This is a great all around laptop if you are trying to find something in the budget range, under $350.

At the time of this review, there are no i3 7th gen 2.4GHz laptops that offer 1TB hard drives, 32GB max memory, or 1920 x 1080 screens. Other things that I found on this model that are not on similarly priced units are RJ-45 ports (most units are wireless only), Dual-Band 2.4GHz & 5GHz wi-fi capable, or have backlit keyboards.

Few models in this price range have built in optical drives, 3.1 USB port, SD reader, or battery life claims of up to 12hrs like this Acer E575 Sig Ed laptop.

The computer does have a plastic feel to it, but no stranger than the plastic feel of an LG4 or Samsung Galaxy phone. Carrying the laptop, it feels sleek and solid. Accessing the RAM or HD is as simple as unscrewing a panel under the laptop.

Honestly, I do not know how the computer runs with 4GB RAM, because I bought a 16GB stick of RAM and now have 20GB. That and the usual "How Can I make Windows 10 run faster" tweaks make this laptop very responsive and meet my daughter's personal and academic needs.

The last laptop I bought her was in 2006, an HP HDX-18t CoreDuo 1.8GHZ Vista laptop. It lasted 10 years, up to her senior year in HS, and just died. It cost about 3x more, had 2hrs battery life, and weighed 6+lbs. With college coming next fall, I needed something to meet her needs and my budget. Her current uses for this laptop are web surfing, Netflix/Youtube binge watching, Internet Radio, Skyping, heavy Excel sheets (+50 pages & calculations or more), Matlab, SPSS Statistics 20 for Windows.

Although this is a budget laptop, it does not stick out in appearance or performance when she's studying with friends that have expensive Apple laptops or higher end notebooks. It isn't a gaming laptop, but she does run BlueStacks to play some Android games.

You've got to be crazy to pass on this laptop if the main selling point for you is having 1yr MS Office or not, like I have read in other reviews. Libre Office is free and the hardware is a good value. Maybe later this year or next year (it's Oct 2016), competitors will come out with more comparative offerings, but if you need a notebook >now< , this is your best bet.

Two criticisms my daughter does have about this model, is 1) the palm rest (area below the keyboard) attracts fingerprints and is showing some wear. Would be nice it it were textured like the exterior of the laptop.2) If the RJ-45 port cover could flex, retract, or hinge more. It's a very tight fit and feels like the port cover will snap in two, every time it is pushed down.

Hope this review helps people who don't have much to spend, thanks Acer for putting good value in the market!

This is just "First Impressions" review, as I just got the laptop yesterday. That said, I will speak at length about the value of this computer.

As with any new Windows 10 installation, the Acer required quite a bit of time before it was ready for use. After answering a few questions (pay special attention to the security and privacy options), I had to wait for a slew of updates. While not unexpected, during this process the laptop was essentially unusable. After many updates and about six restarts over the course of a couple hours, it was good to go.

One of the first things I noticed about the way it ran was the fact that was at or near 100% HD utilization much of the time. That means it was constantly accessing the HD. This, by the way, was after the updates were done. Part of this was due to Windows indexing the drive, part was due to the fact that Windows 10 isn't always great at dynamically creating the Virtual RAM swap space. After I changed it (4096 minimum, 8192 maximum) in the Advanced System Settings, it started working quite smoothly. I've ordered another stick of RAM to double what it already has, so that will also help.

While waiting for the updates, I checked it out physically. The screen, at the very top edge, has a seam between the front and back panel. That seam is almost big enough to get a fingernail in there, and it's sharp enough to scrape me when I run my hand across it. That's a bit concerning, but not at all different from my last mid-price laptop (an HP DV6 from about four years ago). It speaks to the fit and finish of the unit, though, and I'm concerned that it will eventually turn from a seam into a gap. The last thing I want to have to do is tape my new laptop.

Also, I noticed the USB port on the right side of the unit will shock me if I touch it. That's an issue I've seen on phones and laptops before. Often, this is due to a short, but sometimes it's just the way the port was designed. I don't like that, and will be examining it further.

The trackpad is one of those that doesn't have separate buttons, but instead allows you to push it in to "left click". It also has the areas on the bottom of the trackpad for left-button and right-button operations. While it works quite well, I prefer having separate buttons. Of course, I knew by the pictures that this would be the case, so it's not a surprise.

The keyboard is fine. It's backlit in a way, but the backlighting seems a little bit like an afterthought. The backlighting does time-out if you're not using the keyboard for a minute or so. Be prepared for that, as the backlight will come back on the moment you start typing again.

While I planned on installing an SSD in the M.2 slot, I noticed that (like others) the slot didn't come with a standoff and a screw to hold the SSD drive in place. There is a little plastic cover over the chip that's underneath the slot, and the screw-holes are present in the motherboard, so it's likely that the motherboard manufacturer anticipated the slot to be used. That said, without the screw and the standoff, Acer seems to be saying they'd rather not have us use it. Once I can find the screw type (looks like an M2.5x4mm with a .45mm pitch), I'll likely grab what I need and order an SSD.

The memory is, according to Acer's own comments, supposed to be a DDR4 2133. It's not. It's a Kingston DDR4 2400. As such, if I were you and I were thinking about adding another stick, I'd wait until I saw the memory it came with. It's really easy to see - it's printed on a sticker on the RAM. If you're not sure how to check it, jump on YouTube - there are a few videos showing people installing additional RAM. Why is this important? When adding RAM, while it's not necessary to get the same size and speed of RAM, it's actually really helpful. Two 4GB sticks of the same type will function more efficiently than one 8GB stick, due to the multichannel nature of the chipset. That only works if both sticks are functionally the same. Yes, that includes speed. No, that doesn't mean you have to get the same brand.

This leads me to my last point: Be aware of "cost creep". If you buy this at $349, spend another $24 on RAM and spend $79 on a 240MB SSD drive, you might be teetering close to the next level of laptop. Acer has a similar model with a seventh-gen i5-7200u, 8GB, and a 256GB SSD for $549 right now. That's $200 more, with a faster CPU, the same 8GB you want, the same SSD you want, and it also comes with a moderately better GPU for games (NVidia 940MX). Compare that, at $549 (or its competition) vs this one at $452. The difference isn't so big, is it? Yes, this one would still have the 1 TB 2.5" HD in it, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's something you might want to consider.

One more thing, before I forget: The battery is not removable. You'd have to crack open the case and likely void the warranty to remove it.

Even with all that, if you're looking for a laptop that's short on price and long on features, this is likely a smart pick. The adage of "You get what you pay for" still applies, but we're now getting a lot more than ever before for this price.