Review on 💻 Acer Swift 3 SF315-41G-R6MP Laptop - 15.6" Full HD IPS Display - AMD Ryzen 7 2700U - AMD Radeon RX 540 Graphics - 8GB DDR4 - 256GB SSD - Windows 10 by Jeffrey Kue

Pros: Fast Good battery life Runs very quietly Excellent build quality Cons: Input devices "Sharp" edges Design and build quality: The build quality of this laptop is very high-end. Basically, it's brushed aluminum that leaves no fingerprints. Every part of the computer feels sturdy and solid. It's hard to fault the overall build quality. My main problem with computers is design. The keyboard and touchpad are well made, but I just can't get used to them. The keyboard is too stiff for my taste, I feel like I have to press a little more aggressively than I'm used to. I also don't like that the power button is a button just above the number pad, which I use a lot, and I don't like holding down the function key to change the brightness or volume. The touchpad also has a strange finish. It's smooth, but for some reason it seems too sticky. My fingers sometimes jump around on the touchpad, especially in dry weather. I could handle both of those things, but what I can't handle are the sharp edges of laptops where the metal meets the plastic bottom. I usually rest my wrists on the edges when using it on my lap and it feels like the computer is digging into my wrists. Even as I write this review I feel the need to raise my hands from time to time to give them a break from the sharp edge. This is even more pronounced on the sides of the laptop. I have a feeling that if you rub it the wrong way it can rightly hurt you. Performance: There are two versions of this laptop for the same price. This version is based on AMD with Ryzen 7 2700U/RX540 and Intel/Nvidia version with i5-8250U/MX150. Previous tests I've seen put them pretty much on an equal footing, and I've found that to be the case indeed. Both versions easily meet the needs of everyday users, especially those with a solid state drive, and each of them comes out on top in certain aspects. I've used i5-8250u laptops before and can't tell any difference in CPU performance. Although tests show that the RX540 is almost as good as the MX150, I didn't realize it. This may be related to driver support as the hardware specs of the RX540 should be faster than the MX150. I found that most of the games I downloaded got me just under MX150 FPS. It's not a huge difference, mostly no more than a few frames per second, but it's something that shouldn't be. That said, if you're looking for that laptop that's a little cheaper than an Intel/Nvidia model, or maybe you just prefer AMD, paying a little more for the MX150 isn't worth paying a little more for in my opinion. Battery life, other things: The battery life is very good for a dedicated graphics card. I average about seven hours of normal web browser usage. I've heard the Intel/Nvidia model is better, but I doubt it could be much for the same battery capacity. One of my favorite features of this laptop is its quiet operation. The fans are also almost inaudible in games/tests. With normal use, you don't even hear the sound of the fan on the bottom of the laptop. Thermals are great too. I've never felt the laptop get too hot to use comfortably on my lap, even while gaming. Acer has done a great job with the heat output. The display is brighter than average, with vivid colors and sharp images, and the speakers are below average. The speakers are also located under the laptop, on the front edge down. When you use a laptop on your lap, speakers that weren't great at first become downright mediocre. Verdict: If you're looking for a portable, lightweight gaming laptop, then the Swift 3 is a solid choice. Battery life is good, the laptop is thin and light, and you don't have to worry about fan noise or overheating. You definitely won't have any performance issues whether you use the AMD or the Intel/Nvidia version. Performance will generally be about the same, so choosing AMD isn't a bad choice if it's cheaper.