Acer Aspire 5 A515-51-58HD review: Optane memory gives this budget laptop a boost - pressleytheartumety
A budget laptop that manages to squeeze out quad-core power into a reasonably slim-and-abstemious innovation, the Genus Acer Aspire 5 comes with a built-in advantage: Intel's Optane storage, which gives the laptop's traditional hard drive a serious hike. Spell its $499 sticker price entails some compromises (including a dim screen door, No keyboard backlighting, and an extra pound operating theater so), the Aspire 5's solid performance makes it an enticing choice for productiveness-minded bargain hunters.
This survey is component part of our ongoing roundup of the uncomparable laptops. Go thither for reviews and comparisons of competing products.
Price & specifications
We tested the $499 configuration of the Acer Draw a bead on 5 (A515-51-58HD), which comes with a quad-core, eighth-generation Core i5-8250U processor, a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 show, a 1TB hard drive, mixed Intel UHD 620 graphics (meaning don't carry much in the way of gaming), and a passably meager 4GB of DDR4 Pound (which is upgradable up to 20GB). With those specs, we've got the makings of a reasonably stiff laptop for handling familiar computing chores.
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This particular laptop computer also happens to embody the first Aim 5 model with an Intel Optane memory module, which acts as a hoard drive away to the laptop's HDD. Intel claims that Optane memory can make traditional spinning-phonograph recording hard drives feel almost As double-quick as concrete-state drives, with apps unveiling much and more quickly ended time. We'll give the Aspire's implementation of Optane memory a once-over in our Performance section below.
Acer's Aspire 5 is much a good deal, we're having a hard time determination the version we reviewed (Aspire 5 A515-51-58HD) anywhere online. Walmart had it but is sold out as of this writing. We'll keep checking.
However, we were able to come up this likewise priced version on Newegg: the Aspire 5 A515-51-596K. It has the same Central processing unit and integrated nontextual matter, but more Aries the Ram (8GB) and a 256GB SSD instead of a velar drive. You should expect quicker performance with the SSD (equal given the Optane memory in our review model), and the extra RAM won't detriment if you'd loaded up a circle of programs or browser tabs.
We also found a similar version on Amazon that comes with GeForce MX150 discrete art. If you have gaming aspirations, this is sledding to be a faster alternative—and information technology's currently less expensive, too.
Besides those two systems, more than XXIV other versions of the Draw a bead on 5 are on sale. On the low end, there's a budget $399 model (or $350 online) with a seventh-gen dual-core Core i3-7130U processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB vexed drive. Along the other end of the scale, the $999 Aspire 5 packs in a beefy Core i7-8550U CPU, 12GB of RAM, a 1TB HDD and separate Nvidia MX150 graphics for gaming and pic or TV chores. Several other Shoot for 5 models with distinct Nvidia and AMD graphics cards are likewise available, starting at $599.
Intention
Measuring 15 x 10.6 x 0.9 inches and weighing 4.6 pounds (or 5.3 pounds with the relatively stocky 65-watt power adapter), the Acer Aspire 5 is a fiddling heavy and thick. At the one time, the Aspire 5 is slightly more svelte than Acer's budget Aim E15 laptops, which broadly speaking weigh more than five pounds and measure an inch-plus clogged.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Acer Draw a bead on 5's ridged palpebra gives it a clean, professional look.
Equally with Acer's cheaper Aspire E15 line, the Aspire E looks reasonably silklike and professional, complete with a ridged pliant lid and a freehanded silver gray hinge that's inscribed with the Aspire logo. Speaking of the hinge, it's adequate to of swiveling a bit more than 180 degrees, meaning you can lay it completely categorical with the lid capable, although it South Korean won't swivel clear around like-minded a true convertible laptop computer.
Flip the Aim 5 over and you'll get something you almost never see along ultraportable laptops: a couplet of snap-unprotected panels for access to the drive bay and Drive slots, perfect for swapping in a brand-new disk drive or upping your memory (to a maximum of 20GB). To open a panel, all you need to do is loosen a screw and tug on a thumb tab.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG A pair of pop-out panels sacrifice you access to the Acer Aspire 5's RAM slots and force bay, mastered if you desire to upgrade.
Show
Unfortunately, the expose on this particular $499 model of the Acer Aspire 5 is its weakest link. Piece the 1920×1080 panel looks as sharp as you'd expect, the screen itself is disappointingly dumb, registering only 226 nits (or calendas) according to our measurements. That's well infra the 250-nit minimum we'd like to see in a laptop display, and it means you'll likely be squinting if you're using the Aspire outdoors surgery near a bright windowpane.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Acer Aspire 5's dim display looks pursy out Beaver State even inverse when viewed from the sides, top or bottom.
