The Acer Nitro 5 17, with a robust graphics card and larger screen, is well-suited for intensive gaming and engineering work but is heavier and has a shorter battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 is more portable, offering better battery life and a lighter weight, and it's designed as a premium business laptop with high-quality materials; however, its integrated graphics may not handle 3D tasks or gaming as well as the Acer. Both are similarly priced and have comparable RAM and storage, so your choice should be based on whether portability or gaming/engineering performance is your priority. 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 MSI Prestige 14
Very good portability
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
6.2/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.7/10
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
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 14 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and 3D applications due to its powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and high screen refresh rate of up to 360, providing smoother visuals compared to the MSI Prestige 14, which has an integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics and a standard screen refresh rate of 60, making it just fair for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
7.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 MSI Prestige 14 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is equipped with a high-end AMD Ryzen CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, but it is less portable due to its larger size and weight. Meanwhile, the MSI Prestige 14, while still good for engineering with its capable Intel CPU and integrated Iris Xe graphics, offers better portability and screen sharpness, although its graphics performance is not as strong as the Acer's.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
6.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
313.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
For general use, both the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the MSI Prestige 14 offer panels with adequate resolution and brightness, making on-screen content clear and vibrant. For engineering and design, the importance of accurate color reproduction is met by both laptops through their good coverage of color gamuts, essential for detailed and color-sensitive work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both laptops fall short in delivering a smooth visual experience, as their screens have lower refresh rates which are less optimal for the fast-paced visuals in gaming and 3D rendering.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 14 has 8.5 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
2.8 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Prestige 14 has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$830
$1,040
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the MSI Prestige 14 costs $1,040.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Prestige 14 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with its larger screen size and high-performing AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, offers a vivid gaming experience and strong performance for general use, though its heavier weight and shorter battery life make it less portable. The MSI Prestige 14, with the Intel i5 CPU and integrated graphics, prioritizes portability with its lightweight design and longer battery life, while still offering a quality screen and enough power for everyday tasks, but it might lag behind in graphically intensive applications.
Content Creation
7.8/10
7.5/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Prestige 14 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
7.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Prestige 14 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
7.4/10
The MSI Prestige 14 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the MSI Prestige 14 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 MSI Prestige 14” is excellent for productivity and business use cases, but it is not ideal for creators or visual content editors. The Prestige was able to power through days of email, spreadsheets, and text documents without breaking a sweat and was a joy to use. The additional ports were a breath of fresh air, as most laptops seem to be moving towards just Thunderbolt ports. The security options made signing in effortless, with two quick, more secure, and faster options than even the most complex alphanumeric passcode."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the MSI Prestige 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 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.
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
116,295
Recommendations made
25,198
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.