Acer Swift X (2021) vs Gigabyte Aorus 17

The Acer Swift X (2021) is outfitted with a Nvidia RTX 3050 and a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it merely adequate for gaming and 3D applications, focused on budget-conscious consumers who need moderate performance. In contrast, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 boasts a more powerful Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti and a significantly higher screen refresh rate of 360 Hz, catering to gamers and 3D designers seeking top-notch performance and smoother visuals.

The Acer Swift X, with its AMD processor and RTX 3050 GPU, offers solid performance for engineering and design tasks within a more compact and lighter frame, suitable for users prioritizing portability alongside capable computing power. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 steps up with a more powerful Intel i7 processor and RTX 3070 Ti GPU, along with double the RAM and storage and a larger, high-refresh-rate screen, catering to those who need top-tier performance and are less concerned with the tradeoff of increased size and weight.

When considering laptops for general use, the Acer Swift X's screen offers clarity and visibility due to its resolution and brightness, making it comfortable for everyday tasks like browsing and watching videos. For engineering and design work, both the Acer Swift X and the Gigabyte Aorus 17 have screens that display a wide range of colors accurately, which is crucial for tasks that demand color precision. However, for gaming and 3D applications where quick image changes are critical, both laptops fall short due to their lower refresh rates, which can result in less fluid motion and potentially affect the gaming experience.

Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.

The Acer Swift X (2021) excels in general use due to its combination of a capable AMD Ryzen processor, sufficient RAM, and strong screen quality, all housed in a relatively lightweight and thin frame that supports greater portability and a solid 10-hour battery life. On the other hand, the Gigabyte Aorus 17 provides a larger display and superior performance with a higher-end Intel processor and double the RAM, alongside greater storage and a higher-quality keyboard, but these come at the cost of reduced battery life and less portability due to its larger size and heavier weight.

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.

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.

PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.