Bought this unit as a budget replacement for my fairly high-powered Dell desktop which was lost during flooding. I wasn't expecting much from a $500 laptop but just needed something to get me reconnected.
Setup was a breeze, setting it to my preferences was simple, removing the (modest) bloatware from Acer was easy and I was pleasantly surprised at the quickness of the unit. The memory and drive appear to be easily and inexpensively upgradeable but it functions flawlessly right out of the box.
I wasn't paying for or expecting gaming-quality graphics but the display renders internet and video perfectly. Those that find fault with this unit must be comparing it to others costing 2 to 3 times as much. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a laptop to take care of their basic computing needs.
Very nice product for the money. Well done, Acer.
Update from 10 days later: Been using it relentlessly and comparing it to my desktop, which had far more memory, storage and graphics capabilities, and I am honestly thrilled. I was thinking of using this as a bridge-unit until I could go back to a new desktop but am seriously rethinking that. The thing that really impresses me is the boot-time. This guy goes from powered down to browsing in about 30 seconds. Not sure if that's just the SSD or newer CPU but I am loving it.
Pretty sure I'm going to start using this as my main and adding a docking station, keyboard/mouse (of course), monitor, a bit more memory and storage, and just rolling with it. Disclaimer: I am not a gamer and I understand this machine won't do complex graphics.
Update 2: Just to see if it would work, I installed a $65 16GB memory card to bring the total RAM to 20GB, the maximum Acer allows for the unit (it comes with 8GB but you have to remove a 4GB card to upgrade). It worked flawlessly and it is now far zippy-er than my Dell. From what I've read, the extra memory allows it to run cooler and hopefully adds to its service life.
Update 3 (I promise this is the last). Thrilled with this little budget-monkey. Restart time, 25-30 seconds. Startup from shut down (not sleep), 12-15 seconds including pin-entry time. Kicking it up to 20GB memory really helped. For anyone that wants to try this stunt (and possibly void the warranty) all it takes is a plastic spudger (google it) and a small Phillips head screwdriver to take the back of the laptop off. 16GB memory cards are readily available from Crucial and Memorystock, usually on Amazon.
The video that gave me confidence to try it was on YouTube but it showed how to add a hard drive, not a memory card. Older Acers had a removable panel over the memory but on the Acer Aspire 5 A515-54-51DJ, you have to take off the whole back. Don't even try it if you are confused about which end of a screwdriver to use or never read instructions.
A final note about some of the drama-queen reviewers that complained that "it gets so hot" or "the fan sounds like a 747 taking off": Just because it's called a laptop doesn't mean you should use it on your lap covered with your fleece blanket blocking the air vents. Use mine on my desk and on the rare occasions that the fan kicks on under heavy use it makes a gentle whirring sound, barely noticeable.
If it died tomorrow, I'd buy another.
Loving it
Update 4 (OK, I lied). After upgrading the memory and performing every performance-enhancing trick I could find on the internet with Windows, apps, settings and everything else, I started testing my budget computer. The most comprehensive free test I found was from UserBenchMark and I was kinda proud of the results. The test results can vary depending on the state of the computer but here was my best test (the others were pretty close):
"Overall this PC is performing way above expectations (95th percentile). This means that out of 100 PCs with exactly the same components, 5 performed better. The overall PC percentile is the average of each of its individual components. This PC is likely operated by a technical master!"
Did you hear that? I'm a technical master! All kidding aside, this $500 budget unit is working so far above my previous desktop that I'll never go back (sorry, Dell). I read that the average laptop only lasts 3-5 years before needing replacement. I'm OK with that and my next unit is definitely going to be a graphics-improved version of this machine, hopefully Acer.
Totally pleased.
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
|---|---|
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Processor | 4.2 GHz Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR4 |
| Hard Drive | 512 GB Flash Memory Solid State |
| Chipset Brand | NVIDIA |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 3 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 5 hours |
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