Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N review: A quiet 2-in-1 laptop with pen input
The Spin 3 SP314-21N series from Acer stands for 2-in-1 laptops in the 14-inch format that are run by AMD APUs. Our test unit is equipped with a Ryzen 3-3250U APU. The convertible isn't unknown to us, since it is the identically built sibling of the Intel based Spin 3 SP314-54N. The competitors include devices such as the HP Pavilion x360 14 and the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5 14ALC05.
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
81.2 % | 11/2021 | Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU R3 3250U, Vega 3 | 1.5 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
81.8 % | 07/2021 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.5 kg | 19.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
82.3 % | 05/2021 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE R5 5500U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 21.4 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case and Equipment - The Spin 3 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2
Acer uses a silver gray case with matte and smooth surfaces made from aluminum and plastic. The convertible does not show any faults in the workmanship. There are no uneven gaps and we did not notice any material protrusions. The amount by which the base unit can be warped is just barely acceptable. The battery is built in, and you can access the insides after removing the bottom of the case.
The 2-in-1 device offers two USB-A connections (USB 3.2 Gen 1) and a single USB-C connection (USB 3.2 Gen 2) that neither supports DisplayPort via USB-C nor Power Delivery (= power via USB-C), which is unfortunate. An external monitor can be connected via HDMI. The microSD storage card reader turns out to be one of the slower models using our AV PRO microSD 128 GB V60 reference storage card.
Acer offers some Spin 3 models that are equipped with an active input pen, such as the Spin 3 SP314-54N that we already tested. The pen is then housed in a slot on the right side of the case, and it can also be recharged there. However, the active stylus is not included with the equipment version that we are testing here. Since the pen slot is closed by a cover, you would not be able to use the slot to house the pen or recharge it.
The WLAN transfer rates that we determined under optimal conditions (no other WLAN devices in close proximity and close distance between laptop and server PC) are not up-to-date anymore. The reason is easy to find: The Qualcomm QCA6174 WLAN chip that is used only offers maximum transfer rates of 867 Mbit/s.
Windows 10 Home in S mode serves as the operating system. However, you can perform a free upgrade to the regular Home version of Windows 10, and we performed this upgrade in order to be able to run our tests.
SD Card Reader | |
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Average of class Convertible (17.7 - 177.7, n=37, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
Average of class Convertible (22.6 - 263, n=35, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU (AV Pro SD microSD 128 GB V60) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 64GB) |
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (1003 - 1395, n=2, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174 (247 - 668, n=38) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Average of class Convertible (1178 - 1578, n=2, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174 (247 - 657, n=38) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng |
Input Devices - The SP314 does not offer a keyboard illumination
The chiclet keyboard is not illuminated. Its flat keys have a slightly rough surface and offer a short stroke and clear pressure point. The key resistance could have been more crisp. The keyboard has some slight give while typing. Overall, Acer delivers a keyboard suitable for everyday tasks here.
The smooth surface of the multitouch-capable ClickPad, which has a footprint of about 10.5 x 6.5 cm (~4.1 x 2.6 in), makes it easy to slide your fingers. The pad also responds to inputs in the corners. It has a short stroke and clear pressure point.
The touchscreen supports up to ten touch points and responds to inputs promptly. It can be operated with fingers as well as with an active input pen. A short test with the "Bamboo Ink" universal input pen that we used was successful. The Bluetooth connection between the pen and the Spin 3 worked flawlessly.
Display - IPS onboard
At 232.4 cd/m² and 578:1 respectively, the brightness and contrast of the reflective 14-inch touchscreen (1920 x 1080 pixels) turn out too low. We consider values higher than 300 cd/m² and 1000:1 as good. We did not notice any PWM flickering.
