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Updated January 12, 2024·
The Acer Swift X 16 is designed for more demanding tasks and offers powerful components such as a high-quality graphics card and fast processor. It would be suitable for intensive tasks like gaming, 3D modeling, or engineering software. On the other hand, the HP Stream 14" focuses on essentials and is more budget-friendly. Its performance is more suited for general use such as web browsing, document editing, and other basic tasks. With the Acer, you're paying more for performance that may be necessary for specialist applications, whereas the HP offers fundamental functionality at a lower price point but may not handle more demanding tasks as well. The Acer also has a higher-resolution display, which could enhance your viewing experience for media and detailed work. 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 engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Very good overall display quality
- Good overall build quality
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the HP Stream 14"
- Very good portability
Key differences
General Use
8.2
6.5
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
402.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.1/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for general use, while the HP Stream 14" is only fair.
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
7.0
5.7
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
Unknown
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The Acer Swift X 16 is equipped with an Nvidia RTX 3050 and a high refresh rate display, making it suitable for gaming and 3D applications; in comparison, the HP Stream 14" includes much less powerful Intel UHD Graphics 600 and a standard refresh rate screen, making it less capable for such demanding tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.2
5.7
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Stream 14" is poor.
The Acer Swift X 16 is equipped with a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, dedicated Nvidia RTX GPU, ample RAM, and a high-quality display which makes it suitable for demanding engineering and design software, whereas the HP Stream 14" has a lower-end Intel Celeron processor, basic integrated graphics, limited screen quality, and lower storage capacity, rendering it ill-suited for such intensive tasks. Additionally, the Swift X offers a higher screen resolution and color coverage which are crucial for detail-oriented work in engineering and design, though the Stream 14" scores better in portability and has less operating noise, it compromises significantly on performance and screen quality.
Content Creation
8.3
6.7
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for content creation, while the HP Stream 14" 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
8.0
6.5
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
3.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Acer Swift X 16 is very good for software development, while the HP Stream 14" 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
8.2
5.2
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
1366 x 768
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
TN
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
402.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
220.0 nits
The Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen than the HP Stream 14" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
If you're primarily using your laptop for general tasks like browsing or office applications, the Acer Swift X 16 will provide you with a sharper and brighter display, which makes for a more comfortable viewing experience compared to the HP Stream 14", which has a lower resolution and brightness. However, for specialized work in engineering and design, the Acer Swift X 16 offers a wider range of colors, which is crucial for accuracy in visual projects, while the HP Stream 14" falls short in color reproduction. For gaming and 3D tasks, the Acer's lower refresh rate can make fast-paced visuals less smooth, whereas the HP's overall poor display specs across the board make it less suitable for these activities as well.
Portability
Good
Very Good
16.0in
SIZE
14.0in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
3.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Stream 14" has very good portability, while the Acer Swift X 16 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
5.5
The Acer Swift X 16 has good build quality, while the HP Stream 14" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$299
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Acer Swift X 16 has a price of $1,250 and the HP Stream 14" costs $299.
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Key similarities
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X 16 has 8 hours of battery life. The HP Stream 14" has 7.5 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.
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How the Acer Swift X 16 and the HP Stream 14" compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X 16 | HP Stream 14" |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,250 | $299 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2023 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.8'' x 0.7'' | 12.8'' x 8.9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 4.19 lbs | 3.5 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 14.02" | 12.76" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.81" | 8.86" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS | Intel Celeron N4120 | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 320 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 76 Wh | 41 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | TN | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 1366 x 768 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 165Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 402 nits | 220 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.6/10 | 8.2/10 | |
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 | 6/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | No | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | Yes | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | No | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X 16
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Dig into reviews and images
PCWorld
Matthew S. Smith | September 2023
"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."
HP Stream 14"
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Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Zachary Cuevas | November 2021
"With half of the main system memory and a fraction of the storage that we recommend in any budget Windows laptop, the HP Stream 14 does not impress. Perhaps it doesn't need to, depending on your reference point. For the price, you're getting a functional laptop with Windows 10, which already places the HP Stream 14 above most Chromebooks on that merit alone. Still, in this price range, you can't do much worse, but you can do better. In fact, for just $100 more, you can grab the much superior budget option, the Lenovo IdeaPad 1 14."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X 16 or the HP Stream 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 HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
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