A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is often significantly less expensive than the MSI Creator Z16P and is suited for intensive gaming with a higher refresh rate display. However, it's heavier and less portable, with shorter battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P, on the other hand, despite being more expensive, offers a higher resolution touchscreen display, better color coverage for creative work, and longer battery life in a lighter and thinner package, making it more suitable for professionals in creative fields. If budget is a concern and gaming is a priority, the Acer Nitro 5 17 would be a good choice. For those prioritizing screen quality, portability for professional creative work, and can afford a higher price, the MSI Creator Z16P would be preferable. 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 battery life
Advantages of the MSI Creator Z16P
- Very good overall build quality
- Good portability
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Screen Quality
8.2
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the MSI Creator Z16P for gaming and AI, while the MSI Creator Z16P has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17 provides a pleasing visual experience with its resolution and brightness, making text and images sharp and easy to view, similar to the MSI Creator Z16P, which also offers a clear and vibrant display suitable for everyday tasks. Engineers and designers will find the MSI Creator Z16P more suitable for their color-sensitive work due to its wider color gamuts, which ensure more accurate color representation compared to the Acer Nitro 5 17. However, for gaming and 3D applications where quick image changes are crucial, neither laptop's screen refresh rate is ideal, meaning that fast-paced visuals may not appear as smooth as on laptops designed specifically for gaming with higher refresh rates.
Portability
Fair
Good
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
8.0
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
$1,300
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the MSI Creator Z16P costs $1,300.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.8
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
394.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.2/10
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its solid CPU, ample RAM, and quality IPS screen, delivers good performance for general use, albeit with moderate battery life and heftier build affecting portability. Meanwhile, the MSI Creator Z16P stands out with a top-tier CPU, high-resolution touchscreen, better battery capacity for more extended use, at a lighter weight, making it very appealing for those needing power and screen quality on the go, although it might cost more.
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.6
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.7/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Creator Z16P are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and boasts a top screen refresh rate, making it well-suited for gaming and 3D applications. Conversely, the MSI Creator Z16P also has a strong Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU and features a high-quality touch-enabled screen with a considerable refresh rate, allowing for impressive gaming and 3D performance as well while offering enhanced screen resolution and touch capability for content creation.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Creator Z16P and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, is well-suited for engineering and design due to its strong processing and graphics capabilities, which are critical for complex computations and visual tasks; however, compared to the MSI Creator Z16P, which features a high-end Intel i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU, it has a lower-resolution screen albeit larger, which might affect high-detail visual work.
Content Creation
7.8
7.9
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Creator Z16P 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
7.6
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Creator Z16P 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.
Battery
6.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Creator Z16P has 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the MSI Creator Z16P compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | MSI Creator Z16P |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,300 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | June 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 14.1'' x 10.2'' x 0.75'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 5.27 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 10.18" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i9-12900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 90 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 394 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.2/10 | |
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 | 7.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 1 | |
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
See more
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."
MSI Creator Z16P
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | June 2022
"There's almost nothing left to be desired with the MSI Z16P. The creator laptop offers enormous performance resources for image editing, video editing, rendering, and more. All this is presented on a precalibrated, adequately sized, and high-resolution display. Its color space, refresh rate, and panel technology are also perfectly suited for a device that specializes in video reproduction and editing."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the MSI Creator Z16P
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
111,195
Recommendations made
24,093
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.
Featured in