The Aspire 5's non-IPS display also suffers from misfortunate showing angles. The cover looking faded or breathless from the sides, while colors turn backward when viewing from above or beneath. That's not a huge deal if you're performing Role duties on your own, just dark scenes on Netflix will look pretty bad for viewers watching from the side.
The model of the Acer Aspire 5 we tested comes with a keyboard corresponding to the ace on Acer's low-end Aspire E15 laptops, and that's not wholly a bad affair. On one hand, the matted surfaces of the keys feel a bit cheap, there's no keyboard backlighting, and the 10-Florida key definite quantity computer keyboard looks a bit squished. On the plus side, though, the keys themselves brag a refreshingly springy feel, complete with a satisfying tactile bump in the middle of for each one keystroke.
The Aspire 5's middle-size trackpad sits a little left of center, which (because of the numeric keyboard on the right) puts it directly beneath the spacebar. As usual for a budget laptop, the Aspire E's serviceable trackpad is a little problematical to click, and it occasionally picked up unintentional inputs from my palms as I was typing.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Genus Acer Draw a bead on 5's keys feel refreshingly springy, while its trackpad sits left of center to accomodate the 10-key numeric keypad.
The Acer Aspire 5's bottom-firing speakers sound typically shrill and bass-dislodge, but at to the lowest degree they're pretty loud once you Methedrine the bulk all the way up. In any case, the Aspire 5's iffy speakers shouldn't ejaculate as a scandalize; we're talking about laptop speakers, afterward each. If you want to heed to tunes on the Draw a bead on while you work, just plug in some headphones.
Session in the summit bezel of the Aspire 5's showing, the laptop's 720p webcam captures blotchy, clean-out images that almost look like abstract video art. Yes, viewers will be able to see that it's you, but the Draw a bead on's webcam is traversable only for the most casual of video chatters.
Ports
The Acer Aspire 5 boasts a decent pick of ports given its budget Mary Leontyne Pric. On the remaining side, you'll find an ethernet larboard, USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1, a full HDMI port, a USB 3.0 port with power-bump off charging, and an SD card reader. Also along the left: a Kensington laptop lock.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG Left-side ports on the Acer Aspire 5 include USB 3.0, a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 port, ethernet and an SD card reader.
On the right, the Draw a bead on's ports include a barrel-shaped port for the AC courser, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and a combo sound jack.
Genus Melissa Riofrio/IDG A copulate of USB 2.0 ports and a combo audio laborer sit on the right side of the Acer Aspire 5.
No Bolt of lightning 3 ports, unfortunately, but that shouldn't constitute a shock considering the Aspire 5's $499 price tag.
General public presentation
Cutting to the chase, this $499 model of the Acer Aspire 5 performs predictably for its form, and that's a dependable thing. Armed with its quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U processor, the Aspire 5 doesn't coiffe any velocity records, but it keeps footstep with 8th-generation competitors that cost twice as much.
Intel Optane memory
Before we dive into our standard benchmarks, rent out's scrutinize of the Acer Aspire 5's 16GB Optane memory module, which aims to make the standard 1TB hard drive in this budget laptop feel just about as spirited as the SSDs you'll find in pricier models.
Prime, we fired upwardly our CrystalDiskMark 5.2.1 benchmark, which measures read and write multiplication for hard drives. Spinning up the benchmark for single-threaded sequential read operation victimisation 1MB data blocks (roughly the equivalent of reading a single file happening a drive), the Shoot for 5's Optane-opposite hard labor notched 888Mbps. Now, that's within reason slower than many of the SSDs we've tested, but it's still pentad times faster than the read time we measured on a 1TB Western Digital hard drive without an Optane module.
For a real-world trial run, we installed, a free photo editing utility, and timed how long-wooled it took for the app to launch. The first time we launched GIMP (a process that involves a series of one time-only plug-in queries and file initializations), IT took a full 22 seconds for the main interface to look. A second test saw GIMP launch in just five seconds. Aside the fourth and fifth tests (by which clip the Optane module had presumably cached elements of the GIMP app), the program was up and running in under four seconds, or so what you might learn from an SSD.
Last not least, I found (anecdotally speaking, anyway) that navigating around the Aim 5's desktop, opening files and typing queries into the toolbar search box felt refreshingly merry, lacking the fits and starts you'll take care in laptops without an SSD.
We found similarly favorable results in our own early tests of Optane Retentivity. Thumbs up.
PCMark 8 Professional Work
Restless connected to our touchstone suite of tests, the PCMark 8 bench mark measures a scheme's performance when information technology comes to everyday computing chores like web browsing, discussion processing, spreadsheets and video schmoose. A PCMark score of 2,000 or means you can expect smooth Situatio performance.
Genus Melissa Riofrio/IDG You tin expect smooth Office staff performance from the Acer Aspire 5 founded along the laptop computer's PCMark 8 score.
