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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers a good balance of performance and affordability, suitable for intensive gaming with a robust graphics card, a decent processor, and ample memory. It also includes a backlit keyboard with a number pad and hardware ray tracing. However, its lower midrange price reflects compromises in build quality, screen resolution, and weight, making it less portable. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS77 is priced at a premium but boasts superior build quality, a higher-resolution display, and a more powerful processor. It comes with advanced features such as USB-C charging, facial recognition, and higher color accuracy on its screen, ideal for engineering and 3D tasks. With more memory and a larger battery capacity, the MSI provides enhanced multitasking and longer usage away from an outlet but is slightly heavier, affecting portability. Choose the Acer Nitro 5 17 for cost-effective gaming and general use, or invest in the MSI Stealth GS77 for high-end engineering work, better display, and overall performance. 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
- The Acer Nitro 5 17 has no clear advantages over the MSI Stealth GS77.
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS77
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.8
8.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
The MSI Stealth GS77 boasts a higher RAM capacity, a more powerful processor, and a higher-resolution screen than the Acer Nitro 5 17, making it very suitable for general use and even demanding applications, but it's also less portable due to a slight increase in weight and size. Conversely, the Acer Nitro 5 17, while good for general use with a capable CPU and enough RAM, has a lower screen resolution, which may not be as sharp for detailed work, but offers better portability due to its lighter weight.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.7
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design, though the MSI Stealth GS77 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 17's AMD Ryzen CPU and RTX 3080 GPU make it a strong choice for engineering and design, held back slighty in screen quality with a standard full HD display, whereas the MSI Stealth GS77 offers more memory and a higher resolution display, benefiting design tasks that require precision and detail, with an overall excellent build, but it is somewhat heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
7.8
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
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
8.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 is very good for software development, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
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.
Screen Quality
8.2
8.3
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The MSI Stealth GS77 has a better screen than the Acer Nitro 5 17 for engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17 and MSI Stealth GS77 both offer clear, bright displays with high resolution, ensuring crisp text and vivid images, which are essential for daily tasks and media consumption. In engineering and design, the MSI shines with a wider range of colors represented, which provides accuracy when working with graphics and visual content, a feature where the Acer provides a decent but less extensive color range. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, neither laptop excels due to lower refresh rates that can't keep up with fast-moving images, though the high resolutions and panel types do provide detailed and stable visuals.
Build Quality
7.2
8.0
The MSI Stealth GS77 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
$2,499
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the MSI Stealth GS77 costs $2,499.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.9
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both good for gaming and AI.
The Acer Nitro 5 17's strength in gaming and 3D comes from its high-performance Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card and an exceptionally high screen refresh rate, ideal for fast-paced gaming. Meanwhile, the MSI Stealth GS77, while still formidable with its Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti, offers a higher screen resolution for crisper visuals and a superior screen quality with a greater contrast ratio, making it very good for detailed visuals and gaming experiences.
Battery
6.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS77 has 6 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
Fair
17.3in
SIZE
17.3in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The MSI Stealth GS77 and Acer Nitro 5 17 both have only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the MSI Stealth GS77 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | MSI Stealth GS77 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $2,499 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 32 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 | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 305 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | Yes | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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."
MSI Stealth GS77
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | April 2022
"The MSI Stealth GS77 is better than the GS76... mostly. The GS77 is a few steps forward and a few steps back from the GS76. Improvements are numerous including the stronger and more rigid skeleton, higher resolution webcam, larger clickpad, easier serviceability, relatively similar battery runtimes, newer display options, and higher performance at about the same TDP and TGP levels as before. CPU performance is better than expected even when compared to other laptops with Core i7 or Core i9 processors. The newer model feels more substantial than the outgoing one for higher quality impressions as well."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the MSI Stealth GS77
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.
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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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