Re: Acer Aspire 5 A515
Vida Hubbert
While this has somewhat changed recently, Acer laptops have been historically known for their affordable price tags and overall solid value for the money, albeit with a few cut corners here and there, perfectly normal for budget laptops. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push( placementName: "ultrabookreview_incontent_2", slotId: "ultrabookreview_incontent_2" );
That means the Aspire 5 is a 15-inch laptop that sells for between $400 and $600, runs on Intel Core U hardware platforms and offers good-enough screens, keyboards, IO and battery life. As for those cut corners aforementioned, I can list the lack of a backlit keyboard, a mostly plastic construction, and a rather slow Wi-fi connection, but none are actually deal-breakers in this price class if you ask me.
The Aspire 5 is available in a multitude of configurations, with KabyLake dual-core and quad-core processors, as well as with or without dedicated graphics. You should follow this link for updated configurations and prices, as well as this link for more details on what the Nvidia MX150 configuration is capable of.
The same panel is actually used on a bunch of other more expensive notebooks, like the Aspire 7, Aspire VX15 or the Lenovo IdeaPad 510. I gave those a hard time because of the panel, but the Aspire 5 is a budget option and thus the fact that Acer went for this particular panel is actually acceptable here.
Specs wise the Aspire 5 A515 is built on Intel Core U hardware, DDR4 RAM and dual-storage, and we got to test the top-tier configuration available at launch, with a Core i7-7500U processor, 20 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD.
Those numbers are solid, but you will notice some strange behavior with the CPU in the pics above, which rarely goes past 2.7 GHz in daily use or in tests, so is not utilizing the full potential of Turbo Boost. It also throttles in games to as low as 1.7 GHz.
This one is portable, well built and fairly good looking, offers a matte IPS screen, a decent keyboard and excellent trackpad, good IO, as well as performs smoothly, cool and lasts many hours on a charge.
They're not really the same, the A515 is a more affordable option and Asus's alternative is the X556 line. The Vivobook S15 is a thinner, more compact and lighter unit, but with a small battery. IF you don't care about portability all that much, the Aspire 5 is probably the more practical choice.
Depends on what you want it for. the i5-8250U is a solid processor and it's about the same price as the i5-7200U, but the dula-cores will probably be available discounted. Bottom point, think whether you'll need those quad-cores or not, and if you're willing to wait and pay extra for them.
I purchased this laptop 5 days back,I managed to completely setup today. What I wanted to ask is, I measured the CPU temperature with CoreTemp software, and the temp seems to be at an average of 38-42 Degrees. And what I could notice is the fan doesn't run always(most of the time), is this normal? I have set up with my SSD and and I have to admit its really superfast but I am concerned about the temperature.
Very easy, there's a dedicated bay on the back: -content/uploads/2017/06/back-hdd-ram.jpg . As far as prices go, large SSDs are expensive, but personally I'd rather sacrifice the space for the massive performance gain when upgrading the HDD to and SSD.
Hi,
On the website I am browsing the model only comes with an SSD(256) as standard. Does the unit have an empty internal bay that supports dual storage? Not sure if it comes standard on all unit types.
1. It comes with a 2.5" SSD, which is cheaper, and has an empty M.2 slot
2. It comes with an M.2 SSD, but the 2.5" bay lacks the connector to put an extra drive. This is the case with some of these lower end laptops.
My laptop,this acer that you are writting about is turning off. Just like that. Brand new . Battery full,says for example 95% battery left and in the middle of work it goes off. Just like that. Taking it back to dealers' today. Anyone with same issue? Andrei,I'd like your opinion about it. Thank you
I bought this model as a cheap temporary computer until I get get a better one. I'd like to use it for graphic design but I know the color is more than a little off. I tried downloading the color calibration profile you've posted on this review, but when I go to set it as my default profile, I don't get any confirmation and I don't see any change in the color on the screen.. First of all do you know what's happening here and if I can fix it? And second.. maybe this just isn't the laptop to go with for graphic design, esp. since color is so important? Any other budget ($800is) suggestions?
I don't understand. Everywhere else says the E15 gets the IPS, but the 5 has a terrible screen. Performance tests from both models with i5's and the mx150 graphics also show the E15 winning in performance tests. So how did you manage to get an Aspire 5 with an IPS display, and get it to perform faster than the E15?
So I am very torn between this laptop and the Acer Swift 3. A main factor for me is the ability to play fortnite at at least 40fps on medium to high settings. But they both have the same specs: 8gb ddr4 ram, 8th gen intel core i5, 256gb ssd, nvidia geforce mx150 gpu, and same price tag at $600US. I read your reviews on each of these respective laptops and I still have trouble deciding. Apparently the aspire has slightly better temperature control, which you would think would go to the swift 3 with the aluminum chassis. However, the swift 3 has better battery life. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you and please have a nice day.
Tough call. Battery life should be about the same, as both get 48W batteries and similar hardware/screens. The cooling is a little more complex on the Swift 3, and this aspect, corroborated with the performance issues we had on our sample of the Aspire 5, would probably push me towards the Swift among the two.
Does this system support OpenGL 3.2 compatible graphics? One of the applications that I'm needing to run on it Blender, blender.org/download/requirements/, has this as a recommended requirement. Thanks!
Thanks! I'm aiming for the 'recommended' requirements, as am looking for an affordable first laptop for my daughter. I'm guessing that I'd have to pay >$1000 for a machine that can handle the 'optimal' requirements.
You didn't give any link to the configuration you were planning to get. If possible, I'd aim for a computer with a Core i5-8300H/ Core i5-7700HQ / Core i5-7300HQ (in this order) CPU, 16 GB of RAM and SSD storage, I'm not sure you can find anything like this within budget with the existing deals. The CPU and RAM are the most important with that kind of loads, graphics not as much. You'll also be fine with 8 GB for starters and can be further upgraded if required.
I just purchased the Acer Aspire 5 15.6 inch 515-54-51DJ and I can't seem to find a hard shell case for it. I've been looking all over the internet. Is this not yet available? There is a warning not to use the hard shell cases for the Acer Aspire 5 15.6 inch E series, so I guess I need a hard shell case for this specific computer. Help.
That's a good option in its class, but doesn't look that great imo and it's mostly plastic. I'd rather go with something like the Acer Swift 3 or the Huawei Matebook D or the Asus VivoBook S14/S15. Not sure where you're living, but in the US they should be within your budget.
Aim for a Core i5 processor (preferably i5-8265U), 8 GB of RAM and SSD storage. No need for the i7. These should get pretty fair screens with IPS panels, decent colors and good viewing angles. However, the brightness is going to be fairly low, so the laptop won't do well in very bright conditions or outside, during the daytime.
d3342ee215