Acer Swift X (2021)
Acer Swift X (2021)
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GENERAL USE: Good—7.4/10
GAMING/AI: Fair—6.3/10
ENG/DESIGN: Good—7.0/10
SOFTWARE DEV: Good—7.3/10
CONTENT CREATION: Good—7.5/10
PORTABILITY: Very Good—8.5/10
BATTERY: Very Good—8.0/10
OVERALL SCREEN QUALITY: Good—7.0/10
OVERALL PERFORMANCE: Fair—6.8/10
SIZE: 14"
The Acer Swift X (2021) is a midrange laptop with a focus on performance, boasting a dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, making it suitable for tasks like 3D rendering and entry-level machine learning. Its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 8 GB of RAM handle general usage well, although intense engineering applications could strain its capabilities. The 14-inch IPS display offers a good color range and sharp visuals with a standard 60 Hz refresh rate. With a weight of just over 3 pounds and a battery lasting around 10 hours, it's fairly portable. The laptop also features a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint reader for added convenience, suggesting attention to detail in its build. However, if you're a hardcore gamer or require a machine for heavy engineering work, its performance might not be sufficient. Additionally, while its price is competitive, the 512 GB of storage might fill up quickly depending on your needs. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU
- Good portability and lightweight
- High screen brightness and clarity
- Backlit keyboard with fingerprint reader
- Solid battery life for general use
Cons
- Limited RAM for intensive tasks
- No touchscreen capability
- Mediocre speakers
- No hardware ray tracing support
Ratings by Category
Portability:4.6
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:4.2
The Acer Swift X (2021) is equipped with a strong processor and ample RAM, which ensures smooth performance for everyday tasks, and it also has a high-quality IPS display for clear and vivid visuals. Additionally, its lightweight design and good battery life make it highly portable and convenient for usage on the go.
Content Creation:4.2
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.
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.
Software Development:4.1
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.
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.
Engineering & Design:4.0
The Acer Swift X (2021) is well-suited for engineering and design use due to its powerful CPU and dedicated GPU, which provide the necessary performance for demanding applications and rendering tasks, alongside ample RAM that facilitates multitasking and large project handling. The high-quality screen enhances the visual accuracy for design work, and although it's lightweight and portable with a comfortable keyboard, it might have average speakers and operating noise that are secondary to its primary functions for professionals.
Gaming & AI:3.4
The Acer Swift X (2021) is considered fair for gaming and 3D because while it has a powerful GPU in the Nvidia RTX 3050 that can handle demanding graphics tasks, its screen with a 60Hz refresh rate may not be the most optimal for fast-paced games where higher refresh rates can provide smoother visuals and can be a limiting factor for competitive gaming.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $580 | ||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | ||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | ||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | ||
Width | 12.7" | ||
Depth | 8.4" | ||
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | ||
RAM | 8 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 | 372 nits | ||
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score  | 7.6/10 | ||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | ||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | ||
Premium Business Laptop | No | ||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | ||
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | ||
Speaker Quality Score | 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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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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