|
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 242 cd/m²
Contrast: 578:1 (Black: 0.4 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.01 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.04 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
39% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
56.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
37.8% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.25
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU AU Optronics B140HAN04.0, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng Chi Mei N140HCA-E5B, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE 5D10S39642 LCD MODULE W 81X1, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 BOE081D, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 13% | 9% | 3% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 37.8 | 42.7 13% | 41.24 9% | 39.25 4% |
sRGB Coverage | 56.8 | 63.7 12% | 61.4 8% | 58.2 2% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 39 | 44.2 13% | 42.67 9% | 40.55 4% |
Response Times | 27% | 33% | 42% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 48 ? | 32 ? 33% | 30 ? 37% | 29 ? 40% |
Response Time Black / White * | 28 ? | 22 ? 21% | 20 ? 29% | 16 ? 43% |
PWM Frequency | 1000 ? | |||
Screen | 26% | -8% | 29% | |
Brightness middle | 231 | 269 16% | 243 5% | 271 17% |
Brightness | 232 | 241 4% | 221 -5% | 272 17% |
Brightness Distribution | 90 | 82 -9% | 79 -12% | 92 2% |
Black Level * | 0.4 | 0.11 72% | 0.16 60% | 0.19 52% |
Contrast | 578 | 2445 323% | 1519 163% | 1426 147% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.01 | 5.68 -42% | 6.03 -50% | 4.24 -6% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.23 | 9.61 -17% | 9.21 -12% | 6.38 22% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.04 | 4.95 -143% | 6.4 -214% | 2.51 -23% |
Gamma | 2.25 98% | 2.17 101% | 2.41 91% | 2.25 98% |
CCT | 6751 96% | 6628 98% | 6342 102% | 6812 95% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 44.2 | 39 | 37 | |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 63.7 | 61 | 58 | |
Total Average (Program / Settings) | 22% /
23% | 11% /
2% | 25% /
25% |
* ... smaller is better
While the display delivers a decent color reproduction in the state of delivery, the colors deviate slightly from the target. The display does not suffer from a blue tint, but it is unable to cover the AdobeRGB (39%), sRGB (57%), and DCI-P3 (38%) color spaces.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise | |
↘ 14 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
48 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 21 ms rise | |
↘ 27 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18080 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
The IPS panel offers stable viewing angles and can be read from any position. However, outdoors you can hardly read it or even cannot decipher anything at all, since the low display brightness and reflective display surface prevent this.
Performance - Acer's 2-in-1 device brings a Ryzen 3 APU
With the Spin 3 SP314-21N, Acer offers a 2-in-1 device that brings sufficient performance for office and Internet applications.
Test Conditions
The Spin 3 doesn't offer any manufacturer specific power profiles, but the Windows standard profiles are used. We ran our test with the "Highest Performance" profile activated. The power limits of the APU are 25 watts (PL1) and 35 watts (PL2).
Processor
The CPU part of the Ryzen 3-3250U APU (Picasso) consists of a dual-core processor that runs at a basic clock speed of 2.6 GHz. Via Turbo, the clock speed can be increased up to 3.5 GHz. Simultaneous multithreading (two threads per core) is supported.
The processor runs through the multithread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark at 3.4 to 3.5 GHz and through the single-thread test at 1.6 to 3.5 GHz. In battery operation, the CPU runs at 2.6 to 3.4 GHz (multithread) and 1.6 to 2.4 GHz (single-thread).
We evaluate whether the CPU Turbo can also be maintained constantly by running the multithread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark for at least 30 minutes in a loop. The Turbo runs at varying speeds.
Cinebench R15 Multi Constant Load Test
Cinebench R23 | |
Multi Core | |
Average of class Convertible (616 - 18070, n=66, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (1876 - 2080, n=3) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Single Core | |
Average of class Convertible (307 - 1970, n=66, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (768 - 810, n=3) | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA |
Cinebench R20 | |
CPU (Multi Core) | |
Average of class Convertible (242 - 6954, n=66, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (415 - 805, n=3) | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
CPU (Single Core) | |
Average of class Convertible (116.8 - 755, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (234 - 303, n=3) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU |
Cinebench R15 | |
CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Convertible (110.1 - 2889, n=67, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (351 - 354, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
CPU Single 64Bit | |
Average of class Convertible (68.6 - 287, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (119 - 126, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE |
Blender - v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (1319 - 1399, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Average of class Convertible (193 - 3620, n=61, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE |
7-Zip 18.03 | |
7z b 4 | |
Average of class Convertible (7703 - 72400, n=63, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (8899 - 9496, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Average of class Convertible (2046 - 6417, n=63, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (2931 - 3452, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE |
Geekbench 5.5 | |
Multi-Core | |
Average of class Convertible (663 - 14016, n=68, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (1397 - 1813, n=4) | |
Single-Core | |
Average of class Convertible (319 - 1981, n=68, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (687 - 848, n=4) | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - 4k Preset | |
Average of class Convertible (0.61 - 20.1, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (1.83 - 2.17, n=3) | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU |
LibreOffice - 20 Documents To PDF | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (84.3 - 88.5, n=3) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average of class Convertible (42 - 223, n=63, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng |
R Benchmark 2.5 - Overall mean | |
Lenovo V15-ADA 82C7009SGE | |
HP 255 G7 159P1EA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (0.773 - 0.843, n=3) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Average of class Convertible (0.4102 - 1.967, n=63, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
Performance Rating | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U |
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (109 - 25226, n=66, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (1507 - 1660, n=3) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (2644 - 106512, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (8357 - 8675, n=3) |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Average of class Convertible (121 - 4764, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (427 - 456, n=3) |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (3256 - 120368, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (22574 - 25740, n=3) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (549 - 14835, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (2732 - 2814, n=3) |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (1420 - 56839, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (4342 - 4505, n=3) |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average of class Convertible (191 - 169089, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (14381 - 14905, n=3) |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (61.4 - 1088, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (153.8 - 161, n=3) |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (59 - 13175, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (844 - 864, n=3) |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Average of class Convertible (2185 - 52599, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (7986 - 12595, n=3) |
System Performance
The system runs smoothly and quickly, offering sufficient computing performance for office and Internet applications. This is also shown by decent results in the PC Mark benchmarks. The working memory transfer rates of the Spin 3 remain behind the values of the competitors. The reason for this is the Ryzen 3 APU supporting at most DDR4-2400 storage, while the competitors and the Intel sibling model use at least DDR4-3200 storage.
