The Acer Swift 3x boasts Intel's new Iris Xe Max discrete GPU

Acer's latest Swift 3x includes the Iris Xe Max GPU, which a report says is the Iris Xe HPG that Intel disclosed earlier this year

Mark Hachman (PC World (US online)) on 22 October, 2020 05:32

What was known previously as the Intel Xe HPG discrete graphics chip for laptops appears to be officially branded as the Iris Xe Max, and will appear in Acer’s latest Swift 3x laptop.

Acer’s new Swift 3x (SF314-510G), announced Wednesday, lists the laptop’s graphics capabilities as the “Iris Xe Max,” the brand that PCWorld discovered in an Intel sizzle reel in September. The Verge was granted some hands-on time with the new device (but not permission to run any graphics benchmarks) and confirmed that the Iris Xe Max is indeed Intel’s new discrete GPU. It will be paired with Intel’s new Tiger Lake CPUs, specifically the Core i7-1165G7 and Core i5-1135G7 chips.

acer swift 3x sf314 510g high 01 — Acer’s new Swift 3x.

Intel representatives, who had previously promised more details on the Iris Xe Max, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In August, however, Intel confirmed its first discrete GPU for gamers, referred to then as the Xe HPG, which company executives said would support hardware ray-tracing as well as a new memory controller.

Otherwise, Acer’s Swift 3x looks like a standard Swift 3, a laptop that has traditionally boasted a solid keyboard, a good display, and excellent battery life. Because the Swift 3x uses only a 1080p display, we might be able to expect even better battery performance, up to 17.5 hours, Acer says. Fast-charging for just 30 minutes will power the Swift 3x for up to four hours of use.

acer swift 3x sf314 510g blue 04 backlit

The Iris Xe Max is the most innovative news about the Swift 3x, and we’ll be interested to see what it will deliver: performance on a par with Nvidia’s low-end GeForce MX-series chips? Or something better?