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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize portability and longer battery life for activities like document editing, web browsing, and less demanding tasks, the Acer Swift X is a more affordable and lighter choice suitable for general use. However, for high-end gaming, in-depth engineering software, or 3D rendering where top-notch performance is crucial, the Dell Alienware m15 R7, despite being more expensive and heavier, offers significantly better graphics, a faster processor, and a higher-quality display but has a shorter battery life. The Acer is best for on-the-go users needing a balance of performance and portability, while the Alienware is tailored for users demanding peak performance in graphics-intensive applications. 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 (2021)
- Very good portability
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m15 R7
- Very good for engineering and design
- Good for gaming and AI
- Very good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3
7.8
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti graphics card and a higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which makes it better suited for gaming and 3D applications compared to the Acer Swift X, which has an Nvidia RTX 3050 and a refresh rate of 60Hz. The Swift's lower-end GPU and refresh rate mean it can run games and 3D tasks, but not as smoothly or with as high fidelity as the Alienware.
Engineering and Design
7.0
8.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.7/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is very good for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 is superior for engineering and design because it offers a more powerful CPU, double the RAM, and a higher-end GPU than the Acer Swift X (2021), along with a higher-resolution and brighter screen which is vital for detailed design work. While the Acer Swift X is more portable with a longer battery life and a lighter build, the Dell's advanced specs ensure better handling of computational and graphical tasks which are central to engineering and design work.
Screen Quality
6.9
8.2
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X boasts a solid screen with adequate resolution and brightness, making it a great fit for daily tasks such as browsing and document editing. For engineering and design professionals, its color accuracy is suitable for most work, but it might not satisfy those who need precise color representation for advanced image editing. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m15 R7 offers a high-quality display that caters well to both everyday users and professionals in design, yet falls short for gamers and 3D designers due to the lack of a high refresh rate, which is essential for smooth motion and rendering in fast-paced games and 3D applications.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has 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.
Portability
Very Good
Fair
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m15 R7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 has very good build quality, while the Acer Swift X (2021) has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$580
$2,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 costs $2,200.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
300.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is noted for its solid performance with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and sufficient RAM for everyday tasks, along with a decent screen, high portability due to its light weight and compact design, and a strong battery life making it suitable for general use. Conversely, the Dell Alienware m15 R7, while also good for general use, offers a higher performance AMD Ryzen 9 CPU, more RAM, and a superior screen, but is less portable due to its heavier build and has a significantly shorter battery life, better suited for gaming and intensive tasks.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m15 R7 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both 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
7.3
7.3
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
8.5/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Dell Alienware m15 R7 are both 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 (2021) and the Dell Alienware m15 R7 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Dell Alienware m15 R7 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $2,200 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 14'' x 10.7'' x 0.94'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 5.93 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.02" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 10.73" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 86 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 300 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | No | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 2 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
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."
Dell Alienware m15 R7
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Dig into reviews and images
Tom's Hardware
Brandon Hill | October 2022
"The Alienware M15 offers solid gaming and leading endurance. It makes the most of its CPU and GPU while delivering stellar battery life for a gaming laptop. Opening the lid presents a full-size keyboard with honeycomb cutouts above it on the deck. An oblong RBG lightning element surrounds the entire rear panel and can be color-synced with the other lights on the laptop. There’s not a lot to dislike about the M15 Its productivity performance lagged in some areas, particularly in the storage benchmark, and it’s a bit heavy. Alienware has a clear winner here with the M15 based on its strong overall performance and endurance."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Dell Alienware m15 R7
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 Dell
Dell is a highly recognizable American technology company, and is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. Their laptops are very popular for both personal and professional use, and they also own the Alienware brand which makes mid to high end gaming laptops. Their premium XPS range of laptops offer great build quality and portability, while Latitude and Precision laptops are known for reliability, repairability and performance for business users.
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