Acer AS5517-1643 15.6-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

by Acer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 14.4 x 1.5 inches ; 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9.2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002MZZUQU
• Item model number: AS5517-1643
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,680 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 18, 2009

Product Description

Acer AS5517-1643 Notebook comes with these specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core L310 Processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, 15.6-Inch HD Widescreen Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit Display, AMD M780G Chipset, 3072MB DDR2 667MHz Memory, ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive, Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support, Two Built-in Stereo Speakers, 2 - USB 2.0 Ports, Touchpad-lock, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery (4400 mAh), Up to 2.5 Hours of Battery Life, 6.0 lbs. | 2.7 kg (system unit only), One-year International Travelers Limited Warranty, AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, McAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 Trial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for solid value, November 7, 2009

By 

Karen Kelly "aka lizard, a geek" (ventura, ca, usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Acer AS5517-1643 15.6-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)

I bought this computer on sale at a different retailer (well under four hundred), but it's still well worth the current listed price here. At the time I bought it, I thought it had a faster processor (was looking at the wrong specs), so when I got the actual computer I was dismayed to see 1.6 GHz on the box. Thought about taking it back, but, it was just such a good deal, and I was in a situation where I needed a computer immediately. Another disappointment was its lack of a webcam, in the picture it looks like it has one, but it's just the place where one would have been.

It might seem odd to start out a 5 star review with disappointments, but this was an emergency purchase and wasn't my first choice, it was just the best thing I could afford. However (and it's a big however), this little computer rocks very, very hard. It totally exceeded my expectations, and there aren't too many things that do that.

The Good:
* It's surprisingly fast - faster than the T7200 2GHz 64bit dual core laptop it replaced. Significantly faster.
* It has enough memory for most folks (unless you're like me, the mad multi-tasker, in which case, go ahead and increase it to 4GB -- it will run all sorts of apps (dreamweaver, photoshop elements, several browsers, local web server, etc) simultaneously when running at 60 - 80% of 3836GB available (out of the 4GB) memory without getting boggy.
* The screen is bright, clear, and has decently vivid color. Watching DVDs and streaming HD video is delightful.
* The keyboard is wonderful, and the trackpad is one of the first I've ever been able to use without missing a mouse. It's positioned perfectly, recessed just enough, and has software smart enough to recognize accidental touches vs. deliberate ones. The scroll area on the right side is nice and responsive.
* Battery life is adequate, this isn't a Low Voltage processor so it's going to last 2-3 hours with moderate use and the screen dimmed (it reports 4 hours left when I unplug it, but I've never used it more than an hour unplugged -- someday I'll test it to see how long it'll last, and update this review then). **update** Battery life is another area this little computer exceeds expectations. Power save mode does a great job of running it efficiently and putting it to sleep when not in use, so I can bring it to work, use it when I need to check personal email or twitter or get to my files, and leave it unplugged all day, no problem. And, solid use, still over two hours.
* Having the numeric keypad is such a good thing. It's a little squeezed in, so the function keys and decimal are on top instead of on the side, but it's easy enough to get used to.
* Runs external monitor with no problems (but that needs to be configured in the thing called "Acer Grid" to really work right)

The Hmmm...
* The pattern on the lid is supposed to be fingerprint resistant, but you can still see fingerprints. (It's still very pretty, no complaints). However, whatever they used on the keyboard frame and the trackpad is some sort of miraculous substance that you cannot tell has been touched. I've had my greasy paws resting on it for hours on end for over a week now, never wiped it clean, it's just ... clean.
* There was a little crapware to uninstall, nothing too annoying, but I feel the need to mention it, hopefully one day manufacturers will "get it" and stop pre-installing crap entirely? Hey, a girl can dream.
* Only 2 USB ports - when I set it up at work (plugged into external monitor, with keyboard and mouse in front of the big monitor) this means I'd need a USB hub to use any other USB device. No big deal though.

The Meh...
* Speakers don't rock -- but -- plugged in my old altec lansing powered speakers + subwoofer (model VS2321 if you were wondering, nothing fancy, just basic laptop speakers) and the sound watching Foo Fighters live stream was freakin' awesome.
* Last night I plugged my new Droid in to transfer music, and all the browsers got squirrely while it was plugged in. Every browser (I have 5 installed) crashed constantly while Android phone was connected. No big deal, just ... weird.

In Conclusion:
This is a good, solid, basic machine, at a great price -- (I paid more for my telephone after deposits, fees, taxes, etc :) -- and it's the only time I've been disappointed by the numbers in the specs but pleasantly surprised by the *actual performance* - usually it's the other way around. It's a pleasure to type on, the trackpad is awesome, the screen is lovely, and it strikes a nice balance in size between the huge desktop-replacements and the little ultra-portables that always feel a little cramped. And Windows 7 is an awesome OS (been using it since late beta) and the release version running on a computer built for it is *sweet*.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value done well, December 12, 2009

By 

R. B. Richardson (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer AS5517-1643 15.6-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)

This is a solid budget priced entry from Acer. This 1.6gz AMD "Vision", Athlon based system won't win any speed test races but it is a surprisingly snappy performer for common office tasks and internet usage. I recommend this PC for those looking for a solid, entry level computer or as a secondary PC for convenience use (i.e. a portable to supplement a desktop). It is not a good choice for strenous tasks like heavy Photoshop usage, multimedia encoding, or gaming.

PLUSES:
- Cost. At full price its a great value, but I have also seen it on sale at various stores including Amazon.com for under 400. That is phenomenal for the level of components you receive.
- 64bit Windows 7 Premium with 3GB of RAM helps keep things quick and responsive. If you buy it elsewhere do check the amount of RAM though. There are apparently slight variations of this model depending on retailer and some have 2gb instead of 3.
- A bright, clear screen with HD resolution for a very nice movie viewing experience.
- Seperate numberpad area is rarely found on laptops of this size.
- Adequate hard drive space. You should get a good external drive if you want to bring a huge library of movies or music along with you. Suggestion: Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FGA2E1-RK (Silver)

MINUSES:
- Battery life is unimpressive. Depending on what you are doing with it you can probably get more than the listed rating but if you need long battery operation time look for a different model.
- No webcam.
- Only 2 USB ports.
- Keys are a tad smaller than I'm used to even for a laptop (probably due to squeezing in the otherwise welcome numberpad).
- Not anywhere near as glutted as some of the bigger name brands out there but Acer still jams some trailware bloat onto it.

SPECIAL NOTE:
Processor is actually a 1.6 GHz AMD TK-42, not the older 1.2gz L310 shown on the description. I have seen this exact same discrepancy on many websites. I would guess that Acer changed their mind at the last second and shipped the better processor but failed to update the boilerplate text retailers cut and paste onto their listings. Bottom line is what you get is an upgrade over what is listed!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars aCER lAPTOP, February 3, 2010

By 

Lois V. Simmons (Virginia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer AS5517-1643 15.6-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)

The package came well protected. The laptop was a great value for the money. Still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles. It does get warm after a while so needs to be on safe surface. I love the postage note option! :)