tier graphics capabilities and slower screen refresh.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
7.0/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is favored for engineering and design owing to its robust AMD Ryzen 7 processor and high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, which excel in handling complex tasks and graphically intensive applications, whereas the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, with less powerful Intel i5-1335U and integrated Iris Xe graphics, offers good performance for less demanding engineering uses and boasts better portability due to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions. Both laptops have similar quality IPS screens and RAM capacity, but the Acer's advantages in core performance components make it very good for more intensive engineering and design work, while the Lenovo provides a balance of efficiency and convenience for general engineering tasks.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
6.4/10
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
315.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17's superior resolution and brightness enhance readability and media consumption, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i offers adequate but less impressive visual fidelity. In engineering and design, the Acer's wider color gamuts provide more accurate color representation crucial for detailed work, whereas the Lenovo has modest color coverage, making it less ideal for professional editing tasks. When it comes to gaming and 3D applications, the low refresh rate on both laptops can lead to less smooth visuals, with the Acer's better screen attributes not compensating for the lack of fluid motion that gamers typically seek.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has 8 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
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 boasts an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, ample RAM, and a high-performance GPU, making it suitable for both general use and gaming, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i, which offers an Intel i5 CPU and integrated graphics, delivering adequate power for everyday tasks with better portability and battery life, but may not handle demanding applications as effectively. Both have good screen quality, but the Lenovo has a higher vertical resolution and aspect ratio which might be more comfortable for reading and web browsing.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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
7.4/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 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.
Build Quality
7.2/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$830
$828
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i costs $828.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i compare to other laptops
"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."
"The device is made for average work loads and if your work has a lot to do with online browsing, using apps that are not power-hungry and streaming videos. The looks are really good and the device in itself is not a heavy one. And with Intel 11th-gen Core processor, you might sail through most of your work without complaints."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i
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.
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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