The Acer Swift Go 14 is often significantly less expensive and more portable than the Dell Alienware X17 R2, making it suitable for general use and offering good battery life. However, if you need higher performance for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and are willing to invest in a premium laptop, the Dell Alienware with its more powerful processor and advanced graphics is better suited. The Dell Alienware also has a larger screen but heavier build, which may impact its portability. Both laptops have backlit keyboards and USB-C charging, but the Dell comes with additional features like hardware ray tracing and a higher refresh rate for fast motion, which are advantageous for gaming. 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 Go 14
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the Dell Alienware X17 R2
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
8.9/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is only fair.
The Acer Swift Go 14's fair gaming and 3D capabilities can be attributed to its integrated GPU and standard screen refresh rate, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 stands out with a high-end GPU and a significantly higher screen refresh rate, providing very good performance for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
9.1/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 surpasses the Acer Swift Go 14 in engineering and design due to its higher-end CPU, double the RAM, and more powerful GPU, which are critical for demanding tasks and smooth multitasking. While the Swift Go 14 offers better portability and reduced operating noise, the Alienware's large screen and superior screen quality would benefit detailed design work despite being less portable.
Content Creation
7.6/10
8.3/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is 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.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
8.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Acer Swift Go 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift Go 14's resolution and brightness make it suitable, although it may lack the superior resolution and brightness of the Dell Alienware X17 R2, which offers a more vibrant and crisp viewing experience. In engineering and design tasks, the Swift Go 14 competes well due to its color accuracy, but the Alienware X17 R2, with its higher color gamut coverage, provides professionals with a more nuanced and richer color representation, essential for precision work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is key, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates, making neither ideal for fast-paced visual content where higher refresh rates are crucial.
Battery
8.0 Hours
2.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Go 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 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
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift Go 14 has excellent portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift Go 14 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$794
$2,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a price of $794 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Dell Alienware X17 R2 to be very good for general use, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is good.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers a balance of portability and battery life, with its lightweight design and solid screen quality for everyday tasks, but it has moderate performance capabilities due to its processor and graphics. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 provides exceptionally high performance and superior screen quality suited for more demanding use, thanks to a more powerful CPU and GPU; however, this comes with reduced battery life and portability due to its larger size and weight.
Software Development
7.6/10
7.8/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Acer Swift Go 14 are both 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.
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How the Acer Swift Go 14 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops
"The Acer Swift Go 14 is a surprising machine. Its performance, display, and battery life leave little to be desired from a device at this price. You might think it’d be cheaper given the “Go” in the name, or thinner given its close competition with thin-and-light laptops, but it manages to strike a decent enough balance between its capabilities and hardware to really stand out as an exceptional value."
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Go 14 or the Dell Alienware X17 R2
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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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