About 2 years ago I started to make the switch away from Windows to Chrome OS, and I also started embracing cloud computing. Today, my need for a full-fledged OS (outside of work) is being driven pretty much by a single requirement: I still need to maintain a Windows PC so my wife can remotely connect to her company's Citrix system. The old Windows 7 HP Pavilion we had been limping along finally quit, and I need to find a cheap replacement. I have been happy with my Acer Chromebooks, and I recently just purchased the latest Toshiba Chromebook 2 that uses the same CPU as this machine (and also has 4GB of RAM). Those two factors, along with the other positive reviews I read, led me to this Acer; and so far I think I made a pretty good choice. Please note that I am basing my opinions herein on the fact that this is a $250 Windows computer with a budget chipset. If you need a super speed, multi-tasking, uber graphics performance, ultra tight fit and finish machine I suggest you look elsewhere. If you need a budget Windows computer to get online and to do what you still can't do (or don't want to do) in the cloud than please read on.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Two years of using Chromebooks has given me an appreciation for inexpensive, but functional computers. With this Acer, my hope was that it would be put together at least as well as my newest Toshiba Chromebook, and it has exceeded my expectations in almost every area. The display was a pleasant surprise, the keyboard is well spaced and has decent travel, and I like the dedicated number pad. The fit and finish are good (for this price) and the computer feels pretty solid (and heavy). I like the color and texture of the lid, but I did notice some fingerprints as I handled it. The touchpad is okay; it has a bit of an annoying rattle to it and it seemed a little jumpy, but it got smoother as I used it more. I generally use a small travel mouse with Windows laptops, but I always use the pad on my Chromebooks. The sound is adequate, the webcam works (poorly), and the computer runs pretty quietly even with the fan spinning, which is nice since that old HP sounded like a jet engine. In the Chromebook this same N2840 chip is used in a fanless configuration and is totally silent. I was also happier right off the bat with Windows 8.1 than I had been with my son's Windows 8 desktop (that's now a Windows 7 machine), but it's still my least favorite OS (especially when run without a touchscreen). Ultimately, I am amazed at what I got versus what I paid for this Acer, and I think it's great that people can purchase very functional machines for very few dollars.
DISPLAY: My 11.6" Chromebooks have the same display resolution as this 15.6" screen (1366 x 768) so I was holding my breath as I waited for the display to come on. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the display was actually quite nice. The panel has a nice warm hue to it and the colors are decently saturated. Even at this lower resolution I didn't notice a glaring "screen door" effect, and really, the image is pretty smooth. This is a TN panel (as opposed to an IPS) so the viewing angles are pretty narrow (more so in the vertical direction), and it isn't the brightest display either. The glossy screen combined with the moderate brightness could cause issues using this machine outdoors or in a very bright room, but I had no issues indoors with daylight or lamplight. This isn't a touchscreen either, so if you want to take full advantage of the Windows 8.1 interface you won"t be able to do so with this Acer. All of my web pages looked good though, and 720p videos played nicely as well. I generally don't stream 1080p video since the GPU will just scale all that extra data back down anyway and you'll have downloaded it for nothing. It did handle 1080 video just fine, however, when I did try it. The only time I really had issues with this screen was when I was running 2 Windows side-by-side in split screen mode. The problem was that the text really started to lose any sharpness. It wasn't unreadable, but it didn't look like what I'm used to with my Toshiba Chromebook 2. In a nutshell; I'm very happy (and was pleasantly surprised) with the display on this Acer.
