Acer Swift X (2021)

Acer Swift X

Acer Swift X (2021)

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BEST RATING
Portability:
4.5
GENERAL USE: Good7.7/10
GAMING/AI: Fair6.6/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good7.4/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good7.6/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good7.7/10
PORTABILITY: Very Good8.4/10
BATTERY: Very Good8.0/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good7.1/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Good7.6/10
SIZE: 14"








Evaluation

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Pros
  • Powerful AMD Ryzen processor
  • High-quality Nvidia RTX GPU
  • Solid general performance
  • Bright, high-resolution screen
  • Backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader
Cons
  • No touchscreen available
  • No Thunderbolt support
  • Limited color coverage
  • Moderate 3D and engineering performance

Ratings by Category

Portability:
4.5
PerfectRec’s portability rating takes into account the volume and thickness of the laptop as well as its weight.
Battery Life:
4.4
PerfectRec’s Battery Life rating is based on hours of battery life in typical usage scenarios.
Operating Noise:
4.4
PerfectRec’s Operating Noise Score is based on fan noise measurements. Laptops with a fanless design, such as Macbooks, receive the maximum score.
Keyboard Quality:
4.4
The Keyboard Quality score is based on the PerfectRec experts’ assessment of tactile feedback, typing comfort, keyboard reliability and typing noise.
General Use:
4.3
The Acer Swift X (2021) is well-suited for general use due to its strong CPU and sufficient RAM which handle everyday tasks smoothly, alongside a high-quality IPS screen that offers clear visuals. Moreover, its long battery life and lightweight design enhance portability, making it practical for users who are on the move.
Content Creation:
4.3
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, and video editing work. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Engineering & Design:
4.2
The Acer Swift X (2021) excels in engineering and design use due to its high-performance AMD Ryzen 7 CPU and dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU, which handle computing-intensive tasks and graphics rendering efficiently. Additionally, its 16GB of RAM aids in multitasking and its IPS display with high color accuracy ensures that designs are vibrant and precise.
Software Development:
4.2
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software development. In addition to a strong emphasis on overall performance, this score also places very high importance on screen quality. Heat management, storage, keyboard and speaker quality are also incorporated, with fan noise rounding out this score.
Build Quality:
4.2
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, chassis rigidity, and overall reliability. Our assessment of build quality includes many details that are difficult to quantify. Our laptop experts use their best judgment to produce the final score.
General Use Screen Quality:
4.1
The general use screen score is based on the screen technology, contrast ratio, resolution, brightness, color gamut and color accuracy. This score does not take into account specialized display features for specific use cases, such as high refresh rate for gaming.
Gaming & AI:
3.6
The Acer Swift X (2021) is fair for gaming and 3D applications due to its Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti graphics card, which is competent but not top-tier for today's gaming standards. Moreover, while its IPS screen ensures good color quality and viewing angles, the standard 60Hz refresh rate is not ideal for high-frame-rate gaming, which is preferred for smoother visuals and competitive gameplay.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$821
Release Date
June 1, 2021
Overall Dimensions
12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7''
Weight
3.31 lbs
Width
12.7"
Depth
8.4"

INTERNAL

Processor
AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
RAM
16 GB
DDR Memory Version
4
RAM Slots
0
Storage
512 GB

BATTERY

Battery Life
10 Hours
Battery Capacity
59 Wh

SCREEN

Diagonal Size
14"
Display Technology
IPS
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Refresh Rate
60Hz
Display Brightness
391 nits

RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS

Build Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
7.6/10
Portability Score
PerfectRec logo
8.4/10
Gaming Laptop Appearance
No
Premium Business Laptop
No
Fan Noise Score
PerfectRec logo
8/10

HARDWARE FEATURES

Keyboard Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
8/10
Speaker Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
8/10
Webcam
720p
Fingerprint Reader
Yes
Backlit Keyboard
Yes
Number Pad
No

CONNECTIVITY

USB Type-A
2
USB-C ports
1
USB-C Charging
Yes
Display Outputs
2
Thunderbolt Ports
0

Acer Swift X (2021)

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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."

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Why trust us

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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.

By the numbers

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Laptops evaluated
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Recommendations made
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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.

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