A comparison of specs, key information, reviews, and best pricing from top retailers
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
Company ProductName Specs
Company ProductName Specs
What we think
The PerfectRec laptop team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The Acer Swift X offers better portability due to its lighter weight and longer battery life, which is ideal if you frequently travel or work on the go. Despite being more affordable, it still delivers ample performance for general use and casual gaming due to its dedicated Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU. However, the MSI Prestige 15, albeit usually somewhat more expensive and heavier, provides more power for tasks such as 3D rendering and engineering simulations with a better processor and twice the RAM, alongside a larger screen. Both have the same storage capacity, full HD screens with similar color accuracy, and no number pad on the keyboard. The Prestige 15's larger battery doesn't translate to longer battery life but adds to its weight. If you prioritize performance and screen size over portability and battery life, the MSI Prestige 15 is the better option. Otherwise, for everyday use with occasional graphic-intensive tasks and the need for mobility, the Acer Swift X might be more suitable. 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 MSI Prestige 15
- The MSI Prestige 15 has no clear advantages over the Acer Swift X (2021).
Key differences
Screen Quality
6.9
6.8
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
372.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
The Acer Swift X and the MSI Prestige 15 have similar screen quality.
For general use, both the Acer Swift X and the MSI Prestige 15 offer ample resolution and brightness, making texts sharp and videos clear, with panel types that provide wide viewing angles. For engineering and design tasks, they provide good color accuracy, essential for visual work, but they might not cover the full range of professional color gamuts like DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their standard refresh rates can't match the smoother visuals that high-refresh-rate displays provide, which is a drawback for fast-paced visuals used in gaming and some 3D tasks.
Battery
10.0 Hours
7.5 Hours
The Acer Swift X has 10 hours of battery life. The MSI Prestige 15 has 7.5 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
Good
14.0in
SIZE
15.6in
3.0 lbs
WEIGHT
3.7 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The Acer Swift X (2021) has very good portability, while the MSI Prestige 15 has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$580
$1,044
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Acer Swift X (2021) has a price of $580 and the MSI Prestige 15 costs $1,044.
Let Us Help Find Your Perfect Laptop
Find your new laptop
Key similarities
General Use
7.4
7.5
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
372.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
298.0 nits
10.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
7.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
8.5/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.7/10
The MSI Prestige 15 and Acer Swift X (2021) 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.
Gaming and AI
6.3
6.3
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
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
7.0/10
The MSI Prestige 15 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The Acer Swift X is fair for gaming due to its Nvidia RTX 3050 graphics card and 60Hz screen refresh rate, which are suitable for moderate-level gaming, while the MSI Prestige 15 also provides a decent gaming experience with a less powerful Nvidia GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU and the same 60Hz refresh rate, meaning its graphics performance is adequate but not top-of-the-line for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
7.0
7.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
4.4/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
4.2/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The MSI Prestige 15 and Acer Swift X (2021) are both good for engineering and design.
The Acer Swift X is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU and RTX 3050 GPU which are suitable for demanding engineering applications, and while its 10-hour battery life and excellent heat management provide extended work sessions, it is hindered slightly by its 8GB of RAM compared to the MSI Prestige 15's more generous 16GB.
Content Creation
7.5
7.5
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 Prestige 15 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
7.2
5.6/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.1/10
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 MSI Prestige 15 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
7.4
The Acer Swift X (2021) and MSI Prestige 15 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 MSI Prestige 15 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Acer Swift X (2021) | MSI Prestige 15 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$580 | $1,044 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | January 1, 2022 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 12.7'' x 8.4'' x 0.7'' | 14.1'' x 9.2'' x 0.74'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 3.06 lbs | 3.73 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 12.7" | 14.05" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 8.4" | 9.2" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 5600U | Intel i5-1240P | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 4 | 4 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 0 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 512 GB | 512 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 10 Hours | 7.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 59 Wh | 82 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 14" | 15.6" | |
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 | 298 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 8.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | No | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 8/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 720p | 720p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
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 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 2 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | N/A | 4 | |
Shopping
Acer Swift X (2021)
See more
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."
MSI Prestige 15
See more
Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | December 2022
"The MSI Prestige 15 offers a dazzling 4K image quality, and solid performance. The MSI Prestige 15 appears to consistently implement the guiding principle of throttling the solid and efficient hardware to such an extent that content creation succeeds perfectly. Performance-hungry tasks, on the other hand, are slowed down a little by the reduced power consumption. Conversely, this means that the case remains relatively cool and the dual fan subdued. The battery life also benefits somewhat. So the losses aren't really dramatic because full performance is still available for short bursts."
Get a great deal on the Acer Swift X (2021) or the MSI Prestige 15
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.
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
Laptop guides you might be interested in
More comparisons for you
FAQs
FAQs about laptops
Why trust us
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.
Featured in
