Summary: The updated Swift 3 SF314-52 is a good 14-inch laptop with a fairly thin and light body, solid construction, an excellent backlit keyboard, punchy speakers and smooth everyday performance. It is a little chubbier than other 14-incher with similar traits, but also more affordable, which is a trade-off many will probably accept. Just be aware it comes with a dim, washed out and glossy non-touch screen with an IPS panel, but a pretty crappy one.

UpdateStar is compatible with Windows platforms. UpdateStar has been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, Windows 8.

The big selling point is the hardware inside though, as this laptop is available with modern Core U processors and optional Nvidia MX150 graphics. Read on for the whole story. Download Free Budget For Youth Football Program Booklet. The Aspire Swift 3 SF314-51 is one of the best value laptops I’ve, selling for under $600 with a proper Core U configuration, SSD storage and an IPS screen. As of mid 2017 Acer updated that notebook and we’ve spent some time with this new version and gathered all our impressions below, with the goods and the quirks. The new model is called Swift 3 SF314-52, with that 2 at the end of the name telling the two generations apart.

It is however different in many ways: it gets a different build and design, a glossy non-touch screen this time, a backlit keyboard with a new layout, new hardware inside and optional Nvidia MX150 dedicated graphics. Eminem The Way I Am Libro Pdf Gratuito there. The pricing policy hasn’t changed much though and still remains one of this computer’s strongest points. Whether this new Swift 3 is a good buy or not and how it fares against the competition you’ll find from the article below. The new Swift 3 gets a slight design change as well. The old version looked a lot like a Macbook Air, this one looks like a standard Acer laptop, with lines and branding elements that Acer puts on all their computers, like the Switch engraving on the piece of plastic between the screen’s hinges.

Our test sample came in a subtle Silver color scheme, but Acer also offer this series in Pink and Blue if you’d rather get a more colorful computer. There are no lights on the interior and no annoying design elements, but you should peel off the ugly sticker on the palm-rest and the one on the screen to preserve the otherwise clean looks. There’s little to nag about the overall build quality and finishing. This Swift 3 gets a strong metallic lid, a metallic interior with a brushed finishing, and a plastic bottom made from soft, rubbery plastic.

All of them should age well and do a good job at hiding smudges and fingerprints. There’s a little flex in the hood and in the keyboard’s deck, but nothing out of ordinary for this mid-range class. The tapered metallic edges around the interior are kind of sharp though and although the laptop has a fairly low profile and roomy palm-rest, my wrists actually came in contact with them quite often when typing and didn’t like it at all. I also noticed an oddity: the screen is actually a little shorter than the main body and as a result it’s quite difficult to grab and lift-up, especially since there’s no crease to make the process simpler. The metallic edge around the screen is fairly sharp as well, so I’d reckon fingertips and nails will suffer when using this laptop everyday. Once you do manage to grab the screen, the hinges do a good job at smoothly adjusting it and firmly keeping it in place. They also allow it to go back flat to 180 degrees.

You might have noticed by now that the display is glossy, but this is not a touchscreen, it just gets a layer of Gorilla Glass on top of a non-touch panel. Acer claims this makes the entire ensemble tougher and keeps the panel safe, but in reality a glossy screen also adds reflections and glare that are highly in brighter environments.

And it’s even more problematic when the panel beneath is dim, like in this case, but more about that in a further section. Flipping the laptop upside down you’ll notice big rubber feet that keep the computer well anchored anchored on a flat surface, as well as the speakers in the corners and a large intake grill. The hot air is pushed out through a grill behind the hinge and we’ll more talk about the cooling solution and its performance in the appropriate section below. The IO is the last aspect we’ll mention here though. This laptop gets pretty much what’s expected in this category, with 3x Type A USB ports, 1x USB Type C port (without Thunderbolt 3), HDMI, a card-reader, a mic jack and a Kensington Lock. Most of them are placed on the left edge, which leaves an uncluttered right side in case you plan to use a mouse. Screen There’s a 14-inch display on this laptop with fairly chunky bezels and a layer of Gorilla Glass on top.

