If you prioritize a balance of performance and portability with longer battery life, the Acer Swift X with its lighter build and superior battery is a good fit. However, for more demanding graphics tasks like 3D rendering or gaming, despite being heavier and having shorter battery life, the Gigabyte A5 with its more powerful graphics card might be better suited. The Acer Swift X offers a higher resolution and brighter display which is beneficial for general use and creative work, while the Gigabyte A5 may excel in high frame-rate gaming due to its higher refresh rate screen. Choose the Acer for regular use with occasional creative tasks, or the Gigabyte if gaming or graphics-intensive applications are your priority. 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 engineering and design
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte A5
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.3/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Gigabyte A5 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X offers a balance between performance and mobility with its lightweight design, good battery life, and a high-resolution, color-accurate screen suitable for both work and entertainment; its hardware is capable for everyday tasks but also robust enough for more demanding applications within reason. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A5, though less portable, provides a more powerful graphics unit and a larger screen, better suited for users who prioritize gaming or graphic-intensive tasks and can manage with its shorter battery life. Both laptops come with the same amount of memory and storage, ensuring plenty of space and smooth multitasking.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the Gigabyte A5 is good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.3/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for content creation, while the Gigabyte A5 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
7.9/10
7.0/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Gigabyte A5 are both good for software development, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
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
8.0/10
7.2/10
14.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Gigabyte A5 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift X boasts a high-resolution display that offers clarity and vibrance which appeals to general usage and detailed engineering work, with its color gamut coverage enhancing design tasks by providing accurate color reproduction. Conversely, its lackluster refresh rate hampers the gaming and 3D experience by not delivering as smooth motion as desired. The Gigabyte A5, while still delivering good resolution and color for general tasks and design work, doesn't meet the high refresh demands of 3D applications and gaming.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A5 has 6.5 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
14.5in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.6 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte A5 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$830
$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 Gigabyte A5 costs $830.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Gigabyte A5 to be good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, which are well-suited for gaming and 3D applications, while the screen also boasts high-resolution quality. On the other hand, the Gigabyte A5 has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU and a higher 144Hz screen refresh rate, making it adept at handling more demanding gaming and 3D tasks, despite its lower screen resolution compared to the Acer.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.2/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Gigabyte A5 both have good 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 X (2023) and the Gigabyte A5 compare to other laptops
"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."
"Ignoring price, the Gigabyte A5 has a hard time against the similarly fast competition. Besides the loud noise in 3D mode (performance mode), the high temperature development of the components should be mentioned on the downside. Despite the relatively thick case, the laptop gets very warm and loud under load, which does not exactly speak for the cooling system. The plastic surfaces look rather cheap and also tend to rattle. In most other disciplines - be it the input devices, the screen, the connectivity or the battery runtime - the Gigabyte laptop does not stand out from the crowd, neither positively nor negatively. However, those who primarily pay attention to the price-performance ratio will get a pretty good offer with the Gigabyte A5."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Gigabyte A5
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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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