When considering the Acer Swift 3 and the Gigabyte A5, keep in mind that the Acer Swift 3 is generally more portable and offers a longer battery life, which is advantageous for on-the-go use and general tasks. However, if you are looking for a laptop to handle more demanding activities like gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the Gigabyte A5, with its dedicated graphics card (Nvidia RTX 3060), provides better performance for these intensive tasks. The trade-off is that the A5 is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less ideal for frequent travelers or those needing long-lasting use without a power source. The Acer Swift 3 might have a slight edge in screen quality for general use due to its brighter screen and higher color coverage, but for fast-paced games or rapid screen movement, the Gigabyte A5 stands out with its higher refresh rate display. 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 3
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Gigabyte A5
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Very good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.1/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A5 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift 3 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Software Development
7.6/10
7.0/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift 3 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
6.8/10
7.2/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
309.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Swift 3 has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
For general use, both the Acer Swift 3 and the Gigabyte A5 laptops offer displays with sufficient resolution and brightness, making text, images, and videos clear and vivid, which is essential for everyday tasks like browsing the web and document editing. When it comes to engineering and design, their good screen quality is due to the coverage of broader color gamuts which ensures that colors are rendered accurately, a crucial aspect for professionals who require precision in visual work. However, for 3D and gaming, the lack of higher refresh rates can lead to less fluid motion and slower response times, which isn't ideal for fast-paced visuals that are common in games and some 3D applications.
Battery
12.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Acer Swift 3 has 12 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 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
Very Good
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Swift 3 has very good portability, while the Gigabyte A5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$500
$830
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift 3 has a price of $500 and the Gigabyte A5 costs $830.
The Acer Swift 3 and Gigabyte A5 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift 3 offers a balance for general use with its lightweight design and long battery life, alongside a capable CPU and sufficient RAM for smooth multitasking, which is complemented by a touchscreen with good color coverage for an enhanced viewing experience. The Gigabyte A5, while heavier and with shorter battery life, offsets this with a more powerful CPU and higher-end graphics unit, along with extra features such as a keyboard with a number pad and better heat management, making it a good choice for more demanding tasks beyond general use.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A5 and Acer Swift 3 are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift 3 is well-suited for engineering and design due to its capable Intel i5 processor with integrated graphics, substantial RAM, and a high-quality IPS touchscreen display, while maintaining good portability and a quiet operation. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A5 stands out for similar tasks with its robust AMD Ryzen 5 processor, higher-end Nvidia graphics, and ample RAM, but is less portable and has a larger, non-touchscreen display which may appeal for more intensive graphics work, yet at the expense of heavier weight and elevated noise levels.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.3/10
7.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift 3 and Gigabyte A5 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.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.2/10
The Acer Swift 3 and Gigabyte A5 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 Swift 3 and the Gigabyte A5 compare to other laptops
"With the Swift 3, Acer delivers a 14-inch laptop with a sleek, slim metal chassis. The latter is of high quality and sturdy enough for everyday use, which is a real plus point among the 700-Euro (~$798) models. A new feature is Thunderbolt 4 in the Type-C format for peripherals or even displays (DisplayPort via Type-C). Unfortunately, a card reader is still missing, and the RAM is completely onboard, so there are no upgrade options here. Acer's 14-incher is affordable, yet it does everything most would want from a truly mobile laptop: Long battery life, a great display, quality, sufficient ports, light weight, and low noise and heat emissions."
"Ignoring price, the Gigabyte A5 has a hard time against the similarly fast competition. Besides the loud noise in 3D mode (performance mode), the high temperature development of the components should be mentioned on the downside. Despite the relatively thick case, the laptop gets very warm and loud under load, which does not exactly speak for the cooling system. The plastic surfaces look rather cheap and also tend to rattle. In most other disciplines - be it the input devices, the screen, the connectivity or the battery runtime - the Gigabyte laptop does not stand out from the crowd, neither positively nor negatively. However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the Gigabyte A5."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift 3 or the Gigabyte A5
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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