If you prioritize a strong performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, and don't mind a heavier laptop with lower battery life, the Lenovo Legion 5 17" provides a more powerful graphics card and processor. It also has a larger screen but at a lower resolution and is slightly more expensive. On the other hand, the Acer Swift X (2023) is more portable, has better battery life, has higher screen resolution, and is better suited for general use and some engineering tasks. It is also less expensive but won't handle intensive gaming or 3D tasks as well as the Lenovo. 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 speakers
Advantages of the Lenovo Legion 5 17"
Good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
7.9/10
7.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.8/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Lenovo Legion 5 17" are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is ideal for general use as it offers a powerful combination of a latest generation CPU, sufficient RAM, and a high-quality screen with good portability and long battery life, suiting everyday tasks and some light creativity work. The Lenovo Legion 5 17", while also featuring a strong CPU and adequate RAM, provides a larger screen for more immersive experiences, yet trades off battery life and portability, making it less convenient for on-the-go use but great for stationary gaming and multimedia consumption.
Content Creation
8.0/10
7.2/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
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 Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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
7.3/10
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
305.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Lenovo Legion 5 17" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
When considering a laptop for general use, the Acer Swift X's higher resolution and brightness make its display more appealing, offering sharper visuals and more comfortable viewing in varied lighting conditions. For engineering and design, the Swift X's wider color gamuts ensure more accurate color reproduction, which is paramount for tasks requiring color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications, both the Acer Swift X and the Lenovo Legion 5 have lower refresh rates, which means less smooth motion and responsiveness, a drawback for fast-paced visuals and rendering tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Lenovo Legion 5 17" has 4.5 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
Poor
14.5in
SIZE
17.3in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
6.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,200
$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 Lenovo Legion 5 17" costs $1,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Lenovo Legion 5 17" to be good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2023) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is suitable for gaming and 3D applications with its Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU which provides solid performance but has a slightly less capable GPU compared to the Lenovo Legion 5 17", which boasts a higher-tier Nvidia RTX 3060 GPU, enabling better gaming and 3D rendering capabilities. However, the Swift X offers a higher screen refresh rate for smoother visuals important in fast-paced gaming, while the Legion, despite a slightly lower refresh rate, has the advantage of a more powerful CPU for demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.0/10
7.6/10
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2023) to be very good for engineering and design, while the Lenovo Legion 5 17" is good.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is suited for engineering and design due to its powerful CPU, sufficient RAM, competent GPU for moderate design tasks, and a high-resolution display that covers a wide range of colors, facilitating precise visual work.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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 Lenovo Legion 5 17" 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."
"The Lenovo Legion 5 17 is a current-gen 17-inch gaming laptop and equipped with the latest AMD CPU and a powerful GPU, that manages to reach its full potential. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600H is a very good choice for this laptop and able to maintain its performance level for long periods of time. Our test model only falls behind consistently in a direct comparison with its competitors that are often equipped with eight cores and 16 threads. Despite this, the Legion 5 17 leaves an excellent impression and is almost able to keep up with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 mobile GPU in synthetic benchmarks."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the Lenovo Legion 5 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 Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
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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