I am amazed by the value for money this laptop provides. I bought it as a desktop replacement, to do DTP and graphic design work, primarily because it has a full HD screen, an Intel Core i5 fifth generation processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive.
I should declare at this point that, for the last year and half, my primary computer has been a Macbook Pro - a computer given to me by my work - with the regular 1200x800 screen, a third gen i5 processor and a 128gb SSD (the IT dept insisted, and I wasn't complaining).
I was expecting the Acer to be slow thanks to its 5400 rpm hard drive and irritating thanks to Windows 8 (I had not experienced this flavour of Windows until now).
I was wrong. Yes, the HDD is slower than an SSD. But it's also huge and the speed difference makes little difference in regular use. Occasionally waiting a few seconds for a large and complex file to load is hardly the end of the world, and the ability to store huge files (I also do video work) is a huge plus. Most people will never run out of space.
I like Windows 8.1 overall. Is it perfect? No. Nor is Mac OSX. And Windows 8 will run OLD stuff. That's not true of Mavericks. The touch-oriented interface loses something because this is not a touchscreen laptop, but it works perfectly well. I spend most of my time on the desktop, and so will you, most likely.
Build quality is pretty good. It's not up to Mac standards, but this offers more than my Mac for less than half the price, and it's pretty solid.
Other things: the screen is a matte finished, Full HD (1920x1080) TN panel. It isn't perfectly colour calibrated (though it can be made much better with Windows own colour calibration) but it is sharp, good looking, and more than bright enough. Don't be put off by the matte finish - it looks good. Unless you're obsessed with glossy displays, you will be very happy.
Sound: the Dolby HD makes a HUGE difference (be sure to switch it on). The sound (from speakers on the bottom) is very good overall. Certainly much better than my MacBook Pro.
Practical stuff: the touchpad is fine, and fairly precise. The keyboard is also fine - good travel and reasonable feedback. The slightly rough key tops are a plus. Neither is as good as the MacBook Pro, but then that is more than twice the price. Connectivity is good - Bluetooth is very stable- actually, better than the MacBook.
In summary, this is a Full HD, core i5 laptop with a 1TB hard drive for less than $500 (when I purchased). I expected it to be OK, but it's better than that- it's a really good product and I'm enjoying it very much.
| Standing screen display size | 15.6 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.2 GHz core_i5 |
| RAM | 8 GB DDR3L SDRAM |
| Memory Speed | 2.7 GHz |
| Hard Drive | 1 TB SATA |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 5500 |
| Chipset Brand | Intel |
| Card Description | Integrated, Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11ac |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 7 Hours |
