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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
For better performance in general use and impressive display quality with vibrant colors and deeper blacks, the Acer Swift Edge 16, with its OLED screen, is a suitable option. It also boasts an all-day battery life and a more lightweight design, enhancing its portability. Alternatively, the MSI GF65 Thin, with its powerful Nvidia graphics card, provides enhanced capabilities for gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning tasks. However, it's heavier, has a shorter battery life, and its screen doesn't match the clarity or color rendition of the Acer. The Acer is typically somewhat less expensive than the MSI, which may also influence your decision. 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 Edge 16
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- Good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.9
6.5
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers a better overall experience for general use with its superior CPU and RAM, higher resolution OLED screen for clearer and more vibrant display, and significantly longer battery life which enhances portability. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin has a fair CPU and lower RAM, along with a standard resolution IPS screen that doesn't match the visual quality of the Acer, and it falls short on battery life, making it less ideal for extended use away from a power source.
Engineering and Design
8.1
6.7
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Acer Swift Edge 16, with its high-resolution OLED screen and AMD Ryzen 7 processor accompanied by an integrated Radeon graphics card, offers clear visuals and sufficient power for engineering and design tasks, along with greater portability due to its lighter weight and higher battery life. In contrast, the MSI GF65 Thin, although heavier and with less battery life, comes equipped with a dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, which provides robust performance for design applications that can leverage advanced graphics processing, but it has a lower-resolution IPS display which may be less ideal for color-sensitive work.
Content Creation
8.1
6.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
7.9
6.3
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift Edge 16 is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
8.8
6.8
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 boasts a display with higher resolution and brightness, enhancing the viewing experience for general use and providing crisp text and vibrant images; it also covers a broad spectrum of colors, which is crucial for accuracy in engineering and design tasks. The MSI GF65 Thin, while having a fair display, doesn't match the Acer's resolution and brightness, which might make it less appealing for general use and detail-oriented work. However, neither laptop excels in gaming or 3D applications due to lower refresh rates that can result in less smooth motion compared to screens designed specifically for those purposes.
Battery
7.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin has 4.5 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
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$820
$1,100
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.7
6.8
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GF65 Thin and Acer Swift Edge 16 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift Edge 16 offers a better gaming and 3D experience due to its higher screen refresh rate and OLED display, which improve motion clarity and color vividness, while the AMD Radeon 780M GPU provides strong graphics performance for these tasks. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin, while still capable with its Nvidia RTX 3060, has a lower screen quality and less powerful CPU, which may limit performance in very graphically-intense games and complex 3D applications.
Build Quality
7.2
6.7
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift Edge 16 to have good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair 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 Edge 16 and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Edge 16 | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$820 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.73 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.68" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 383 nits | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift Edge 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | October 2023
"The Acer Swift Edge 16 is a solid super thin-and-light that pairs a large, gorgeous 16-inch display with portable design that rivals the weight of LG’s superlight Gram 16. Remarkably, Acer achieves this at a lower price point without sacrificing performance. Boring design and disappointing battery life hold the laptop back from stardom, but its rivals frequently suffer in these areas, too. That makes the Swift Edge 16 an alluring value pick."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the MSI GF65 Thin
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.
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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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