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Updated January 10, 2024·
When choosing between the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Dell Alienware x14 R1, consider their strengths. The Acer Swift X is less expensive and offers a balance between power and portability, with a longer battery life and a higher-resolution, larger screen which is great for general use and productivity tasks. The Dell Alienware x14 R1, albeit more expensive, has a more powerful main processor and graphics unit, making it better suited for 3D applications, machine learning, and gaming; it's also engineered with features that cater specifically to gamers, such as customizable keyboard lighting and advanced heat management. Both have similar RAM and storage, but the Dell's higher refresh rate display may make fast-paced visuals smoother. The trade-off comes down to whether you prioritize longer battery life and a sharp display for everyday tasks (Acer Swift X) or higher performance and gaming features at a higher cost (Dell Alienware x14 R1). 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 X (2023)
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Alienware x14 R1
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9
7.6
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) with its Nvidia RTX 3050 and a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz is well-suited for gaming and 3D tasks, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 steps up the game with a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 and a higher screen refresh rate of 144 Hz for even smoother visuals in demanding applications.
Screen Quality
8.0
7.9
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Dell Alienware x14 R1 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift X features a panel with high resolution and brightness, which renders sharp text and vivid images for general use, and thanks to its wide color gamut, it is excellent for color-sensitive tasks in engineering and design. However, its refresh rate is not as high as dedicated gaming laptops, making it less suitable for fast-paced 3D games where smooth motion is crucial. In contrast, the Dell Alienware x14 R1 also offers a good display for everyday tasks and professional design work, but like the Swift X, its refresh rate doesn't match that of specialized gaming models, affecting the gaming experience for rapid visuals.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$1,201
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 costs $1,201.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.8
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
411.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
9.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Alienware x14 R1 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is suited for general use with its powerful CPU and ample RAM, high-resolution screen with excellent color coverage, and significant portability thanks to its light weight and decent battery life. The Dell Alienware x14 R1 also caters to general use with a higher-performance CPU, more powerful graphics, and superior screen refresh rate, albeit at the cost of being slightly heavier and having slightly less battery life, which may affect portability.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Dell Alienware x14 R1 is favored for engineering and design primarily due to its more powerful CPU and GPU, facilitating better overall performance for computational and graphics-intensive tasks. Meanwhile, the Acer Swift X (2023), although it has a quality screen and is more portable, offers slightly lower performance capabilities due to its less powerful CPU and GPU, making it better for less demanding engineering work or where portability is a higher priority.
Content Creation
8.0
7.9
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to be very good for content creation, while the Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Software Development
7.9
7.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Alienware x14 R1 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
9.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware x14 R1 has 9 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
Very Good
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Dell Alienware x14 R1 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the Dell Alienware x14 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | Dell Alienware x14 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,201 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | August 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 10.3'' x 0.57'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.06 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.66" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 10.34" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | Intel i7-12700H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 9 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 80 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 390 nits | 411 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
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 | 1 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2023)
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Sebastian Jentsch | March 2022
"The Swift X is an Acer for entry-level gaming. With the entry-level graphics chip, our Acer not only beats every single current AMD and Intel iGPU, but also Intel's dGPU Iris Xe Max. However, despite being a GDDR6 version, the GTX does not match the expectations set by its own counterparts from our database. This may be a result of the single fan, which only produces moderate noise levels under load. The performance level of the thin and light 1.4 kg (~3.09 lbs) 14-inch laptop is impressive nonetheless."
Dell Alienware x14 R1
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NotebookCheck
Andreas Osthoff | March 2022
"The Alienware X14 series is thinner, but also slower than the competition. With the X series, you get plenty of modern technology: Intel Alder Lake CPUs, GeForce RTX 3000 GPUs, Thunderbolt 4, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6E, G-Sync, and Advanced Optimus. However, the slim design has some drawbacks, just like its larger siblings. The shifted hinge position results in a very deep device with a large footprint compared to the competition."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Dell Alienware x14 R1
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.
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