The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a robust choice if gaming or graphics-heavy tasks are a priority, offering solid performance and a larger screen for immersive experiences, but it might have shorter battery life and can be bulky to carry. On the other hand, the MSI Prestige 15 offers better portability and is suitable for tasks such as photo and video editing, with a balance of performance and battery life, albeit at a higher price. If frequent travel and long battery life are important to you, the MSI Prestige might be the better choice. 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 15
Good portability
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7/10
6.3/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the MSI Prestige 15 is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is better suited for gaming and 3D applications because it has a higher-end GPU, the Nvidia RTX 3080, which provides better graphics performance and supports a higher screen refresh rate of up to 360 Hz, enhancing fluidity and responsiveness in fast-paced games. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 15, with its Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU, offers moderate graphics capabilities and a standard screen refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it less ideal for high-end gaming and 3D tasks but still capable for less demanding scenarios.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
7.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Prestige 15 is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 boasts a stronger GPU and more storage than the MSI Prestige 15, making it better suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, while the latter's lighter weight and longer battery life offer more portability for users who need to work on the go. However, the MSI Prestige 15 has a slightly higher screen pixel density and better contrast, which may benefit detailed visual work, although its overall GPU performance is less powerful for intensive graphics tasks compared to the Acer Nitro 5 17.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
6.8/10
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the MSI Prestige 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Prestige 15 both have high-resolution displays with strong brightness and clarity, making them well-suited for general use where text readability and vibrant images matter. For engineering and design tasks, these laptops offer good color reproduction, covering a wide range of the color spectrum which is essential for precision in visual work, though their screens are outshined by others in high-end professional use. However, both models lack the higher refresh rates preferred for 3D applications and gaming, which can hinder the smoothness of visuals in fast-paced scenarios or when rendering complex animations.
Battery
6.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 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
Good
17.3in
SIZE
15.6in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Prestige 15 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$830
$1,044
$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 15 costs $1,044.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Prestige 15 are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 provides robust performance with higher-end graphics and a larger screen, allowing for an immersive experience, but at the cost of lower battery life and portability when compared to the MSI Prestige 15, which offers a more portable design with better battery life, a higher-quality screen, and more modern features like Thunderbolt ports, making it well-suited for mobile professionals.
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 15 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
7.2/10
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 15 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 15 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.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the MSI Prestige 15 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 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the MSI Prestige 15
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.
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