The Acer Swift X 16 is less expensive and more portable, making it suitable for general use and some engineering tasks. It has a better screen resolution and is lighter. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is pricier and less portable, but it's more powerful for 3D, machine learning, and gaming, thanks to a superior graphics card. The tradeoff is in battery life and portability for the sake of performance. Choose the Acer for everyday tasks and carry convenience, or the Gigabyte for high-end performance needs that justify a higher cost and weight. 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 16
Very good for general use
Very good for software development
Good portability
Advantages of the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.7/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Unknown
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X 16 is good.
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H offers a more powerful Nvidia RTX 4080 graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate than the Acer Swift X 16, which carries a Nvidia RTX 3050 and lower refresh rate. These features make the Aorus 17H better suited for demanding gaming and 3D applications, delivering smoother visuals and improved graphical performance.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
8.3/10
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
360Hz
402.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
351.0 nits
The Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen than the Gigabyte Aorus 17H for engineering and design, software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has a better screen for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X 16 likely has a high-resolution display with a panel type that's strong in vividness and brightness, making it suitable for general tasks and detail-oriented engineering work; however, it falls short in gaming and 3D due to a lower refresh rate. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H probably offers similar benefits for general use and sufficient color accuracy for engineering and design, but like the Swift X, it may not have the high refresh rate gamers need for smooth visuals in fast-paced 3D environments. These tradeoffs are important when selecting a laptop, as users have to consider whether the clarity and color for productivity outweigh the potential limitations in gaming performance.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X 16 has 8 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H 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.
Portability
Good
Poor
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Swift X 16 has good portability, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,250
$2,200
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Acer Swift X 16 has a price of $1,250 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17H costs $2,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be very good for general use, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H is good.
The Acer Swift X 16 stands out for general use with its higher-resolution screen, lighter weight for better portability, and longer battery life, alongside its capable CPU and ample RAM. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H, while also having a powerful CPU and sufficient RAM, offers a larger screen and is better suited for gaming due to its superior graphics card and high refresh rate, though it is less portable and has a shorter battery life.
Engineering and Design
8.2/10
8.6/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte Aorus 17H and Acer Swift X 16 are both very good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X 16 offers a solid balance for engineering and design with its Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and high-resolution IPS display, making it suitable for graphical work, yet remains relatively light for portability. The Gigabyte Aorus 17H, on the other hand, is designed for more intensive tasks with its higher-end Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU and a larger screen, but with increased size and weight, it sacrifices some portability.
Content Creation
8.3/10
8.0/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X 16 and Gigabyte Aorus 17H are both very good for content creation.
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
8.0/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X 16 to be very good for software development, while the Gigabyte Aorus 17H is good.
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
7.6/10
7.4/10
The Acer Swift X 16 and Gigabyte Aorus 17H both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X 16 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17H compare to other laptops
"Acer’s Swift X 16 is an excellent choice for shoppers who want a 16-inch laptop and care more for performance than attractive design or long battery life. The Swift X 16’s gorgeous OLED display, spacious keyboard, and big touchpad make it pleasant to use in basic day-to-day tasks. It also has an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and Nvidia RTX 4050 graphics, which combine to deliver good performance in a wide variety of productivity applications and games. A few minor mistakes, like poorly-placed USB-C ports that lack DisplayPort, will turn off some shoppers, but those who can accept its shortcomings will find the Swift X 16 a versatile daily driver."
"Overall though, it’s *lots of swearing* fast, seriously. For work, rendering, gaming, it doesn’t matter, this is a true weapon of performance that’s going to run rings around most high-end desktop systems. If you absolutely have to game at ultra-high refresh rates on the go (but within thinking distance of a plug socket), this is the ticket. I can’t see such an extreme being that appealing to everyone, but if you take your gaming seriously, or even professionally, there’s nothing else out there that comes close that you can still fit in your backpack and travel with."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X 16 or the Gigabyte Aorus 17H
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.
By the numbers
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
132,195
Recommendations made
28,643
Consumer hours saved
About the laptop team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Laptops Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Craig Russell
Laptops Expert
Craig is a UK-based laptops expert. Craig works in IT, where he recommends and supports laptops and PCs for clients and has been recommending laptops on Reddit for five years.