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Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 Laptop Review
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Until recently, Intel had been the undisputed leader in the desktop processor market until Ryzen came along and exposed their complacency. However, the question remained, could Ryzen make the same impact in the laptop market? The Acer Swift 3 with both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors aims to provide a fair comparison between the two, allowing us to assess whether Ryzen is a game changer for laptops as it has been for desktops.
Table of Contents
Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 review
For the most part, it is a mid-market offering in a 15.6-inch form factor and the only laptop that offers both AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors. While there are variables, such as the motherboard, the critical parts like the screen, chassis, and battery are shared by both variants, providing a level playing field for comparison.
The Swift 3 runs on the Ryzen 5 2500U, the second tier in a four-strong range of mobile Ryzen CPUs. It features four cores and eight threads on the CPU side but has five compute units instead of ten on its AMD Vega graphics core, unlike the Ryzen 7 2700U. Although it has a base clock of 2GHz, 200MHz lower than its counterpart, it has a maximum Boost clock of 3.6GHz. Overall, it is a good introduction to Ryzen’s mobile capabilities.
During testing, the Swift 3 produced mixed results in outright performance and varying test scores over multiple runs. For instance, the Cinebench scores ranged from 340 to over 500 in multithreaded mode, even with Windows Update turned off. The graphics performance of the AMD Vega 3D core was also inconsistent. However, this could be attributed to our review unit’s pre-production status, and the firmware may require optimization.
Design and Build Quality
The Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 features a sleek, all-aluminum design that makes it look and feel like a premium product. The laptop has a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display that offers sharp and vivid visuals, and it’s surrounded by thin bezels that give the laptop a modern and stylish look. The laptop is only 0.7 inches thick and weighs 3.7 pounds, making it highly portable and easy to carry around.
The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the touchpad is accurate and responsive. The laptop also features a fingerprint reader that allows you to log in quickly and securely.
Performance
The performance of the Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 is excellent. It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, providing fast and responsive performance. The laptop also has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD, further enhancing its speed and responsiveness. The laptop’s AMD Radeon graphics card can handle most modern games and applications. Overall, the Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 offers high-performance computing that can meet the demands of most – but not all – users.
Battery Life
The Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 has a 48Wh battery, providing a decent battery life. According to Acer, the laptop can last up to 8 hours on a single charge, although this may vary depending on the usage and settings. The laptop also comes with fast charging support, which allows you to charge the battery up to 50% in just 30 minutes. This can come in handy if you need to quickly top up the battery before heading out. Overall, the battery life of the Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 is decent, and it should last through a workday with moderate usage. However, this battery capacity is less than premium laptops like Dell’s XPS, which offers roughly double the battery life.
Display
As stated above, the Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 features a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, which provides a clear and vibrant visual experience with accurate color reproduction and wide viewing angles. The use of Gorilla Glass adds durability to the display, making it less prone to scratches and damage. Overall, the display is one of the strong points of the Swift 3, and it is well-suited for multimedia consumption, productivity, and casual gaming.
Connectivity
The Acer Swift 3 SF315-41 features a wide range of connectivity options, including USB Type-C, HDMI, and Wi-Fi 6. The laptop’s speakers are also high-quality and deliver clear and crisp sound. The laptop also has a backlit keyboard, which makes it easy to type in low-light conditions.
If you don’t feel this laptop, consider reading our Best Of!
Conclusion
The Swift 3 is a solid laptop with an impressive IPS panel and excellent keyboard performance. Although it falls short of providing the best Ryzen mobile experience, it highlights Ryzen’s potential to challenge certain members of Intel’s latest eighth-gen mobile CPU range. Further testing with an optimized system will provide a more detailed conclusion.
