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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're looking for a laptop that is more affordable, lighter, and has a longer battery life, consider the Acer Swift Edge 16. It's suitable for general use and boasts a high-quality OLED display. However, if you need a powerful laptop for 3D work, machine learning, or gaming, the MSI Stealth 17 is the better option, with a stronger processor, superior graphics card, and larger RAM and storage capacity. But keep in mind, it's more expensive and heavier, which affects its portability, and the battery life is shorter compared to the Acer Swift Edge 16. 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
- Very good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Best in class speakers
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.9
8.7
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
383.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
8.8/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is good.
The Acer Swift Edge 16's lightweight design and longer battery life suit general use for those prioritizing portability and day-to-day tasks, while the MSI Stealth 17, with its robust processor, more RAM, and higher screen quality, excels in more demanding applications though at the cost of less portability and shorter battery life. Both laptops offer high-quality displays and substantial storage, but the MSI Stealth 17's superior keyboard, speaker quality, and cooling management make it better suited for intensive use despite its larger size and heavier weight.
Gaming and AI
6.7
9.1
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is only fair.
The MSI Stealth 17, with its Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 240, is excellent for gaming and 3D tasks, outstripping the Acer Swift Edge 16 that sports an AMD Radeon 780M GPU and a lower refresh rate of 120. Despite both having quality displays and capable processors, the MSI's superior graphical hardware and faster screen make for smoother visuals and better gaming performance.
Engineering and Design
8.1
9.4
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
4.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is very good.
The Acer Swift Edge 16, with its AMD Ryzen CPU and Radeon GPU, offers robust performance and an OLED screen suitable for design work but may not handle the most demanding engineering tasks as smoothly as the MSI Stealth 17, which boasts a more powerful Intel i9 CPU, superior Nvidia RTX GPU, and a larger IPS screen, albeit at a cost of being heavier and less portable.
Content Creation
8.1
8.8
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and Acer Swift Edge 16 are both very good for content creation, though the MSI Stealth 17 is somewhat better.
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
8.5
8.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
6.7/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift Edge 16 is good.
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
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3200 x 2000
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
383.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift Edge's excellent display stems from its high resolution and bright panel, ensuring clear and vivid visuals for everyday tasks. The MSI Stealth's display, although slightly lower in resolution and brightness, still delivers sharp and vibrant images that are more than adequate for general activities. In engineering and design workflows where color accuracy is paramount, both laptops provide wide color coverage, but the lower refresh rates on both devices make them less optimal for 3D tasks and gaming, where smoother motion and quicker screen updates are crucial.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 and Acer Swift Edge 16 both have good build quality, though the MSI Stealth 17 has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$820
$3,899
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Swift Edge 16 has a price of $820 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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How the Acer Swift Edge 16 and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift Edge 16 | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$820 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14.1'' x 9.7'' x 0.51'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 2.73 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.08" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.68" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 54 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3200 x 2000 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 383 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.2/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.9/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 6.8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 6.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
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 Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Edge 16 or the MSI Stealth 17
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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