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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Predator Helios 300 offers superior performance for gaming and intensive engineering tasks due to its high-end graphics card and processor, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, however, has a higher resolution screen with a more productivity-oriented aspect ratio, is lighter, and boasts a significantly longer battery life, which makes it a better fit for general use and portability. Both laptops have the same amount of RAM and storage, but the Dell also offers professional features like Windows 11 Pro, better heat management, and it's more recent. If portability and battery life are priorities, go with the Dell, but for intensive tasks like 3D rendering or gaming, choose the Acer. 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 Predator Helios 300
- Good for gaming and AI
- Good overall display quality
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.2
6.4
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is good for gaming and AI, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is only fair.
The Acer Predator Helios 300, with its Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics and a higher refresh rate screen, is more suited for gaming and 3D work, offering smoother visuals and better performance for demanding applications. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 comes with the less powerful Nvidia MX570 graphics and a lower refresh rate screen, making it suitable but not optimized for gaming and 3D tasks.
Screen Quality
7.3
6.5
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
294.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has a better screen for content creation.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 boasts a vibrant IPS panel with high resolution and brightness, ensuring crisp visuals and clear details for general use and engineering tasks, though its modest refresh rate limits the smoothness required for high-end gaming. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with a screen that likely provides fair clarity and brightness, offers an adequate display for routine tasks and some engineering work but may not fully satisfy in terms of color range needed for professional design work. Both screens lack the high refresh rates desired for 3D applications and gaming, which could hinder the user experience in fast-paced visual environments.
Battery
3.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has 3.5 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
15.6in
SIZE
14.0in
5.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has very good portability, while the Acer Predator Helios 300 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,204
$971
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Predator Helios 300 has a price of $1,204 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
294.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
3.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
6.9/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Predator Helios 300 are both good for general use.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 boasts a robust CPU and high RAM, making it well-suited for general use, with a solid screen for good visuals, though it is less portable and has lower battery life. Conversely, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 also provides a reliable CPU and ample RAM, complemented by a high-quality screen, while offering better portability and longer battery life, albeit with slightly lower performance for the most demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.6
7.1
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
6.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Predator Helios 300 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is equipped with a powerful Intel i7 CPU, ample RAM, and an Nvidia RTX GPU, along with a high-refresh-rate screen, making it well-suited for demanding engineering and design tasks, although it's less portable and noisier under load. In contrast, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, while also sporting a strong Intel i7 CPU and sufficient RAM, pairs with a less potent Nvidia MX GPU and has a higher resolution screen for crisp visuals, and is more portable with a quieter operation, but may not handle intensive graphics tasks as well.
Content Creation
7.3
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.1
7.4
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
7.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Predator Helios 300 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
7.4
7.0
The Acer Predator Helios 300 and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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 Predator Helios 300 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Predator Helios 300 | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,204 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.3'' x 10'' x 0.9'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.51 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.3" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 10" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-11800H | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 3.5 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 15.6" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 144Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 294 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.9/10 | 8.3/10 | |
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 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 3 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
Shopping
Acer Predator Helios 300
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Christian Hintze | November 2022
"The Acer Predator Helios 300 review is an overclocked gaming laptop with a good display. The Predator is large, heavy, and loud, but also offers plenty of performance according to gamers. An overclocked gaming laptop - or its user - also has to struggle with the usual disadvantages we mentioned above. On the other hand, overclocking is optional, and those who like it quieter and can live with a few less frames per second can also switch to the significantly more moderate Standard mode. Then the Helios 300 won't be any louder than the competitors."
Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Acer Predator Helios 300 or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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