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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is a more budget-friendly option, suitable for gaming and engineering with its high-performance graphics card but is larger and heavier, less ideal for frequent travel. In contrast, the Acer Swift X 16 offers a combination of portability and power with a superior screen resolution and better battery life, making it well-suited for general use and some creative tasks, although it's less optimized for intensive gaming or engineering work due to the less powerful graphics card. Choose the Nitro 5 17 for gaming and performance-oriented tasks or the Swift X 16 for improved portability and display quality for everyday use and multimedia. 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 Acer Swift X 16.
Advantages of the Acer Swift X 16
- Very good for general use
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good portability
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
7.0
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Unknown
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Swift X 16 are both good for gaming and AI, though the Acer Nitro 5 17 is somewhat better.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is suited for gaming and 3D applications due to its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and a higher screen refresh rate of 360, which enables smoother visuals in fast-paced scenes. In contrast, the Acer Swift X 16, while also good for gaming and 3D, offers a less powerful Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a lower refresh rate of 165, but compensates with a higher screen quality for detailed image display.
Software Development
7.4
8.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 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 16 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
8.2
17.3in
SIZE
16.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
402.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X 16 for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen for general use, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Nitro 5 17 and Swift X 16 both offer vivid displays with high resolution and brightness, making them suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and document editing. Engineers and designers will appreciate the Swift X 16's superior color accuracy and wider color gamuts, which ensure that their work is displayed with more precise hues and shades. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the lower refresh rates on both models could lead to less smooth visuals, which is less ideal for fast-paced games or rendering 3D graphics where fluid motion is key.
Battery
6.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 hours of battery life. The Acer Swift X 16 has 8 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
16.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X 16 has good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$830
$1,250
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Acer Swift X 16 costs $1,250.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
402.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.6/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X 16 and Acer Nitro 5 17 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, armed with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU, and a faster refresh rate screen, offers powerful performance for engineering and design tasks that require high computing power and graphics capabilities, but it is less portable due to its larger size and weight. In contrast, the Acer Swift X 16 features an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, which provides substantial performance for engineering and design, with the added benefits of a higher resolution screen and better portability owing to its lighter weight and smaller dimensions.
Content Creation
7.8
8.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be 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.
Build Quality
7.2
7.6
The Acer Swift X 16 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 Acer Swift X 16 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Acer Swift X 16 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $1,250 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 4.19 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 9.81" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 8 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 76 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 16" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 402 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 7.6/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
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 | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 1 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
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."
Acer Swift X 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2023
"Acer’s Swift X 16 is an excellent choice for shoppers who want a 16-inch laptop and care more for performance than attractive design or long battery life. The Swift X 16’s gorgeous OLED display, spacious keyboard, and big touchpad make it pleasant to use in basic day-to-day tasks. It also has an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, which combine to deliver good performance in a wide variety of productivity applications and games. A few minor mistakes, like poorly-placed USB-C ports that lack DisplayPort, will turn off some shoppers, but those who can accept its shortcomings will find the Swift X 16 a versatile daily driver."
Get a great deal on the Acer Nitro 5 17 or the Acer Swift X 16
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.
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