PERFORMANCE: The N2840 works quite well in my Toshiba Chromebook 2, and it works good in this Acer too. You aren't going to be able to have twenty browser tabs open while you stream music and play a couple HD videos and expect things to run smoothly, but in day to day use it moves along just fine (Though I would never call this machine "fast"). The 4GB also helps smooth things out, and it's one of the reasons (along with the bigger HDD) that I chose this machine over some of the smaller 11.6" $200 units that are on the market. I'm not a gamer, but I know I wouldn't expect this chipset to run games all that well, it's just not what it was designed for. For me, it works great when streaming music into my DAC/headphone amp and surfing the web (or writing a review) at the same time. I'm no tab monster, but I have no issues having my mail, 4 or 5 browser tabs, and Spotify open at the same time. Like I said earlier, HD video plays/streams just fine too; whether it's Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Youtube, Vevo, News videos, or even network Websties (like CBS or Discovery). My wife reports that her Citrix receiver runs good on this computer, and certainly much better than it was running on the old HP. I also used Google's remote desktop app to access the Acer's desktop via my Toshiba Chromebook and that was very successful. In the end, on a PC at this price point, the speed and the overall performance is what's to be expected, and with the limited use this computer will receive it should be adequate for our needs. I will add though, if you are considering this machine as your daily driver, and if you have the budget available, taking one more step up (basically spending another $100) to something with a quad core chip or an i3 would most likely provide a better overall user experience.
KEYBOARD AND TOUCHPAD: I've purchased a lot of laptops with island style keyboards over the past couple of years: some good and some not so good. I would say the keyboard on this Acer fits right down the middle. I like that it had a full keyboard and a number pad, I like the travel of the keys, and I think the spacing is good. I just wish the keys were a bit quieter though. The touchpad has become sufficiently responsive with use, and as a Chromebook user I don't miss the separate left/right click buttons. However, I wish the pad did a better job of replicating some of the gestures you can perform with a Windows 8 touchscreen device, and I wish it was more responsive (less lag) when initiating a 2-finger page scrolling gesture. I still prefer using a mouse with Windows, which is funny because with Chrome OS I really prefer the pad and the 1, 2, or 3 finger gestures. Perhaps more time with the pad on this Acer and a bit of research on what I should be able to do with it will change my mind.
bloat bloAT BLOAT: The last time I set up a Windows machine I was replacing a HDD and upgrading Vista to Windows 7 using a system builder disk. I had to deal with all of the updates, but that was a totally clean install with ZERO bloatware. Once I got the 58 or so updates done on this machine I had to start going through and removing all of the trash that I will never use and which was using valuable system resources. I was at least 3 hours in by the time I had all the updates done and the crud removed. Then I had to change the virus scan software, install Chrome Browser, Google Drive, iTunes, and several other programs (apps). I don't have an issue with adding my stuff, but having to spend so much time doing updates and removing all the bloat seems to get more and more annoying every time I have to do it. Just for comparison. When I got my first Chromebook I was ready to go in about 10 minutes (which included a system update and me doing a touchpad tutorial). I added apps and customized the machine to my liking over time, and when I got a newer Chromebook all I had to do was log in with my Google account and that new Chromebook SET ITSELF UP so it was EXACTLY (literally...EXACTLY) the same as my old unit. At least I didn't have to transfer a bunch of files, as all of my work and all of my files are kept in the cloud. Once I installed the Google Drive app and checked the folders I wanted to sync to this Acer the app took care of the rest. Finally, to add insult to injury, I am going to have to do this all over again because I am exchanging this unit due to problems with the touchpad.
DRIVES, PORTS, BLUETOOTH, AND WIFI: As I've stated, I transitioned to cloud computing over the past couple of years. I didn't really have a need for a 500GB HDD, but I wasn't all that thrilled about using Windows with the small SSDs that are being put in the 11.6" machines (and I wanted to reload all my iTunes media), so this was another reason I chose this Acer. I like that the power, USB, Ethernet, and HDMI ports are on the back of the computer along with the SD slot and the additional USB on the left side, but I don't like that the headphone/mic jack is stuck in the back. I would have preferred to have it on the side or the front. If you use headphones or buds with a typical shorter cable you will not be happy with the position of the jack. I don't have an issue with the lack of an optical drive, and should the need ever arise, external ones are pretty cheap. I see that there is a cover over the optical drive hole on the right side, but I don't know if you could retrofit a drive into this computer as I didn't open the back. All of the ports worked as expected, and I even used the HDMI to connect a second screen, and that worked well too. If you need more USB ports you can always use a hub, and you can also take advantage of the Bluetooth for something like a travel mouse or even headphones. I used the Bluetooth connection with my Bose Soundlink Mini and it worked just fine. I also had no issues with the Wi-Fi connecting to my access point or tethering to my phone. Just a note though, if you live in an area that has gigabit internet or you're using an a/c speed router you will not be able to take advantage of those speeds with this computer as there is only 802.11 b/g/n connectivity.
