Acer Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) review – the lightest laptop got a GeForce treatment

Acer is going for the lightest possible design with its Swift 5 series. It has been this way for a couple of years now, and the latest Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) is no exclusion from that. Similar to the previous models, the device is a sub-kilogram model that feels no heavier than a textbook in your hand.

However, as you may know, if you’ve read our take on the Swift 5 (SF514-52), the cooling system is one of the biggest disadvantages to it. Now, the Taiwanese company offers its latest creation equipped with the 10nm Ice Lake CPU family of Intel. Additionally, if you are wondering what is the difference between the Pro and non-Pro versions, well – the Pro one has a dedicated GPU in the form of the MX250, whereas the other stays with the integrated graphics.

Keep in mind that we are talking about the 10W version, so don’t expect anything exceptional from it. Apart from these changes, Acer has kept the touchscreen capability of its display, should you ever need one on such a device.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-swift-5-sf514-54t-pro-sf514-54gt/

Contents


Specs Sheet

Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T / Pro SF514-54GT) - Specs

  • AUO B140HAK02.5 (AUO253D)
  • Color accuracy  5.0  1.8
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 1000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 16GB
  • OS
  • Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro
  • Battery
  • 56Wh, 4-cell, 4-cell, 36Wh, 2-cell
  • Body material
  • Magnesium alloy, Magnesium-Lithium alloy
  • Dimensions
  • 318.7 x 210.5 x 15 mm (12.55" x 8.29" x 0.59")
  • Weight
  • 0.99 kg (2.2 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 2.0
  • 1x USB Type-A
  • 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1x USB Type-C
  • 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), Thunderbolt 3, DisplayPort, Sleep and Charge
  • HDMI
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.0
  • Audio jack
  • 3.5 mm combo
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • optional
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Microphone
  • Speakers
  • 2 Stereo Speakers
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

All Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54T / Pro SF514-54GT) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

What’s in the box?

Inside the package, we found a 65W power brick, as well as some paper manuals.

Design and construction

A lot of manufacturers try to cut down the weight of their laptops, but so far, Acer is the one that is the most efficient. How are they capable of keeping it below 1 kg, however? Well, they are using a combination of magnesium-aluminum and magnesium-lithium composites – something that also helps them keep the thickness below 15mm.

Expectedly, you won’t be able to open the lid with a single hand. On the other side, Acer has implemented a mechanism similar to the ErgoLift of ASUS. The backside of the lid has feet and as soon as you reach around 70-80-degrees of opening, the lid becomes a lever that lifts the back of the base. We suppose this is the way to enhance the cooling possibilities of this notebook. As of the touchscreen…

Well, we don’t find it any better to use than on the last-year device. The lid is just too unstable to withstand all of the tappings if you are not holding it with one hand. This makes it very uncomfortable, and we found ourselves never using the touchscreen after we tested if it works.

Now, the keyboard is one of the strong points of the Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT). It has a relatively long travel and very satisfying feedback. This provides a great experience for typers, and the backlight is really going to help you in the dark. Of course, there are some drawbacks – the main one being the location of the “Page Up” and “Page Down” keys, which are in very close proximity to the “Left” and “Right” arrow keys.

Then we got to the touchpad. While it has a good gliding feel and doesn’t seem to struggle when browsing the Web, as soon as you get to some tricky situations, where you have to highlight an extremely small text, you will feel like its DPI is just too rare.

At the bottom plate, we are going to see the ventilation grills, as well as the tiny speaker cut-outs. Hot air is exhausted from in between the lid and the base.

Ports

On the left, you will see the power plug (sadly not a Type-C one), followed by an HDMI connector, a USB Type-A 3.1 (Gen. 1) and a Thunderbolt 3 port! On the right, there is an extremely ordinary USB Type-A 2.0 port and a headphone jack.


Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance

The manufacturer used Torx-head screws to attach the bottom plate to the chassis. There are 11 of them and after you unscrew them, you can simply pry it up with a plastic tool.

Our sight was caught immediately by the cooling solution. There is a huge fan used to blow the heat away from the heat sink. However, how does the heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink? Well, through two heat pipes. They cover both the processor and the graphics chip, so we hope that the capacity is going to be enough.

Quite expectedly, we didn’t see any RAM SODIMM slots, which means the memory is soldered and you can’t do anything about it. On the bright side, it has a single M.2 slot that supports PCIe x4 drives.

As of the battery – it is a 56Wh unit, which is pretty decent, given the size of the device. What we didn’t really like, however, is mounting. Acer uses three sticky straps that have pull-tabs for safe removal. Okay, but this means you need to buy new ones every time you take out the battery pack. Indeed this is not a thing that you do on a daily basis, but if you are a part of the Acer service team, well… we are not envious of you… not at all.


Display quality

Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT) has a Full HD display, model number AUO B140HAK02.5 (AUO253D). Its diagonal is 14″ (35.56 cm), and the resolution – 1920 х 1080. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:9, the pixel density – 157 ppi, their pitch – 0.161 x 0.161 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 56 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels).

Its viewing angles are great. We have provided images at 45 degrees to evaluate quality.

The maximum measured brightness is 324 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 322 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 8%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6240K (average) – slightly warmer than the 6500K optimum for sRGB. The average color temperature through the grey scale before profiling is again 6000K.
In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective.
Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is very good – 1370:1 (1260:1 after profiling).

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people in HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is an essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT)’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 93% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT) with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right).

The next figure shows how well the display can reproduce dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 32 ms


Health impact – PWM / Blue Light

PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT)’s display doesn’t use PWM at any brightness level. This ensures comfortable work even during long periods of time.

Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Conclusions

Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT)’s display is touch-sensitive, has an IPS panel and a Full HD resolution. Its viewing angles are comfortable and the contrast ratio is good. Not only that, but it also covers 93% of sRGB – a prerequisite for a punchy image, and its brightness is not PWM-adjusted.

Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT) configurations with 14.0″ AUO B140HAK02.5 (AUO253D) (FHD, 1920 × 1080) IPS panel.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Sound

Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT)’s speakers definitely are not the loudest out there. Additionally, there are deviations across the entire frequency range.


Drivers

All of the drivers and utilities for this laptop can be found here: https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/8103?b=1

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with.

Its 56Wh battery lasted for 11 hours and 40 minutes of Web browsing and 10 hours of video playback.


CPU options

Currently, we found models of the Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) fitted with either the Core i5-1035G1 or the Core i7-1065G7.


GPU options

While this notebook comes in a non-Pro iteration, which is free of a dedicated GPU, the Pro version features the 10W GeForce MX250.


Gaming tests

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GOHD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (10W)84 fps74 fps61 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (10W)119 fps79 fps49 fps

Temperatures and comfort

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average core frequency (base frequency + X); CPU temp.

Intel Core i5-1035G1 (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Acer Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT)2.88 GHz (B+188%) @ 80°C1.62 GHz (B+62%) @ 64°C1.65 GHz (B+65%) @ 67°C
Dell Inspiron 55932.53 GHz (B+153%) @ 99°C2.14 GHz (B+114%) @ 94°C1.88 GHz (B+88%) @ 87°C
Dell Inspiron 17 37932.75 GHz (B+175%) @ 98°C1.97 GHz (B+97%) @ 91°C1.79 GHz (B+79%) @ 89°C
Intel Core i5-1035G4 (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Lenovo Yoga S740 (14)2.64 GHz (B+140%) @ 100°C1.89 GHz (B+72%) @ 83°C1.66 GHz (B+51%) @ 69°C

Indeed, the clock speeds at the second and the third checkpoint are not very competitive, but in short loads, the Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) actually goes the highest from all the laptops we’ve tested with this CPU. Moreover, it manages a decent temperature at the same time.

Real-life gaming

NVIDIA GeForce MX250GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min)GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min)
Acer Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) (10W version)1170 MHz @ 61°C1167 MHz @ 61°C
ASUS ZenBook 14 UX434 (10W version)1132 MHz @ 66°C1129 MHz @ 71°C
ASUS VivoBook S15 S5321708 MHz @ 77°C1480 MHz @ 67°C

Okay, now there is a clear fight! Despite its lower weight and supposedly tighter space inside, the Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) is able to clock its GPU to a higher frequency and works a lot cooler than its opponent – the ZenBook 14 UX434.

Comfort during combined load


Verdict

This device has a lot of goodies under the bonnet. Not only it is powered by a more efficient 10nm processor, part of the Ice Lake line-up from Intel, but it also manages to cool it and the dedicated GeForce MX250 (albeit a 10W version) quite well. What is really great about the last thing is that the fan doesn’t even break a sweat and works at a rather low RPM, which makes it noticeable but not annoying whatsoever.

Additionally, you get WiFi 6 support from the WLAN card, as well as a PCIe x4 support from the M.2 drive slot. Sadly, the memory is soldered to the motherboard, so you have to pick carefully before you buy it. If you are not the upgrade type of guy (or gal), you would be more impressed to hear that there is a Thunderbolt 3 port on this laptop. So you would be able to output a 4K resolution through a DisplayPort emulation, or even connect an external GPU for AAA gaming.

It’s true, this laptop is no gaming device, but more of a work companion. With this, it does a great job, thanks to its exquisite weight of under a kilo – you will barely notice you have it in your backpack. Thanks to the premium magnesium-aluminum and magnesium-lithium materials, you have both strength and portability on your side. Additionally, your battery is going to comfortably last you through an entire day of e-mail replies and Web browsing, as we got around 11 hours and 40 minutes of that and 10 hours of video playback.

Speaking of video, Acer Swift 5 (SF514-54GT)’s display is touch-sensitive, has an IPS panel and a Full HD resolution. Its viewing angles are comfortable and the contrast ratio is good. Not only that, but it also covers 93% of sRGB – a prerequisite for a punchy image, and its brightness is not PWM-adjusted.

This sounds great, but keep in mind you won’t be very comfortable using the touchscreen, as the entire lid flops like a madman if you tap it. On the bright side, the lid, itself, acts as a leverage for the base that lifts its backside a couple of millimeters. Perhaps this was the reason for the cool and quiet work of the laptop.

If you would like to enjoy a slightly more rigid structure and don’t mind the extra weight, the ASUS ZenBook 14 UX434 is a great value, but the Acer Swift 5 Pro (SF514-54GT) is not to be overlooked. We really enjoyed our time with it.

Pros

  • Its keyboard is backlit and great for typing
  • Efficient cooling, aided by a leverage system
  • Its display has decent maximum brightness and doesn’t use PWM to adjust the brightness, whatsoever
  • Wide color coverage and accurate color representation (when our Gaming and Web design profile is applied)
  • Supports PCIe x4 SSDs, WiFi 6 standards and has a Thunderbolt 3 port
  • Weighs only 990 grams


Cons

  • Its touchscreen is annoying to use
  • No RAM upgradability post-purchase

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-swift-5-sf514-54t-pro-sf514-54gt/

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Nico C
Nico C
3 years ago

Any idea on the CPU performance (test score) of the model fitted with the Intel Core i7-1065G7?