There’s no touch though, Acer just decided to go with the glossy cover for extra strength and protection, but I consider it a poor decision in terms of usability and a downgrade from the simple, matte screen of the older Swift 3. I’ve heard the argument that glossy screens show more vibrant colors, but that’s mostly untrue. The panel’s quality matters a lot more, and this notebook falls short here. It gets an IPS panel, so the viewing angles and contrast are fairly good, but it’s otherwise dim and limited in terms of color coverage, as you can see below: • Panel HardwareID: AU Optronics AUO213D (B140HAN02.1); • Coverage: 65% sRGB, 47% NTSC, 49% AdobeRGB; • Measured gamma: 2.1; • Max brightness in the middle of the screen: 197 cd/m2 on power; • Contrast at max brightness: 850:1; • White point: 7100 K; • Black on max brightness: 0.23 cd/m2; • Average DeltaE: 3.2 uncalibrated, 1.81 calibrated. This is in fact the same panel used on some versions of the older Swift 3 and the glass takes an extra small toll on the maximum brightness, which was poor to begin with. Adding the glare on top, this screen is pretty much unusable outdoors or in bright light, but it’s fine for indoors as long as you don’t expect rich, accurate colors.

Improves the gray levels and balances colors to some extent, but there’s still so much you can expect get with this kind of gamut coverage. I’ve also noticed a fair amount of light bleeding around the edges, so the glass doesn’t seem to help with that either, even if the screen feels otherwise fairly well built. It’s also worth adding that this screen leans back flat to 180 degrees, so at least they kept that from the older Swift 3.

It’s very useful for those of us that use the laptop on the lap, or leaned on our thighs when lying on the bed or on the sofa. Keyboard and trackpad I’m happy with this keyboard and I’d expect most of you to like it too, as long as you’re used to short-stroke keys, the kind you get on most ultraportables these days. The keys are well spaced and have a nice, rubbery finishing. They’re also quiet to type on and responsive, with a proper click and good feedback.

Some might find them a little shallow, but I actually found them quite good and was able to type fast and accurately. This keyboard is also backlit, but the illumination is only activated by pressing a key and not by swiping the fingers over the trackpad. The layout is pretty standard, but those tiny arrow keys cramped by tiny Home/End dedicated keys will need time to get used to. Overall I still prefer this layout over the older one from the Swift 3 SF314-51 that gets that extra line of Function keys on the right, as I’m already accustomed to tiny arrows from my XPS 13.

I could probably live with either of them just fine after a while though. The trackpad is large and carved into the palm-rest, with tapered edges around. It’s a plastic Synaptics surface, so the finger doesn’t glide on it as easily as on a glass surface, but otherwise provides a smooth and consistent experience with swipes, taps and gestures. The click buttons are a little mushy, but quiet. There’s also a fingerprint reader integrated in the right-corner of the arm-rest, beneath the arrows keys. It’s properly sized and works well with Windows Hello.

Hardware and performance Acer offers the Swift 3 in multiple configurations and we got to test one of the the higher end models, with a Core i7-7500U processor, 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, two SSDs and an Nvidia MX150 dedicated graphics chip with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, which is perhaps this laptop’s most interesting feature. It’s also worth noting that as of the Fall of 2017 Acer plans to equip the Swift 3 with the newer Intel Coffee Lake Core i5-8250U processor as well, a quad-core ULV CPU, but more about that in a future article, but I can’t tell for sure whether that will make it into this 14-inch model or is reserved for the larger 15-inch Swift 3 SF315.

The RAM, GPU and CPU are soldered on the motherboard, but the storage, wireless chip and battery are accessible once you remove the back panel. We didn’t get to do it on this sample, but it’s hold in place by visible Torx screws and should pop open fairly easily with the help of some plastic priers.

