The Acer Swift X is typically less expensive and offers good portability due to its lighter weight and smaller size, making it a sensible choice for general use and some light engineering tasks. However, the Gigabyte A7, while possibly more costly and heavier, provides a larger screen, more RAM, a higher refresh rate perfect for fast-motion scenes, and a more powerful processor and graphics unit, making it better for intensive gaming, 3D rendering, machine learning, and more demanding engineering applications, albeit with a shorter battery life tradeoff. Both come with ample storage and quality IPS displays suitable for diverse tasks. 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 keyboard
Advantages of the Gigabyte A7
Good for gaming and AI
Good overall display quality
Key differences
Gaming and AI
6.3/10
7.3/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.5/10
The Gigabyte A7 is good for gaming and AI, while the Acer Swift X (2021) is only fair.
The Gigabyte A7 sports a more powerful graphics card (Nvidia RTX 3060) and a higher screen refresh rate (144Hz), crucial for smooth gaming and 3D rendering, compared to the Acer Swift X which has a modest graphics card (Nvidia RTX 3050) and a standard refresh rate screen (60Hz). Additionally, the A7 comes with a stronger CPU (AMD Ryzen 7 5800H) and a larger screen that may offer better visual experience than the Swift X (AMD Ryzen 5 5600U), enhancing performance for gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
7.0/10
7.6/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.3/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Gigabyte A7 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design, though the Gigabyte A7 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Screen Quality
6.9/10
7.3/10
14.0in
SIZE
17.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
318.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the Gigabyte A7 for software development, and content creation, while the Gigabyte A7 has a better screen for general use, and gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X and Gigabyte A7 have panels with resolutions and brightness levels that are sufficient for tasks like web browsing, video streaming, and document editing, making them suitable for general use. For engineering and design, both laptops display a wide range of colors, covering significant portions of professional color gamuts, contributing to more accurate color representation which is vital for precise design work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their lower refresh rates could lead to less fluid motion and slower screen updates, which may detract from the experience in fast-paced scenarios where higher refresh rates are preferred.
Battery
10.0 Hours
4.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The Gigabyte A7 has 4.5 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
17.3in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
5.5 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
1.1in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the Gigabyte A7 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$940
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the Gigabyte A7 costs $940.
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Gigabyte A7 are both good for general use.
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.
Content Creation
7.5/10
7.3/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Gigabyte A7 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
7.3/10
7.0/10
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.4/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Gigabyte A7 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.
Build Quality
7.6/10
7.2/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and Gigabyte A7 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Acer Swift X (2021) and the Gigabyte A7 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."
"In terms of looks, the Gigabyte A7 X1 is certainly not a trendy, slim, and ultra-mobile gaming laptop. But it does what it's supposed to do, namely bringing games smoothly onto the screen, very well. Both the processor and the GeForce RTX 3070 are able to unleash their performance without restrictions thanks to the well-ventilated case. The Gigabyte A7 X1 brings modern games smoothly onto the screen and offers excellent maintenance options."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the Gigabyte A7
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 Gigabyte
Gigabyte is a Taiwanese computer hardware manufacturer. While Gigabyte mainly focuses its business on desktop hardware, Gigabyte is known for its value-oriented G series laptops, thin and light Aero series, and performance-oriented Aorus series. Gigabyte laptops offer a strong value proposition to compete with mainstream alternatives.
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
103,995
Recommendations made
22,533
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.