BATTERY AND CHARGER: Most of the time I spent with this computer was with the brightness full-up and working the thing pretty hard with updates, adding/removing apps, and synchronizing files from my cloud drives so at this time I can't really speak to the battery's performance in terms of typical day to day usage. But I was satisfied with how long it seemed to run between charges, and with how quickly it charged back up. The N2840 may not be the fastest chipset, but along with the DDR3 RAM it really helps with battery longevity. The charge itself is a 2 part design totaling 9ft long. It has a pretty small brick in the middle, and it packs up nicely into a laptop bag. I will update this section when I've had more time to evaluate the battery properly.
BATTERY UPDATE: Now that I have things the way I want, and have spent time running this machine in more typical usage scenarios, I am really impressed by the battery. Even running with the display at or near full brightness I would say I am getting at least 6 hours of work time. I would imagine that if I just sat back and looped a video I would probably be able to push things well over the 7 hour published battery life.
SIZE AND WEIGHT: Compared to my dead 17" HP Pavilion this machine feels rather light, but it's double the weight of my 13" Toshiba Chromebook 2. I don't see myself lugging this thing all over creation, but when I drop it into the Amazon Basic laptop bag I purchased (for a song I might add) and toss in the charger, it feels like it would travel just fine. The size is similar to my daughters older 15.6" Dell but with the wider screen ratio it just feels bigger when you work on it. Which is just fine with me since it means I can have the number pad with the keyboard and a very large touchpad.
TOUCHPAD ISSUES: Due to the rattle in the touchpad, I am going to be doing an exchange of this machine. The best way to describe the issue I am having is that when I tap the pad I get an annoying rattle that runs from under the pad itself and extends all the way over to the front right area of the deck. I have had pads on a couple of my Chromebooks that floated above the button just a bit and made a little noise when tapping, but this thing sounds like something is really not right. I am hopeful that the new one will not have this problem, and I will not let this issue affect my rating of this computer. I am posting this review as an incomplete work in progress, and I will continue to update it in the next couple of days after I have had a chance to work with the replacement I'm being sent (fingers crossed).
TOUCHPAD UPDATE: So I got the new machine today and the pad is a lot better than the first unit I received. It still isn't the quietest, smoothest, or most responsive pad I've used, but like I keep saying; for a machine at this price it works very well. Thanks once again to Amazon for their excellent customer service. They have never let me down.
FINAL CONCLUSION: Now that the touchpad problem has been resolved, I will have to say that I am very happy with this Acer. Again, for a $250 PC it is a seriously good value that surprised the heck out of me. It isn't a machine or OS that's going to pull me out of the Chrome OS/Android ecosystem, but I appreciate it for what it is and I won't dig on it for what it isn't. If it wasn't what I needed I would have purchased something else. I really appreciate that there are some fine budget focused Windows machines coming to the market to compete with Chromebooks, because in the end it's the competition that results in better products for the consumer no matter what platform you prefer. Aside from the problem with the pad, the only real issues I have would be my general dislike for the Windows 8.1 operating system (I still prefer 7), the AWFUL webcam Acer used, the okay touchpad performance, and the placement of the headphone/mic jack at the back of the computer. Otherwise, this is Acer a winner and I have no problem recommending it.
If you have any questions for me I would be happy to address them as best as I can. I would also welcome any Windows 8.1 operation suggestions as I am still pretty much of a novice with this latest MS offering. If you got this far, I thank you for your time, and if you purchase one of these for yourself I look forward to reading your review.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Max Screen Resolution | 1366 x 768 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.16 GHz celeron |
| RAM | 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Memory Speed | 2.16 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 500 GB SATA |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11bgn |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 7 Hours |