But back to the GPU. The MX150 is an entry-level dedicated graphics chip, part of Nvidia’s Pascal line, the mobile version of the desktop GeForce GT 1030. It’s meant to provide FHD gaming capabilities with medium/high settings while running efficiently, so it will make its way on a handful of thin-and-light laptops, as well as on budget ultraportables like this Swift 3.. Although our sample is a pre-release version and drivers should improve by the time it reaches retail stores, it did well in our tests, with only minor issues in some benchmarks where the CPU would occasionally drop bellow its maximum TurboBoost speeds (you’ll find details in the pictures below). As a result, here’s what we got on this test unit: • 3DMark 11: P4201; • 3DMark 13: Sky Driver – 9092, Fire Strike – 3031, Time Spy – 1106; • PCMark 08: Home Conventional – 2942; • PCMark 10: 3416; • Geekbench 3 32-bit: Single-Core: 3341, Multi-core: 7292; • Geekbench 4 64-bit: Single-Core: 3920, Multi-core: 7873; • CineBench 11.5: OpenGL 52.02 fps, CPU 3.77 pts, CPU Single Core 1.25 pts; • CineBench R15: OpenGL 85.70 fps, CPU 331 cb, CPU Single Core 138 cb; • x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 32-bit: Pass 1 – 118.52 fps, Pass 2 – 21.76 fps.

I am however a bit concerned on how the Core i5-8250U CPU will perform on this laptop, given how our test unit barely kept the dual-core i7-7500U at full speeds in demanding loads. But it’s way too early to comment on this aspect as of right now when that i5 is still months from being released. Next we’re going to compare the MX150’s performance to the older 940MX chips that were previously used in mid-range thin-and-lights, both in benchmarks results and in actual games. First, the benchmarks. FHD Ultra FHD High FHD Low Grid: Autosport 37 fps 65 fps 96 fps Bioshock Infinite 35 fps 53 fps 78 fps Far Cry 4 25 fps 29 fps 50 fps Shadow of Mordor 24 fps 32 fps 47 fps Metro Last Light 26 fps 33 fps 52 fps Tomb Raider 28 fps 52 fps 100 fps Total War: Atilla 11 fps 16 fps 52 fps It’s also worth mentioning that I noticed no performance loss when gaming on battery, with both the CPU and GPU running at full loads in this case. All in all, the MX150 is about twice the performance in games of the regular GT 940MX with GDDR3 memory and a big step-up from the DDR5 version as well. So if you care about gaming on a thin-and-light laptop or a budget ultraportable, this is absolutely the option to get starting with the second half of 2017..

Noise, Heat, Connectivity, speakers and others The cooling solution uses a fan and two heatpipes that spread on top both the CPU and GPU. I don’t have a picture to show you as of right now though, but it’s a pretty standard implementation. The fan spins pretty much all the time, even with the most basic of activities, but at 38-39 dB is barely audible in a normal environment. You’ll hear it in a quiet room though. It is however surprisingly quiet at full blast, only averaging 41-42 dB at head-level, something the speakers can actually cover easily. The fan is efficient with daily use, keeping the internals and the outer case cool (30-35 Celsius) and does fair job in gaming and demanding activities. The shell gets hot in some places and gaming on the lap is not very pleasant, but mid 40s on some parts of the back and the upper inner deck are normal for a laptop as thin as this one.

The heat spreads towards the keyboard though and can lead to some uncomfortably sweaty hands. *Daily Use – 1080p Youtube clip in EDGE for 30 minutes *Load – playing Far Cry 4 for 30 minutes Connectivity wise there’s wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.1 on the Swift 3.

Acer went with an Intel AC 7265 module on our sample which is a proven option and solid performer both near the router and at longer ranges. Nothing to complain about here. As far as the speakers go, they’re actually punchy and a step-up from the older Swift 3. They’re still placed on the bottom, but no longer distort at high volumes and no longer sound weird on a desk or when using the laptop on the lap and occasionally covering them. They’re also fairly loud at up to 80 dB at head level and the sound is surprisingly rich and clean. As for the webcam, it’s placed on top of the screen and flanked by microphones and it’s an average option with HD resolution that should do fine for occasional Skype calls.

