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The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If portability and battery life are priorities for you, you'll appreciate the Acer Swift X which is lighter and offers longer battery life. It’s also more affordable for general use, but the MSI Stealth GS66 provides more power, a faster refresh rate, and is better for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning tasks. Keep in mind, the MSI has a downturn in battery life and is heavier, making it less portable. Going for the Swift X means sacrificing some performance, while the MSI’s higher cost reflects its superior capabilities for demanding applications. 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 portability
- Very good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth GS66
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.9
7.8
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.5/10
The MSI Stealth GS66 is 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 and a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, offering a decent balance between graphical power and smooth visuals. On the other hand, the MSI Stealth GS66 provides a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti GPU for higher gaming and 3D performance, along with a higher refresh rate of 360Hz for extremely fluid motion, but this comes with increased weight, affecting portability.
Screen Quality
8.0
8.1
14.5in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
390.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the MSI Stealth GS66 for general use, engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
When considering screen quality for general use, the Acer Swift X excels due to its higher resolution and brightness, which enhance clarity and readability, whereas the MSI Stealth GS66, while still good, may not have a screen as bright or crisp. For engineering and design, the Acer Swift X's display covers a wide range of colors, providing accuracy critical for professional creative work, whereas the MSI Stealth GS66 may be slightly less adept in color reproduction. However, for gaming and 3D tasks which demand fast image refresh for smooth motion, both the Acer Swift X and MSI Stealth GS66 may fall short, as they prioritize resolution and color over the high refresh rates that gaming laptops typically offer.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth GS66 has 5.5 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
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2023) has very good portability, while the MSI Stealth GS66 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,100
$1,799
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2023) has a price of $1,100 and the MSI Stealth GS66 costs $1,799.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.9
7.7
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
390.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
280.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.2/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Stealth GS66 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2023) is great for general use with its solid CPU and ample RAM for smooth multitasking, a high-quality screen with excellent color coverage for a vivid display, and very good battery life paired with portability due to its light weight. The MSI Stealth GS66, while also suitable for general use, offers a more powerful CPU, a superior graphics card for more demanding applications, and a high refresh rate screen for smoother visuals, but it is heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it less portable. Both laptops have good storage capacity and quality keyboards, but prioritize either portability and battery life with the Acer Swift X or higher performance and gaming capabilities with the MSI Stealth GS66.
Engineering and Design
8.0
8.2
8.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.1/10
5.1/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.8/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Stealth GS66 and Acer Swift X (2023) are both very good for engineering and design.
The MSI Stealth GS66 is favored for engineering and design due to its higher-performing CPU and more powerful GPU, which are critical for demanding tasks like modeling and simulation, compared to the Acer Swift X that has a less potent CPU and GPU. However, the Acer Swift X offers higher resolution and better color coverage on the screen, making it desirable for design work that relies on vivid display qualities, and it has a higher portability advantage due to its lighter weight and longer battery life.
Content Creation
8.0
7.7
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 MSI Stealth GS66 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
7.5
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
8.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2023) and MSI Stealth GS66 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.
Build Quality
7.6
8.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers MSI Stealth GS66 to have 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.
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How the Acer Swift X (2023) and the MSI Stealth GS66 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2023) | MSI Stealth GS66 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,100 | $1,799 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | April 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | 14.2'' x 9.7'' x 0.71'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.31 lbs | 4.63 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.17" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9" | 9.65" | |
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 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 99.9 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 | 360Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 390 nits | 280 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.3/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 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 | 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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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 Stealth GS66
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NotebookCheck
Florian Glaser | February 2022
"The MSI Stealth GS66 is powerful enough for QHD. The Core i7-12700H and the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti found in the 12UGS model that we tested run all modern games smoothly in the native QHD resolution. The 15-inch display is very fast with its 240 Hz refresh rate, and it also offers a great color space (almost 100% DCI-P3) on top of that, which should please gamers as well as content creators, although we would have still wished for a higher brightness. Case, input devices, and connectivity (Thunderbolt 4) are at a good level. However, among other things, the GS66 loses points due to the high temperature development in 3D mode and its poor webcam."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2023) or the MSI Stealth GS66
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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