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3057 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 2773 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4426 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 3344 points | |
Help |
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Average of class Convertible (1486 - 7963, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (3109 - 3344, n=2) |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Average of class Convertible (3975 - 12059, n=60, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (6547 - 6987, n=2) |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (2764 - 10800, n=60, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (5670 - 5886, n=2) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Average of class Convertible (811 - 12360, n=60, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (2198 - 2467, n=2) |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Average of class Convertible (14439 - 95631, n=64, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (14545 - 28036, n=3) |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Average of class Convertible (12706 - 86873, n=64, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (17812 - 32364, n=3) |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Convertible (10177 - 93451, n=64, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (17439 - 33662, n=3) |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Ryzen 3 3250U (108.8 - 116.6, n=3) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (10.2 - 260, n=61, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latencies
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
An NVMe SSD (M.2-2280) from SK Hynix serves as the system drive. It offers 256 GB storage space and delivers good transfer rates.
* ... smaller is better
Constant Performance Reading: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics Card
The Radeon RX Vega 3 GPU supports DirectX 12 and operates at speeds of up to 1200 MHz. The GPU is able to maintain the maximum clock speed for several minutes, as is shown by our The Witcher 3 test. After that, the clock speeds varies. The 3DMark results are some of the best values that we measured for the iGPU up to this point.
The Acer laptop is able to handle games that have very moderate demands on the hardware or are already several years old. It is able to achieve smooth frame rates at low resolutions and low quality settings.
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 11493 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 2229 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 58149 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 7678 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1296 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 504 points | |
Help |
3DMark Performance Rating - Percent | |
Average of class Convertible | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE -1! | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 -1! | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 |
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Average of class Convertible (471 - 40768, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (1108 - 2048, n=14) |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Average of class Convertible (2965 - 154219, n=50, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (5005 - 12278, n=16) | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Average of class Convertible (365 - 29684, n=65, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (726 - 1522, n=16) | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Average of class Convertible (94 - 11749, n=64, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (196 - 450, n=11) |
The Witcher 3 - 1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Average of class Convertible (35 - 354, n=58, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (16.4 - 24.9, n=5) |
Dota 2 Reborn - 1366x768 med (1/3) | |
Average of class Convertible (6.9 - 174.3, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (14.6 - 56.1, n=11) |
X-Plane 11.11 - 1280x720 low (fps_test=1) | |
Average of class Convertible (20.7 - 143.4, n=65, last 2 years) | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (6.95 - 23.5, n=11) |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1280x720 Lite Quality | |
Average of class Convertible (3.56 - 182.7, n=59, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (11.7 - 20.5, n=6) |
GTA V - 1366x768 Normal/Off AF:4x | |
Average of class Convertible (24.1 - 175.4, n=57, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (32.4 - 52.2, n=4) |
Strange Brigade - 1280x720 lowest AF:1 | |
Average of class Convertible (62.2 - 407, n=55, last 2 years) | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 (24.9 - 44.7, n=5) |
The Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 58.4 | 51.3 | 13.2 | 6.69 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 21 | 16 | 8.24 | 4.9 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 67.4 | 49.5 | 24.2 | 21.6 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 14.6 | 6.69 | 4.7 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 21.4 | 12.8 | 13.1 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 43 | 14.9 | 11.9 | 10.1 |
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021) | 22.2 | 13.7 | ||
Monster Hunter Stories 2 (2021) | 38.5 | 21.7 | 18.2 | |
F1 2021 (2021) | 32.8 | 15.8 | 11 | |
New World (2021) | 9.36 | 4.82 | ||
Alan Wake Remastered (2021) | 21.5 | 7.64 | ||
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 17 | 5 | ||
Back 4 Blood (2021) | 32.1 | 10.6 | ||
Riders Republic (2021) | 16 | 8 |
Emissions and Power Management - The Acer convertible stays quiet and cool
Noise Emissions
The Acer convertible is a quiet companion. In everyday operation (Office, Internet), the fan usually runs at a low speed and often also remains turned off. Under load, it only revs up moderately, and the maximum noise level during the stress test is 36 dB(A). The Pavilion x360 14 produces a similar noise level.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25 / 26.7 / 27.5 dB(A) |
Load |
| 33.2 / 36 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25 dB(A) |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU Vega 3, R3 3250U, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Toshiba KBG40ZNV512G | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE Vega 7, R5 5500U, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA512QFD | Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i5-1035G4, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | -4% | -7% | 4% | |
off / environment * | 25 | 27 -8% | 25.6 -2% | 24.9 -0% |
Idle Minimum * | 25 | 27 -8% | 25.6 -2% | 24.9 -0% |
Idle Average * | 26.7 | 27 -1% | 25.6 4% | 24.9 7% |
Idle Maximum * | 27.5 | 27 2% | 25.6 7% | 26 5% |
Load Average * | 33.2 | 38.3 -15% | 43.3 -30% | 32.6 2% |
Load Maximum * | 36 | 33.2 8% | 43.6 -21% | 32.8 9% |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The Spin only warms up only very moderately across the whole load range. Even under heavier load on the hardware, the case only feels hand warm. The competitors heat up slightly more.
