The Acer Swift X (2023) generally costs more but offers better overall performance with more RAM and a stronger processor and graphics card, making it more suited for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks. It also has a higher resolution display with a better color range and contrast, and a higher refresh rate useful for fast motion, so it's favorable for creative professionals or gaming. It's more portable due to being lighter and having a longer battery life. Meanwhile, the Acer Aspire 5 17 has a larger screen and a numeric keypad which might be preferred for office tasks and data entry, but it's heavier and has less battery life, making it less convenient for travel. 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 Aspire 5 17
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2023).
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2023)
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
266.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
390.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Aspire 5 17 is suitable for general use because it offers a large screen, solid performance with adequate RAM and a decent processor, and satisfactory keyboard and speaker quality, but it is less portable and has shorter battery life compared to the Swift X.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X (2023) with its Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and higher screen refresh rate is better equipped for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Acer Aspire 5 17 which has an Intel i5-1335U Iris Xe GPU and a lower refresh rate. Additionally, the Swift X's superior screen quality supports a higher resolution and richer color coverage, contributing to a more immersive gaming experience.
Engineering and Design
6.7/10
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
5.1/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 is only fair.
The Acer Aspire 5 17, with a less powerful GPU and a lower amount of RAM, is adequate but may struggle with complex engineering and design tasks, while the Acer Swift X (2023) provides superior performance for such tasks thanks to its more robust CPU, better GPU, and double the RAM, as well as a higher-quality screen with better resolution and color representation.
Content Creation
7.2/10
8.0/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Acer Aspire 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
7.2/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Acer Aspire 5 17 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
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
6.2/10
8.0/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.5in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
266.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
390.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Acer Aspire 5 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift X offers superior screen clarity and vividness due to its higher resolution and brightness, making colors pop and text crisper compared to the Acer Aspire 5 17. In the realm of engineering and design, the Swift X excels with a wider range of colors, covering more of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB spectrums, essential for precision in visual work. However, both the Swift X and Aspire 5 17 have limitations for gaming and 3D applications as they lack high refresh rates, which is key for smooth motion and a more immersive experience.
Battery
7.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has 7 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X 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
Good
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.5in
4.6 lbs
WEIGHT
3.3 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.5/10
7.6/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality, while the Acer Aspire 5 17 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$700
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Aspire 5 17 has a price of $700 and the Acer Swift X (2023) costs $1,100.
"The Acer Aspire 5 17 laptop shows the expected strengths in the test. Besides the usual high build quality, the configuration convinces in most benchmarks and tests. The combination of CPU, GPU, and RAM is absolutely sufficient for the everyday office and browsing tasks of a laptop. It also renders the odd game passably if the requirements aren't too high. We liked the matte display in the test as well as the fairly manageable dimensions despite the screen size. It can also be used outdoors, even if it's certainly not a laptop designed for mobility."
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
Get a great deal on the Acer Aspire 5 17 or the Acer Swift X (2023)
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.
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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23,768
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CEO and Laptops Editor
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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