When choosing between the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Dell Alienware X17 R2, consider your main use for the laptop. The Acer Swift X is more affordable and offers good performance for everyday tasks and light creative work, making it suitable for general use and portability due to its lightweight design. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware X17 R2 is designed for high performance in gaming, 3D rendering, and intensive engineering software, with a robust build and more powerful components. However, it is significantly more expensive and less portable due to its size and weight, which could be a drawback if mobility is a priority for you. Additionally, the Alienware typically has shorter battery life when compared to more energy-efficient, less powerful models like the Swift X. Choose the Swift X for a balance of price, performance, and portability for general use, or the Alienware X17 R2 if you need top-tier performance for specialized tasks and are willing to invest more and compromise on portability and battery life. 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 X17 R2
Very good for general use
Excellent for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Very good for content creation
Very good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Best in class speakers
Key differences
General Use
7.4/10
8.2/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
2.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
6.3/10
8.9/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Acer Swift X is fair for gaming and 3D because it has an Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU and a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which are adequate but not top-of-the-line for these tasks. The Dell Alienware X17 R2, on the other hand, excels in gaming and 3D due to its substantially more powerful Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU and a much higher screen refresh rate of 480Hz, providing a superior visual experience and smoother gameplay.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
9.1/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is excellent for engineering and design, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is good.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 is very good for engineering and design thanks to its powerful Intel i9 processor, abundant RAM and top-tier RTX 3080 Ti GPU, along with a high-quality screen; it is less portable due to its size and weight, whereas the Acer Swift X (2021), with a capable AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, RTX 3050 GPU, and good screen quality, offers a balance of performance and portability, reflected in its smaller size and lower weight.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.3/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
32.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
8.5/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
480Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
367.0 nits
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has a better screen than the Acer Swift X for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Acer Swift X offers a clear, bright display with sufficient resolution, making it pleasant for everyday tasks, but the Dell Alienware X17 R2 provides an even sharper and brighter image, enhancing the viewing experience. The Dell shines in engineering and design by covering wider color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color reproduction, crucial for precise visual work, whereas the Acer has a respectable display but may not fully satisfy professionals needing the highest color fidelity. In gaming and 3D contexts, the Dell’s display falls short due to a lower refresh rate, which can't deliver the smooth motion desired by gamers or 3D professionals, while the Acer's screen quality is similarly limited in this regard, lacking the high refresh rate that's vital for fluid visual performance.
Battery
10.0 Hours
2.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Alienware X17 R2 has 2 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
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
6.8 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Dell Alienware X17 R2 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.6/10
8.5/10
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 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
$2,000
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 costs $2,000.
The Dell Alienware X17 R2 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Dell Alienware X17 R2 compare to other laptops
"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."
"The Alienware x17 R2 recognizes targets a significantly higher TGP of 175 W for a roughly 30 percent performance boost over laptops running on the ~100 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti like the Razer Blade 15 or Gigabyte Aero YE5. Similar results can be found through the CPU as well. This single aspect of the Alienware is perhaps the biggest differentiating factor between it and other ultrathin gaming laptops. Of course, the "performance at all cost" approach comes with drawbacks. Power consumption in particular is through the roof and battery life suffers because of it even when on the lowest performance settings."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Dell Alienware X17 R2
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.
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.