If budget is a key concern and you primarily need a laptop for everyday tasks like browsing, office work, and streaming, the Acer Swift 14 offers an affordable option that's light and easy to carry around, though it may not handle heavy-duty tasks as well. The MSI Titan 18 HX, on the other hand, excels in demanding jobs like gaming, 3D design, or video editing due to its superior performance capabilities but comes at a higher price and is much less portable due to its size and weight, which can also impact its battery life. 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
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Titan 18 HX
Best in class for engineering and design
Excellent for gaming and AI
Excellent for content creation
Excellent overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Excellent speakers
Best in class keyboard
Key differences
General Use
8.2/10
8.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
458.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
9.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
9.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX and Acer Swift 14 are both very good for general use, though the MSI Titan 18 HX is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift 14 offers a balance of strong CPU performance, ample RAM, and high-quality screen, all packed into a lightweight and portable design with impressive battery life, making it an excellent choice for general use on the go. On the other hand, the MSI Titan 18 HX, with its superior processing power and larger RAM capacity, excels in demanding tasks and gaming but trades off portability due to its size and shorter battery life, though it offers a larger screen and robust storage options, along with a comfortable keyboard and effective heat management.
Gaming and AI
6.7/10
9.4/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 14 is only fair.
The Acer Swift 14, while capable for casual gaming, has a less powerful GPU and a standard screen refresh rate, which may not deliver the smoothest visual experience in intensive 3D tasks and high-end gaming. On the other hand, the MSI Titan 18 HX boasts a top-tier GPU and a high refresh rate screen, ensuring a superior and more immersive experience for demanding games and 3D applications, but at a higher cost and a likely sacrifice in portability due to its size.
Engineering and Design
7.9/10
9.9/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
The MSI Titan 18 HX is best in class for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift 14 is good.
The Acer Swift 14 offers a balance of performance and portability for engineering tasks with its capable CPU, sufficient RAM, and good screen quality, but the MSI Titan 18 HX stands out for more demanding engineering and design tasks with a more powerful CPU, higher RAM capacity, and superior GPU, although it is less portable and louder under load. While both have quality screens and keyboards, the MSI's larger form factor might not suit those frequently on the move.
Content Creation
8.2/10
9.0/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
The MSI Titan 18 HX is excellent for content creation, while the Acer Swift 14 is very 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
8.2/10
8.9/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
128.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
10.0/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX and Acer Swift 14 are both very good for software development, though the MSI Titan 18 HX 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
7.6/10
9.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
Mini LED
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
458.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
401.0 nits
The MSI Titan 18 HX has a better screen than the Acer Swift 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift 14 offers a balance of resolution and brightness that makes it suitable for everyday tasks and professional design work, but its lower refresh rate hampers gaming and 3D performance where fluid motion is critical. The MSI Titan 18 HX, with its superior resolution and color accuracy, excels in both general and engineering use, delivering crisp visuals and faithful color reproduction necessary for precise design tasks. However, like the Acer, its lower refresh rate means it won't be ideal for games and applications where high refresh rates are crucial for the best experience.
Battery
9.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Swift 14 has 9 hours of battery life. The MSI Titan 18 HX has 4 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
18.0in
2.6 lbs
WEIGHT
7.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
1.2in
The Acer Swift 14 has excellent portability, while the MSI Titan 18 HX has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The MSI Titan 18 HX has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,400
$4,949
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Swift 14 has a price of $1,400 and the MSI Titan 18 HX costs $4,949.
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."
"With no new Nvidia GPU this year for laptops, MSI had to refresh everything surrounding the graphics card to make up for it. Users are getting a new 18-inch chassis design, new 14th gen Intel HX CPU, new AC adapter, larger keys, and a new 120 Hz HDR1000 mini-LED 4K display to accompany the high price tag. Most of these changes are a step up from last year's GT77, but users are ultimately getting the same gaming performance out of both models."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 14 or the MSI Titan 18 HX
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.
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