At the beginning of the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running for at least one hour), the CPU and GPU run at 2.4 to 2.5 GHz and 800 MHz respectively. During the rest of the test, the clock speeds drop to 2.2 GHz and between 600 and 700 MHz respectively. The stress test represents an extreme scenario, and we use this test to evaluate whether the system also remains stable under full load.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.3 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 35.3 °C / 96 F, ranging from 19.6 to 55.7 °C for the class Convertible.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.2 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.4 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 25.4 °C / 77.7 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.1 °C / 82.6 F (+2.7 °C / 4.9 F).
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU AMD Ryzen 3 3250U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 3 | HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 Intel Core i5-1035G4, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | -3% | -14% | 11% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 35.3 | 38.9 -10% | 43 -22% | 33.9 4% |
Maximum Bottom * | 36.2 | 40.3 -11% | 46.6 -29% | 35.1 3% |
Idle Upper Side * | 32.5 | 31.8 2% | 30.1 7% | 25 23% |
Idle Bottom * | 30.2 | 27.4 9% | 34 -13% | 25.8 15% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The stereo speakers produce a decent sound that has hardly any bass.
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (77.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (29.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 85% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 21%, worst was 57%
Compared to all devices tested
» 85% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 12% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (73.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (17.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 28% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 6%, average was 21%, worst was 57%
Compared to all devices tested
» 29% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Consumption
The power consumption ranges at a normal level for the hardware used here. During the stress test and our The Witcher 3 test, the power consumption drops slightly, since the CPU and/or GPU clock speed are also decreasing. Rated at 65 watts, the power supply is sufficiently sized.
Off / Standby | 0.2 / 0.55 Watt |
Idle | 3.9 / 5.8 / 7 Watt |
Load |
26 / 36.3 Watt |
Power Consumption The Witcher 3 / Stress Test
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, the 2-in-1 device achieves a battery life of 7:05 h. During this test, the load when opening websites is simulated via a script.
Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 14ALC05-82HU006NGE | |
Average of class Convertible (329 - 876, n=64, last 2 years) | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-54N-56S5 | |
HP Pavilion x360 14-dy0157ng | |
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - The solid Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N might be in demand for schools and universities
With a Ryzen 3-3250U APU, 8 GB of onboard working memory in dual-channel mode, and a 256-GB NVMe SSD (M.2-2280), the convertible is equipped for office and Internet operation. Overall, the laptop only produces little noise and hardly heats up. This is accompanied by a WLAN battery life of about 7 hours.
Acer's 2-in-1 laptop only offers a meager equipment level. However, low noise and temperature development and the option for pen input still make this an interesting device.
The touchscreen display (FHD, IPS) is not convincing overall, since the brightness, contrast, and color space coverage turn out too low and there is also a reflective surface. The color reproduction can be called very decent. The touchscreen can be operated either using the fingers or an active input pen. However, the pen that is available in some other models of the Spin 3 series is not included with the Spin 3 model that we are testing here.
An alternative to the Spin 3 could be the HP Pavilion x360 14. It is the only device in our comparison field that allows expanding or replacing the working memory. You can currently get a Pentium Gold-7505U model (PN: 39Z42EA) for about 550 Euros (~$638). The Tiger Lake Pentium offers more performance overall than the Ryzen 3 APU.
Price and Availability
The Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N is available with less working memory and storage (Ryzen 3 3250U, 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD) for $379 at Amazon.
Acer Spin 3 SP314-21N-R4GU
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11/09/2021 v7
Sascha Mölck