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Updated January 10, 2024·
When considering the Acer Nitro 5 17 and the Acer Swift X (2021), think about your primary needs. The Acer Nitro 5 17 offers a larger screen and more powerful performance suitable for gaming, 3D rendering, or intensive engineering tasks, but it's heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. On the other hand, the Acer Swift X is more portable with a longer battery life and lighter weight, ideal for general use and bringing to different locations; however, it has less power and storage, and a smaller screen, which may limit its ability for demanding tasks. Both laptops are similarly priced, so your choice should hinge on whether portability or performance is your priority. 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
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
Advantages of the Acer Swift X (2021)
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.7
6.3
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 stands out for gaming and 3D with its more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and a high screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, providing smoother visuals in fast-paced games. In contrast, the Acer Swift X (2021) is equipped with a less capable Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a standard screen refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it less optimal for demanding gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
8.0
7.0
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
7.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Nitro 5 17 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, equipped with a high-end Nvidia RTX 3080 GPU and an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, has superior graphics and processing power making it very suitable for demanding engineering tasks, whereas the Acer Swift X (2021)'s Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and AMD Ryzen 5 5600U CPU provide good performance that's balanced with better portability and battery life for general engineering use. The Nitro 5 17's larger screen and higher performance components also contribute to it being heavier and less portable than the Swift X, which offers a more compact form factor suitable for on-the-go use without compromising on necessary capabilities for engineering design work.
Screen Quality
8.2
6.9
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
360Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
307.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and content creation.
The Acer Nitro 5 17 likely has a display with a higher resolution and brightness, making it suitable for general use and engineering, where details and vibrant colors are crucial. However, its lower refresh rate hinders gaming performance, where smoother motion is key. The Acer Swift X, while comparable in resolution for sharpness and color accuracy for design work, also falls short for gaming enthusiasts due to a refresh rate that doesn't match the fast-paced visuals that games demand.
Battery
6.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has 6 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
Fair
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
5.9 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.9in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Acer Nitro 5 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$830
$580
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Nitro 5 17 has a price of $830 and the Acer Swift X (2021) costs $580.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.8
7.4
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
307.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
372.0 nits
6.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
6.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use.
The Acer Nitro 5 17, with a high-performance CPU and dedicated GPU, ample RAM, and a large screen with good color coverage, is suited for tasks demanding more power, but it is heavier and has shorter battery life, making it less portable. In contrast, the Acer Swift X (2021) is lighter, has longer battery life, and maintains respectable performance with a capable CPU and GPU along with a high-quality screen, thus offering a balance between power and portability for general use.
Content Creation
7.8
7.5
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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
7.4
7.3
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Nitro 5 17 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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
7.2
7.6
The Acer Swift X (2021) 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 (2021) compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Nitro 5 17 | Acer Swift X (2021) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$830 | $580 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | February 1, 2023 | June 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 15.9'' x 11'' x 0.98'' | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.95 lbs | 3.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 15.89" | 12.7" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 11.02" | 8.4" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 2 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 6 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 57.5 Wh | 59 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 17.3" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 360Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 307 nits | 372 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 6.1/10 | 8.6/10 | |
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 | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | No | Yes | |
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 | 1 | 2 | |
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 (2021)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"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 Nitro 5 17 or the Acer Swift X (2021)
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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