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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X offers a balance of performance with its AMD Ryzen processor and RTX graphics card, catering well to both general use and more intensive tasks like gaming or engineering, all at a generally lower price. However, the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, with its Intel i7 processor and MX graphics, offers more memory and a higher resolution display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, better suited for productivity and multitasking, though at a slightly higher price. Both have similar portability and battery life, but if high-resolution multitasking is a priority, consider the Dell, while the Acer could be a better value for mixed usage scenarios that include gaming or creative work. 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 speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
- The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2021).
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
6.5
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X boasts a brighter, higher resolution display which enhances visibility and clarity for general uses like browsing and document editing, and provides sharper details for intricate engineering and design work. Its superior color coverage satisfies professional demands for accurate color representation in design tasks. However, for gaming and 3D applications, its modest refresh rate falls short, offering less fluid motion compared to displays designed for high-refresh-rate gaming.
Build Quality
7.6
7.0
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have good build quality, though the Acer Swift X (2021) has somewhat better build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$580
$971
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 costs $971.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.6
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
279.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X (2021) provides a balanced package for general use with a capable AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of RAM, a bright IPS screen, and long battery life, all in a relatively lightweight and portable form. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 offers a higher resolution display, more RAM at 16GB for smoother multitasking, and an Intel i7 CPU which is suitable for a range of tasks, albeit with a slightly heavier build and similar battery life.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.4
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X (2021) features a more capable Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU which is better suited for demanding games and 3D applications than the less powerful Nvidia MX570 GPU in the Dell Inspiron 14 5420, although both laptops have the same screen refresh rate. Despite this, the Dell Inspiron offers a higher resolution and pixel density, providing better screen quality, but the Acer's GPU advantage makes it a slightly better option for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X (2021) is well-suited for engineering and design due to its AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, RTX 3050 GPU, and high-quality IPS screen, while the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 also caters to these tasks with its more powerful Intel i7 processor, dedicated Nvidia MX570 graphics, and a sharper display with a higher resolution, though the Swift X leads in GPU capability for rendering tasks. Both laptops offer significant RAM for multitasking, but the Inspiron 14 has double the RAM of the Swift X, enhancing performance for memory-intensive applications, with the tradeoff being the Swift X is slightly lighter, enhancing portability.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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
7.4
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
6.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2240 x 1400
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 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.
Battery
10.0 Hours
10.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Dell Inspiron 14 5420 has 10 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
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Dell Inspiron 14 5420 both have very good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
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How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | Dell Inspiron 14 5420 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $971 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 12.4'' x 9'' x 0.7'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 3.4 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.36" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 8.96" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i7-1255U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 10 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 54 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 2240 x 1400 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 279 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 6.5/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 1080p | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
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 Inspiron 14 5420
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Dig into reviews and images
Smarthouse
Nick Ross | March 2023
"If laptops were food, then the Dell Inspiron 14 5420 is arguably a Big Mac. There are cheaper and more expensive options, but this arguably represents the baseline of quality and value in the world of mobile computing… something that’s underlined by the attractive $1,279 price tag."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Dell Inspiron 14 5420
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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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.
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