Battery life Acer puts a 48 Wh battery on this Swift 3, which is not bad for a budget laptop, especially since there’s no energy-hungry screen on this thing, but still a little smaller than what some of the competition offers. But this is not a touchscreen:) I don't have a problem with glossy touchscreens, I understand the need for the glass in that case, I don't on something without touch. I've been using laptops with normal matte screens for a very long time and without an issue, I can't accept or encourage this approach that for me makes no sense. And yes, I'm aware of screen protectors. But my experience with them isn't great. Not that easy to apply perfectly, not that reliable and an added expense that I can't justify.

Just my2c, of course:). For those with questions bout the i5 coffee lake/mxx150 14' version, I am typing on it now:) A few comments, 1st, when hard/long gaming you Can get it to throttle-barely, and not all the time, depends a LOT on whether you use a cooler. I have done several hour long sessions and hwinfo shows a max of 82-83 degrees on core 0. If running on the intel 620, but maxxing the cpu, it has NOT throttled. The Nvid Gpu has registered a max of 70c. Second, the included ssd is an 256 gig intel nvme, not quick as a Samsung 900 series, but faster than the sata ssd's by a bunch.

The fan DOES NOT run constantly as the author noticed on his unit. The i5 8 series seems a very efficient chip. I do NOT notice hot spots on the chassis, and sometimes game in bed with the unit on my lap. It is not at all uncomfortable. I'm surprised at the comments on the screen.

I have noticed neither a lack of brightness, nor washed out colors-seems fine to me, but I don't work outside with a laptop. Similarly, i cannot recall any incidents of reflection issues. The screen seems just fine to me. This is NOT an easy laptop to open up, the fit and finish, seem exceptionally good, and Tight! Even after removing all the screws, I was unable to 'ease' my my pry tools into any seam, and I have a full set of pro tools and have building, disassembling laptops and desktops since before the compaq luggable (infer 'LOOONG damned time' here.). Anyway, i took the chance, pulled the trigger with Amazon, and am both amazed and fully satisfied with what Acer has done here. In truth, a rather remarkable effort, and hats off for a job well done.

Excellent review here, and your predictions are pretty much borne out. I know DDR4 can be soldered as well as the Spin5s have soldered DDR. At least with one model here in the US, acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.GSJAA.001 it's showing that it comes with 8 GB standard and up to 16 GB maximum. Now how that's done I'm not sure. I'm not sure if there's just one DIMM with an 8 GB that can take a 16 GB module, 2 DIMMs with one available, or one DIMM available with 8 GB soldered on.

Any of those would work for me. I've only seen tear downs of the 14' model. At least from what I've been seeing in some of the Lenovo and Asus models, the 15' class has had actual DIMM slots while the 14' and smaller have been soldered. Of course, there are exceptions to everything. I'm just hoping the 16 GB maximum is allowing for expandability. 15' is starting to pop up here (Amazon has a iGPU model only), so maybe we'll find out soon. I know this is the 14' model review but, What's the difference between Acer Swift 3 and Aspire 5, the 15.6' models with MX150)?

Other than maintenance, ports, and some parts like Wi-Fi chips and power supply they seem almost identical which doesn't explain the price gap. Build quality maybe?

I've read both yours and NBCs' reviews yet can't seem to figure this out. Ultrabookreview.com/15876-acer-aspire-5-a515-51-review/ notebookcheck.net/Acer-Swift-3-SF315-i5-7200U-GeForce-MX150-Laptop-Review.257492.0.html notebookcheck.net/Acer-Aspire-5-A515-51G-7200U-MX150-FHD-Laptop-Review.240090.0.html.