Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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*.

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!

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! :)

Bought this PC while it was on sale at Amazon. The Amazon price was at least $120 cheaper than the other sites. I am really pleased with the performance of this laptop. All programs runs fast and easy to use. I also like the feel of the keyboard. The Windows7 OS is fantastic. It is so much better than XP and Vista. The only thing that I don't like is the laptop doesn't come with any CD for software such as OS. To Acer credit, the OS backup was pretty easy to use to create backup CD of the OS image.

this computer is great i do everything on it i run games , do research surf the web...somtimes all at once...ive had it since early may and it is not early september ...so far its worked like a dream

Wellllllllllll, i love my acer, i am 13. No problems at all! Its quickk and fastt and i cant livee withhh outt itt. mwahhh acerrrrrrr.

After a month of using this 5517 I'm quit happy with it. that is all.

I bought this laptop because I needed something affordable for work (I do 3D work for videogames). It runs all my heavy programs like Photoshop, Maya, Modo, and LightWave well. There is no lag when using my bamboo pen tablet. And so far, all my 32-bit programs have worked with Windows 7 64-bit.

PROS
- Gorgeous glossy LCD display. Looks better and brighter than my desktop's matted LCD monitors.
- Dual-processor at bargain price. No slow down when running multiple programs.
- Keyboard took a few days to get used to but now I'm typing fast and smoothly on it.
- Windows 7 is terrific! I like most of the new features (was previously an XP user).

CONS
- Low battery life (no big for me as I'm using it as a desktop replacement).
- Cheap sounding speakers but audio sounds great through headphones.
- Some bloatware but easy to uninstall.
- Sometimes, web videos don't play at full frame rate when at full-screen (dvd's and video files off hard disk play smoothly).
- Gets a little warm but still can keep on my lap.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and glad I didn't settle on a laptop that had a single core, Intel Celeron (which is typically what you'd get at around this price).

The Acer is well equipped and ready to go. It boots quickly, is soft on the battery, and works quietly. I have had no problems with it so far.

Been using this laptop for about 3 days and I am pretty satisfied. Like others have said, I was a little disappointed in processor specs but it seems faster than 1.6 GHZ. Most other laptops in this price range have 2GHZ+ processors. But, one thing a lot of other laptops lack in this price range, but this one has, is a dedicated graphics card. Which is a plus for gaming.