A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
For general use and portability, the Acer Swift X seems more suitable due to its lighter weight and longer battery life. However, for intensive tasks like 3D rendering, machine learning, or gaming, the Dell Alienware m18 R1, with its more powerful processor and graphics card, as well as a larger, higher resolution and faster-refreshing screen, is a better fit. The tradeoff is that the Alienware is significantly heavier and has a shorter battery life, making it far less portable. It is also more expensive. The Acer offers lower performance in intensive tasks but at a more affordable price and better portability for everyday use. 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
Advantages of the Dell Alienware m18 R1
- Very good for general use
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Very good for software development
- Very good for content creation
- Good overall display quality
- Very good overall build quality
Key differences
General Use
7.4
8.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
4.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.1/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for general use, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
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
6.3
9.1
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X, with its modest GPU and screen refresh rate, offers serviceable performance for casual gaming and 3D applications, but it may struggle with more demanding tasks. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware m18 R1, featuring a high-end GPU and a faster screen refresh rate, delivers top-tier performance and smoother visuals for intensive gaming and 3D rendering, but it comes at a higher cost and less portability.
Engineering and Design
7.0
9.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 stands out for engineering and design due to its powerful Intel i9-13900HX CPU and ample 32GB RAM, coupled with a high-end Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU that ensures excellent graphics performance and superior screen quality with a larger and higher resolution display. In contrast, while the Acer Swift X is competent with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor, 8GB RAM, and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, it is more portable and offers better battery life but is less equipped for the most demanding engineering tasks and design work due to its smaller screen and lower resolution.
Content Creation
7.5
8.4
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for content creation, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
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
8.0
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 is very good for software development, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
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
6.9
7.8
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
281.0 nits
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The Acer Swift X offers a high-resolution display with vibrant colors and brightness, making it suitable for everyday tasks and detail-oriented work in engineering and design, but the lower refresh rate limits its appeal for 3D applications and gaming, where smooth motion is crucial. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has a display that's sharp and bright, appealing for both general use and professional design work, with coverage of extended color gamuts for accurate color representation, but similar to the Acer, its refresh rate isn't optimized for the high-speed graphics of gaming and 3D rendering. Both laptops compromise on gaming and 3D capabilities through their display refresh rates, prioritizing resolution and color accuracy instead, which benefits users in general use and professional design scenarios.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware m18 R1 has 4 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
Poor
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
8.9 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware m18 R1 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6
8.5
The Dell Alienware m18 R1 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
$2,600
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 costs $2,600.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Dell Alienware m18 R1 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Dell Alienware m18 R1 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $2,600 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | October 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 16.2'' x 12.6'' x 1.05'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 8.9 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 16.15" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 12.59" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i9-13900HX | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 32 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 1024 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 4 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 97 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2560 x 1600 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 165Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 281 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 5.1/10 | |
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 | 8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | No | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 2 | 4 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 4 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2021)
See more
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 m18 R1
See more
Dig into reviews and images
PCMag
Matthew Buzzi | July 2023
"Dell's Alienware m18 delivers on its promises: This is a large, powerful gaming laptop with the premium flair and feel you expect from an expensive purchase. The drawbacks are really the price and battery life, which in context are reasonable. (We'd also like to see more ports on the laptop's sides.) This price tier exists for deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and if you’re considering anything in this range, the m18 isn’t an outlier. For the majority of shoppers, of course, all of these mighty 18-inch systems are likely too expensive."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Dell Alienware m18 R1
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
Compare Acer Swift X (2021) vs. Acer Aspire 5 15
VS
Compare Acer Swift X (2021) vs. Lenovo V15
VS
Compare Acer Swift X (2021) vs. Lenovo Flex 5 14
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m18 R1 vs. ASUS ROG Strix G18 (2024)
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m18 R1 vs. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
VS
Compare Dell Alienware m18 R1 vs. Apple MacBook Pro 16 (Late 2023)
VS
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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
380
Laptops evaluated
48,640
Laptops stats compiled
13
Proprietary Laptops ratings developed
132,495
Recommendations made
28,708
Consumer hours saved
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.
Featured in