The Genus Acer Aspire 5's PCMark score landed pretty much where we expected, right in the meld with a clump of other slim (or in the case of the thicker Aim E15, not-so-slim) laptops powered by similar quad-nucleus Inwardness i5-8250U processors.
Now, it's valuable noting that cheaper laptops with multiple-core CPUs on a regular basis split high PCMark 8 tons, too. Take the $379 Acer Shoot for E15, with serrate a hit only slightly lower than that of ts quad-meat competitors. If you're planning on using your new laptop computer only for Office and the equal, a pricier quad-core system power be overkill.
HandBrake
For our side by side mental test, we'll make a motion to something a little more demanding. Using the free HandBrake utility, we record how eternal information technology takes for a laptop to encode a 40GB video file in into an Android tablet format. It's a job that strains even the beefiest of CPUs, which be given to let pretty hot in the cognitive operation. Our HandBrake benchmark reveals whether a given system can keep things cool without sacrificing too much in the way of performance.
Genus Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Genus Acer Aspire 5's Handbrake score isn't the fastest we've ever recorded, but it keeps pace with laptops that cost hundreds many.
Clocking in at a little more than 4,000 seconds (or about 66 minutes), the Acer Aspire 5 again sits near the middle of the pack, matching the performance of the pricier Dell Inspiron 13 5000 but moderately behind the (much pricier) Dell XPS 13 9370. During the HandBrake test, the Aspire took a measured approach, with its CPU package temperature nailed at about 70 degrees Celsius and big businessman-restrict throttling (which keeps a lid on how much wattage the processor is generating) switched on for the entire hour.
The Handbrake bench mark also shows what a huge difference a quad-kernel (or major) CPU makes when IT comes to dealing with pregnant workloads like video recording encoding. Compared to the quad-core Aspire 5, the dual-core, i3-8130U-powered Acer Aspire E15 we mentioned above took an extra 40 minutes (a 40-percent difference) to complete the test.
Cinebench R15
Patc our Handbrake quiz frequently takes more than an time of day to complete, this next benchmark is usually done in a subject of minutes. Cinebench measures a system's functioning as it renders a 3D simulacrum in existent-clock, making for a abbreviated but stifling CPU load.
Compared to other slim-and-light up laptops with the same i5-8250U CPU, the Acer Aspire 5's multi-rib Cinebench mark is a step operating room two behind, although information technology's (unsurprisingly) well forward of the $379 double-core Acer Aim E15.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Genus Acer Aspire 5's Cinebench performance highlights its conservative approach to heat direction.
As it did during the HandBrake test, the Aspire 5 plays it cool during this intensive test. IT's a safe, conservative approach to heat management with a intelligent performance trade-forth.
Switching to Cinebench's single-threaded test, the Acer Aspire 5's seduce matches not only its space-core competitors but besides the dual-core Draw a bead on E15, demonstrating once again the value of cheaper three-fold-core systems when it comes to light computer science chores.
3DMark Toss Underwater diver
You can't expect such in the way of gaming performance from a laptop computer with an integrated art inwardness, and the Acer Aspire 5's middling Sky Diver score tells the tale.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Acer Shoot for 5's within reason Sky Diver score fire't compete with laptops that backpack in discrete graphics cards.
The two systems in our comparability chart with Army for the Liberation of Rwanda higher gobs both have discrete Nvidia art, which typically tacks a hundred bucks or more onto the Leontyne Price tag. The Aspire 5 and its incorporate Intel UHD 620 nontextual matter will certainly suffice the trick when it comes to basic photo redaction Oregon Microsoft Mahjong, simply if you're looking for Fortniteaction, prepare for blocky visuals and jittery frame rates.
Battery life
We measure battery life sentence in a laptop by looping a 4K video victimisation the stock Window 10 video player. We set screen brightness as just about 250 nits as we lavatory (which meant cranking the brightness every the way on the Aspire 5's dim display), with the mass set at 50 percentage and headphones plugged in.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG The Acer Aspire 5 delivers homogenous battery life given its 48 watt-hour barrage.
The Acer Aspire 5's battery drain time of 519 minutes (a bit concluded 8.5 hours) is about what we've seen from other laptops with similar 48 W-hour batteries, so no surprises Here. Yes, the Dell Other XPS 13 manages to squeeze a lot more succus out of a slightly larger (52 watt-hour) stamp battery, but the Dell costs to a greater extent than twice as very much like the Aspire 5.
Conclusion
While it's thicker and heavier than we'd like and IT suffers from an iffy expose, the Optane memory-equipped Acer Aspire 5 delivers impressive quadriceps-core performance for hundreds less than its ultraportable competitors.
Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/402480/acer-aspire-5-a515-51-58hd-review.html
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