If you're on a budget and mostly handle everyday tasks like browsing, office work, or media consumption, the Acer Swift X 16 may suit you well with its lower price. However, if you need high performance for gaming, 3D rendering, or machine learning, the MSI GE66 Raider offers more power, at a higher cost. The Raider likely has a shorter battery life due to its stronger components, and it's less portable than the lighter and slimmer Swift X 16. Choose the Swift X for casual use and portability, or the Raider for demanding tasks, despite its extra weight and cost. 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
Good portability
Very good speakers
Advantages of the MSI GE66 Raider
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good overall build quality
Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.6/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
Unknown
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.2/10
The MSI GE66 Raider is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X 16 is good.
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
8.2/10
9.1/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
4.9/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.2/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The MSI GE66 Raider is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X 16 is very good.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
8.2/10
8.2/10
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
165Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
402.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
347.0 nits
The Acer Swift X 16 has a better screen than the MSI GE66 Raider for gaming and AI, while the MSI GE66 Raider has a better screen for engineering and design, and content creation.
When considering general use, the Acer Swift X 16 and MSI GE66 Raider both have high-resolution displays with bright panels that make for sharp, vivid viewing experiences. For engineering and design, both laptops offer expansive color gamuts, ensuring that professionals can see accurate colors while working on detailed projects. However, for gaming and 3D applications, despite their high resolution and good panel types, both laptops fall short due to lower refresh rates which are crucial for smooth motion and responsiveness in fast-paced visual environments.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X 16 has 8 hours of battery life. The MSI GE66 Raider 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
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
15.6in
4.1 lbs
WEIGHT
5.2 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift X 16 has good portability, while the MSI GE66 Raider has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The MSI GE66 Raider has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X 16 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,250
$3,199
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The Acer Swift X 16 has a price of $1,250 and the MSI GE66 Raider costs $3,199.
The MSI GE66 Raider and Acer Swift X 16 are both very good for general use.
The Acer Swift X 16 is favored for general use due to its combination of solid CPU performance, ample RAM, quality IPS screen, and excellent portability with a decent battery life. On the other hand, the MSI GE66 Raider offers superior CPU power and double the RAM, better screen quality with a higher resolution, but it's less portable due to its higher weight and has a shorter battery life, which may not be as convenient for prolonged use away from a power source.
Content Creation
8.3/10
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI GE66 Raider and Acer Swift X 16 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
8.4/10
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
16.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
2560 x 1600
RESOLUTION
3840 x 2160
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI GE66 Raider and Acer Swift X 16 are both very 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.
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How the Acer Swift X 16 and the MSI GE66 Raider 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."
"The MSI Raider GE66 12UHS notebook passes with flying colors. The GE66 is a high-end notebook with strong performance. The keyboard and trackpad are still very good and score well with precise inputs as well as high build quality. Thanks to a new liquid metal cooling solution, the Intel Core i9 12900HK brings a performance increase of around 50 percent over the predecessor's Intel Core i9 10980HK. The installed graphics card in our device delivers up to 30 percent higher frame rates than the RTX 2070 Super in the MSI GE66 10SFS."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X 16 or the MSI GE66 Raider
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.
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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