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What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X is a great choice for those who need high performance for tasks like 3D modeling, machine learning, or gaming thanks to its powerful graphics card. However, its battery life may not be as long as less powerful laptops, and it is costlier. The MSI Modern 14 offers portability and sufficient performance for general use and some engineering tasks, but it may not handle intensive tasks as well as the Swift X. If you prioritize portability and longer battery life over intensive task performance and are looking for a more affordable option, the MSI Modern 14 may be better for you. 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)
- Good for engineering and design
- Very good battery life
- Very good speakers
- Very good keyboard
Advantages of the MSI Modern 14
- The MSI Modern 14 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2021).
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
6.4
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
The Acer Swift X has a better screen than the MSI Modern 14 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, software development, and content creation.
For general use, the Acer Swift X offers a vibrant, sharp display with ample brightness, making it suitable for a variety of tasks including browsing and video streaming, whereas the MSI Modern 14 provides an adequate screen that's less impressive in contrast and brightness. In engineering and design, the Acer Swift X's screen can display a wider range of colors accurately, which is crucial for detailed and color-critical work, while the MSI Modern 14's color accuracy is competent but less ideal for precision tasks. For gaming and 3D applications, both laptops may not deliver the smoothest experience due to lower refresh rates, but the MSI Modern 14's lesser resolution may be less demanding on its graphics hardware, slightly favoring performance over visual fidelity.
Battery
10.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Modern 14 has 6 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.
Build Quality
7.6
7.0
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Modern 14 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
$525
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the MSI Modern 14 costs $525.
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Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.2
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
311.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.6/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Modern 14 are both good for general use.
The Acer Swift X is good for general use due to its capable CPU, substantial RAM for multitasking, high-quality IPS screen, and long battery life, alongside being fairly lightweight and portable; however, it handles heat exceptionally well but offers less storage expansion. In contrast, the MSI Modern 14 provides more RAM out of the box and similar CPU performance, complemented by a quality display and decent portability, yet it has shorter battery life and manages heat and noise less effectively.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.0
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.7/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Modern 14 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X, with its Nvidia RTX 3050, offers better graphics handling for gaming and 3D applications than the MSI Modern 14, which relies on integrated graphics with its AMD Ryzen 5 7530U. Both laptops have the same screen refresh rate and display resolution, but the dedicated GPU in the Acer Swift X makes it better suited for graphic-intensive tasks despite its shorter battery life compared to the MSI Modern 14.
Engineering and Design
7.0
6.6
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Acer Swift X (2021) to be good for engineering and design, while the MSI Modern 14 is only fair.
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.
Content Creation
7.5
7.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Modern 14 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
7.1
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
5.6/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.0/10
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Modern 14 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.
Portability
Very Good
Very Good
14.0in
SIZE
14.0in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.0 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.6in
The MSI Modern 14 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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 MSI Modern 14 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | MSI Modern 14 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $525 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | October 1, 2021 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 12.7'' x 8.7'' x 0.63'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 3.08 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 12.68" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 8.74" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | AMD Ryzen 5 7530U | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 1 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 39 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 14" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | IPS | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 372 nits | 311 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
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 | 3 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 1 | 1 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 1 | |
Thunderbolt Ports | |||
Thunderbolt Ports | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2021)
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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."
MSI Modern 14
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Rtings
Alexander Tozzi, Ryan Lim, and John Peroramas | October 2023
"The MSI Modern 14 is okay for school use. It's very compact, so it's easy to carry around. It has a sharp display, a spacious keyboard, and a reasonably large touchpad. Its Intel 13th Gen CPU and integrated graphics can handle general productivity tasks like text processing and web browsing; however, don't expect to do anything intensive like 3D modeling or physics simulations. Unfortunately, the battery lasts less than five hours of light use, and the display doesn't get bright enough to combat glare."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the MSI Modern 14
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 MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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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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