If portability is crucial for you, the Acer Swift 14 is lighter and has a slightly smaller screen, making it easier to carry around than the MSI Prestige 16. However, the latter offers a larger screen and better battery life, which may favor extended use without charging. The MSI also has more RAM, which can be beneficial for multitasking and demanding applications like engineering, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. Both laptops have similar processors and integrated graphics, suitable for general use and capable of handling some gaming, but dedicated gamers may need more power. They come at a comparable price, so your choice should be guided by the balance between portability and performance that best suits your needs. 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 Swift 14
Excellent portability
Advantages of the MSI Prestige 16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.6/10
8.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
458.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
400.0 nits
The MSI Prestige 16 has a better screen than the Acer Swift 14 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 14 provides high resolution and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and some engineering and design work that benefit from sharp visuals and accurate colors. In contrast, the MSI Prestige 16 likely excels in these areas due to its larger screen and similarly high resolution, offering a more immersive and detailed workspace that's essential for detailed engineering and graphic design. However, both laptops fall short for gaming and 3D applications, as they lack the high refresh rates needed for smooth motion and fast-paced visuals that these tasks typically require.
Battery
9.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Swift 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 16 has 7.5 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
Excellent
Good
14.0in
SIZE
16.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
4.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The Acer Swift 14 has excellent portability, while the MSI Prestige 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,400
$1,611
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift 14 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI Prestige 16 costs $1,611.
The MSI Prestige 16 and Acer Swift 14 are both very good for general use.
The Acer Swift 14 is applauded for general use due to its lightweight design and impressive screen quality, enhanced by high brightness and full sRGB color space coverage; coupled with a competent CPU, plenty of RAM, and long battery life, it makes for a great portable option. Conversely, the MSI Prestige 16 offers a larger screen with a high refresh rate and more RAM, which along with a powerful CPU, provides robust performance for demanding tasks, but this comes at the cost of added weight and reduced battery life compared to the Swift 14.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
6.7/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 16 and Acer Swift 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift 14 and MSI Prestige 16 are both suitable for gaming and 3D due to their robust GPUs and high-quality IPS screens with sharp resolutions, enhancing visual fidelity and rendering. However, the MSI Prestige 16 offers a far higher screen refresh rate, which is crucial for smooth gameplay, and it comes with double the RAM of the Acer Swift 14, ensuring better performance in demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
8.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Prestige 16 to be very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 14 is good.
The Acer Swift 14 is good for engineering and design because it has a capable CPU and GPU and a high-quality screen, though with only 16GB of RAM, it may not handle highly demanding tasks as well as the MSI Prestige 16, which has 32GB of RAM and a longer battery life but is heavier, making it less portable.
Content Creation
8.2/10
8.3/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Prestige 16 and Acer Swift 14 are both very 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
8.2/10
8.1/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift 14 and MSI Prestige 16 are both very 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
7.4/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift 14 and MSI Prestige 16 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift 14 and the MSI Prestige 16 compare to other laptops
Olivier Martin, Ryan Lim, John Peroramas | April 2023
"The Acer Swift 14 is good for school use. Its compact design makes it easy to carry around, and its battery lasts easily through a typical school day. You can configure the laptop with an FHD+ or QHD+ display; both look sharp and get bright enough to combat glare. The keyboard feels tactile but can be a little tiring to type on over an extended period, and while the touchpad is small, it's responsive to all movements and gestures. Its Intel 13th Gen. CPU can handle nearly every type of workload; however, its integrated graphics perform poorly, so it isn't ideal for students in technical fields like 3D graphics."
"The MSI Prestige 16 Evo: 2023's best value 16” thin & light laptop with i7-13700H. One of the top choices for professionals and students seeking a high-performance, portable computing solution in 2023. While the MSI Prestige 16 Evo A13M may not boast the most striking design compared to some other 16" options, its relatively "safe" styling lends itself well to professional and educational environments. Significantly, it doesn't compromise on essential features like port selection or cooling performance, ensuring seamless connectivity and efficient thermal management. The 16 Evo A13M offers an excellent combination of performance, portability, and functionality, making it a compelling choice for professionals and students alike."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 14 or the MSI Prestige 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.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
116,295
Recommendations made
25,198
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.