In this wrestling match, we’ve got the $649 AMD-packed Acer Swift 3 juiced up with a mighty powerful Ryzen 7 4700U CPU. In the other corner, the Intel variant of the Swift 3 is equipped with a feisty 10th Gen Core i5-1035G1U CPU. Let’s watch these two Swift 3 twins battle it out in the ring. If you’ve been asking, “Which Acer Swift 3 should I buy?,” you’ve come to the right place. Here at Laptop Mag, we’ve thoroughly lab-tested and reviewed both models of the Swift 3, so we’ve got the scoop on which laptop will provide the fastest performance, the longest battery life, the speediest file transfer speeds and more. These two laptops may look similar, but one Swift 3 version absolutely annihilates its rival twin. Which one is it? Let’s dive right into the CPU competition.
Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel: Performance
We know this is an Acer Swift 3 AMD vs. Intel face-off, but to give you some perspective on the power behind the AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, let’s welcome Apple to the ring — just for the performance round. Cranking out a mind-blowing score of 4,862, not only did the AMD-equipped Swift 3 smash its Intel twin (3,432) on our Geekbench 5.0 overall performance benchmark, it also smoked the $1,799 13-inch MacBook Pro’s Intel Core i5-1030NG7 CPU with 16GB of RAM (4,399). Acer Swift 3 vs. MacBook Pro, anyone? It’s a match of petty proportions — but we can’t help but trollishly pair the two unlikely rivals to showcase how an AMD-equipped $649 laptop outperforms a high-performing $2,000 machine. It’s also worth noting that the AMD-packed Swift 3 defeated the Dell XPS 13’s performance score of 4,648, too. The Dell is a $1,749 machine that sports an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor with 8GB of RAM. Of course, the MacBook Pro and the XPS 13 shine in other areas, such as build quality, audio and the display, but performance just isn’t one of them compared with the Swift 3. That being said, the AMD Swift 3 variant is the clear winner. Sorry, Intel! Now, let’s take a look at file-transfer speeds. Both Swift 3 models sport a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, but the AMD model is faster — its hard drive duplicated 4.97GB of multimedia data in 11 seconds at a transfer rate of 451.8 megabytes per second. This beats the Intel version of the Swift 3, which needed 16 seconds and reached just 310.6 MBps. On top of that, the AMD Swift 3 model punched its Intel twin in the gut when we tested its speediness in converting a 4K video to 1080p — it only took 11 minutes, whereas the Intel model was a turtle, needing a painful 26 minutes and 26 seconds to complete the task. Winner: Acer Swift 3 (AMD)
Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel: Graphics
Yikes! The Intel-equipped Swift 3 got knocked out of the ring in that first round. Could it get back on its feet in the graphics face-off? Ha! Not a chance. In this graphics showdown, the Intel model suffered more blows. The Radeon graphics on the AMD model scored 2,847 on the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics benchmark, which bested the Intel model’s UHD graphics score of 1,635. You may be wondering, “Is the Acer Swift 3 good for gaming?” The Swift 3 wasn’t made for intensive gaming, but if you want to enjoy some light entertainment, your best bet is the AMD model. The AMD variant of the Swift 3 ran Dirt 3 at 79 frames per second whereas its Intel twin could only manage 44 fps. Winner: Acer Swift 3 (AMD)
Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel: Battery life
Unless you enjoy having anxiety about your laptop gassing out too early in the day, stay clear of the Acer Swift 3’s Intel model. On our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the Intel version only managed to last 7 hours and 31 minutes, which is below our minimum recommended 8-hour runtime. The AMD model, on the other hand, has 11 hours and 9 minutes of battery life. Win! Winner: Acer Swift 3 (AMD)
Acer Swift 3, AMD vs. Intel: Value and price
Typically, champions demand more money due to their high value and sky-high worth — but not the AMD model. For just $649, you can snag the 14-inch notebook with a beastly AMD Ryzen 7 4700U. On top of that, you’ll get 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It’s a steal; it feels wrong, but darn it, it feels oh-so-right, too. The Intel variant costs you $50 more than its AMD twin. It has the same RAM and storage as its rival, but you’ll get worse performance, a slower hard drive and fewer hours of battery life. Do I really need to say who won? Winner: Acer Swift 3 (AMD)
Other differences
Aesthetically speaking, the Acer Swift 3 Intel model has an austere steel-gray chassis. Open up the interior, and you’ll find more of that steel-gray color theme on the keyboard deck and touchpad, but the keys are black with white characters. On the other hand, the AMD model sports a silver minimalist vibe. When you open up the lid, you’ll discover that the keyboard deck and keys are silver as well. The keyboard’s characters are gray, which may be a bit difficult to see for some. But if you’re a touch typist who can easily get into the groove of plugging away on a keyboard without looking, this shouldn’t be an issue. Weighing 2.68 pounds, the Intel variant is marginally heavier than the AMD model (2.65 pounds), but when it comes to thickness, both models have the same measurement (0.6 inches). Both models have lackluster displays, but the Intel model is dimmer, with 224 nits of brightness, while the AMD model emanated 251 nits of brightness.
Overall winner: Acer Swift 3 (AMD)
Intel, go pick up your consolation prize — the AMD Acer Swift 3 model is the clear winner in this wrestling ring. Can we talk about how a $649 budget laptop just said “eat my dust” to top-tier powerhouses, thanks to its eight-core, eight-thread AMD Ryzen 7 4700U CPU? We love it when the underdog gets the spotlight for once. And on top of that, the AMD model mopped the floor with its Intel twin on all benchmark tests, including performance, file-transfer speed, graphics and battery life. The Acer Swift 3 is part of the first wave of laptops to use the new Ryzen 4000 processors, and Intel must be squirming in its pants because AMD is becoming a worthy competitor in the laptop market. That being said, don’t buy the wrong Acer Swift 3 — snag that AMD model and you needn’t worry about buyer’s remorse.
