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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X (2023) offers a stronger performance for more demanding tasks such as 3D or machine learning due to its advanced processor and dedicated GPU, which comes at a higher cost and relatively longer battery life for typical use. It's more suitable for engineering applications and can manage intensive gaming. On the other hand, the MSI Modern 14 is more affordable and lightweight, still provides the same storage and RAM, but has lower performance due to its integrated graphics, making it more aligned with general use and less ideal for demanding software or gaming. 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 battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
- The MSI Modern 14 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2023).
Key differences
General Use
7.9
7.2
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Gaming and AI
6.9
6.0
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Modern 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI, though the Acer Swift X (2023) is somewhat better.
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.
Engineering and Design
8.0
6.6
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X (2023) is very good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
The Acer Swift X stands out for engineering and design work due to its more powerful Intel i5 processor and Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card, which offer stronger performance for computationally intensive tasks and renderings, as well as superior screen resolution and quality for detailed work.
Content Creation
8.0
7.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
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 MSI Modern 14 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
7.1
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Modern 14 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
6.4
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Swift X offers a more vibrant display and sharper resolution, which makes reading text and browsing the web more pleasing to the eye. In engineering and design, the Acer Swift X's wider color gamut ensures more accurate color reproduction, which is crucial for tasks that demand color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications, the MSI Modern 14 falls short just like the Acer, as both have displays with lower refresh rates, resulting in less fluid motion and potentially less immersive experiences.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 has 6 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.
Build Quality
7.6
7.0
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Modern 14 both have good build quality, though the Acer Swift X (2023) has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,100
$525
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.5in
SIZE
14.0in
3.3 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 and Acer Swift X (2023) both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i5-13500H | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 39 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 | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 390 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
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 Modern 14
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Dig into reviews and images
Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the MSI Modern 14
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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