The Acer Swift Go 14, priced lower, might appeal if you prioritize portability and general use with a lighter weight, higher portability score, and better performance for everyday tasks. Choose the Acer for general mobility and light tasks, or opt for the MSI if your work demands high-end performance and gaming capabilities with a compromise on portability and 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 Go 14
Excellent portability
Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI GP66 Leopard
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good speakers
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.8/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift Go 14 is only fair.
The MSI GP66 Leopard offers better gaming and 3D performance mainly because it houses a powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, which is vastly superior to the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics in the Acer Swift Go 14. Additionally, the MSI laptop has a high screen refresh rate of 144Hz, significantly smoother than the Acer's 60Hz, making for more fluid visuals in fast-paced games.
Engineering and Design
7.2/10
7.9/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
3.7/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI GP66 Leopard and Acer Swift Go 14 are both good for engineering and design, though the MSI GP66 Leopard is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift Go 14 is suited for engineering and design work thanks to a strong CPU and integrated GPU that can handle demanding tasks, and it has a high-quality, color-accurate screen which is crucial for design work, yet it's more portable and quieter in operation making it suitable for mobile professionals. On the other hand, the MSI GP66 Leopard, with a high-end CPU and powerful dedicated GPU, excels in more GPU-intensive engineering simulations and 3D design rendering, and it has a larger, high-refresh-rate screen which is beneficial for design details, although it's heavier and louder which might limit its portability.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
7.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
300.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
362.0 nits
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a better screen than the MSI GP66 Leopard for software development, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has a better screen for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
When considering general use, both the Acer Swift Go 14 and the MSI GP66 Leopard offer screens with clear images and bright displays, making activities like browsing and video streaming enjoyable. For engineering and design tasks, high color accuracy is crucial, and both laptops provide good coverage of professional color spaces, ensuring that the colors you work with are represented faithfully. However, for gaming and 3D applications, refresh rate becomes a key factor for smooth visuals, and both laptops may not meet the best standards for fluid motion and fast-paced scenes due to lower refresh rates.
Battery
8.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Swift Go 14 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI GP66 Leopard has 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
Excellent
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2.7 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift Go 14 has excellent portability, while the MSI GP66 Leopard has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
8.0/10
The MSI GP66 Leopard 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
$793
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Acer Swift Go 14 has a price of $793 and the MSI GP66 Leopard costs $1,400.
The Acer Swift Go 14 and MSI GP66 Leopard are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift Go 14 offers portability with lightweight design and longer battery life, making it suitable for everyday tasks, while the MSI GP66 Leopard's high-performance CPU and advanced GPU cater to more demanding applications, albeit with reduced battery life and portability due to its heavier build. Both laptops have sufficient RAM and high-quality displays for general use, though the MSI distinguishes itself with a screen better suited for gaming or creative work, at the cost of being less travel-friendly.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.4/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift Go 14 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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.
Software Development
7.6/10
7.2/10
7.4/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1200
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift Go 14 and MSI GP66 Leopard 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 MSI GP66 Leopard 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 MSI GP66 Leopard is a good budget high-performance gamer. The MSI also does a lot right outside of the pure performance despite it's low price. For example, the adaptive cooling system really surprised us positively, even in Extreme Performance Mode. And the display is not a budget panel either, but at least outshines the competition in terms of brightness. Of course, you also have to accept a few compromises in this price category. These include the Leopard's poor battery runtimes and the less than optimal build quality, which is also noticeable in the more complicated maintenance."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift Go 14 or the MSI GP66 Leopard
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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