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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X (2023) is a more affordable option with better battery life, higher resolution display, and it's lighter than the MSI GF65 Thin, making it more portable; this might be well-suited for general use and productivity with the addition of a decent build quality and good keyboard. On the other hand, the MSI GF65 Thin has a more powerful graphics card, which makes it better suited for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, and machine learning applications, despite its shorter battery life and heavier build. If portability and battery life are your priorities, go for the Acer Swift X; if you need better graphics performance for gaming and specialized tasks, the MSI GF65 Thin is the better choice. 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)
- Good for general use
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI GF65 Thin
- The MSI GF65 Thin has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2023).
Key differences
General Use
7.9
6.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.3/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) is good for general use, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is deemed good for general use because it balances performance with portability, offering a newer CPU, more RAM, higher screen quality with better color accuracy, and longer battery life than the MSI GF65 Thin, while also being lighter and thinner, making it easier to carry around.
Engineering and Design
8.0
6.7
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
The Acer Swift X (2023) and the MSI GF65 Thin are both suitable for engineering and design due to their powerful CPUs, ample RAM, and dedicated GPUs; the former offers a combination of mobility with its lighter weight and longer battery life and a better screen quality with higher resolution and color accuracy for detailed design work, whereas the latter, with its higher performance GPU, is more specialized for rendering tasks although slightly heavier and with a shorter battery life, making it less portable but potentially more proficient for GPU-intensive engineering software. Portability and screen quality tend to be more crucial for design professionals who also need the flexibility to work on the go, but for those primarily requiring raw performance for engineering simulations, the MSI's advanced GPU might be more appealing despite the tradeoff in display and mobility.
Content Creation
8.0
6.8
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for content creation, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.3
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
4.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
8.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) is good for software development, while the MSI GF65 Thin is only fair.
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
6.8
14.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
262.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the MSI GF65 Thin for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
The Acer Swift X offers a high-resolution display and excellent brightness, which enhances the experience for general use and detailed work in engineering and design due to sharp visuals and accurate colors. Its color gamut coverage meets the professional standards required for engineering and design tasks, ensuring precise color representation. However, the laptop's lower refresh rate makes it less suitable for 3D applications and gaming, where fluid motion and rapid screen updates are critical for optimal performance.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI GF65 Thin 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
Good
14.5in
SIZE
15.6in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
4.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI GF65 Thin has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
6.7
The Acer Swift X (2023) has good build quality, while the MSI GF65 Thin has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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Key similarities
Gaming and AI
6.9
6.8
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
6.1/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI GF65 Thin are both only fair for gaming and AI.
PerfectRec’s Gaming and AI Score strongly emphasizes graphics processing capability, while also taking into account other factors that impact suitability for gaming and AI work.
Cost
$1,100
$1,100
$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 MSI GF65 Thin costs $1,100.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the MSI GF65 Thin compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | MSI GF65 Thin |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,100 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 10'' x 0.85'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.1 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.13" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.99" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | Intel i5-10500H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 8 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 4.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 51 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14.5" | 15.6" | |
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 | 262 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 6.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.8/10 | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | N/A | |
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."
MSI GF65 Thin
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Allen Ngo | March 2021
"The MSI GF65 Thin offers a GeForce RTX 3060 on a budget. The MSI GF65 is a relatively inexpensive RTX 3060 laptop and, perhaps not coincidentally, it also comes with a slower-than-average RTX 3060 GPU. Other laptops we've tested thus far with the same GPU are about 10 to 15 percent faster. CPU performance is also slightly slower than average unless if users decide to enable Cooler Boost mode. Colors, black-white response times, Thunderbolt, and DisplayPort are either average or completely omitted. Gamers who want to maximize performance-per-dollar without sacrificing RAM or SSD upgradeability will find the lightweight MSI GF65 attractive."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the MSI GF65 Thin
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.
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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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