acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 inches Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 in S Mode, A515-43-R19L, Silver

This is considered a budget computer, but for us computer geeks, this is the base for several "premium" models. I can't really write a review of the computer out of the box because before I ever turned it on, I installed a 2nd RAM card, then when I booted it, I signed into my account which changed it from Windows 10 S mode to Windows 10 Pro since I have several Windows 10 Pro product keys associated with my account. With that being said, this computer outperforms what it is meant to do. Is this going to be the strongest computer you can buy? No, not at all. However, this computer has edited large videos for me in minutes, I can use my music notation software on it with no lag or freezing (Sibelius), and it does actually process games at the higher resolutions. I've tested games as demanding as Forza Horizon 4 and it, surprisingly, performs with no issues. It does run hotter, of course, but not exactly "hot". Heavier usage draws down the battery, but that can be said for literally any electronic device. I purchased this to replace my well-aged HP G60 whatever model that was that I purchased 12 years ago and just kept updating. Up until around July 2020, it was still up to specs to work from home, something I actually bought that computer for 12 years ago. Finally, an update to most of the work at home platforms finally rendered that old beast useless. Ironically, I used the stimulus check from back then (2008) to purchase that computer. With that laptop in mind, I premium laptop to me is one that I can upgrade and repair easily. The HP G60 line did that quite well. Now here in 2020, I purchased one of these for someone else at first. During setup, I noticed the slot to add another SSD, I added the second RAM chip for that one as well since I already knew about that, but I also noticed how easy it was to work on it. We booted it up, put a Windows 10 Pro key on it as well, and from the start, I was impressed with the performance. I was so impressed that I bought myself one. This thing is super lightweight. The keyboard does have slight smaller keys which takes all of about 20 seconds to get used to. This is because it fit a full number pad on the right of the main keyboard, something that is a must for me with a laptop. One thing I absolutely don't find at this price range is the backlit keyboard. Spoiler alert: with the backlight turned on for the keyboard, your battery time can be reduced by as much as 50%. You really don't need it if you're used to typing on pretty much any keyboard, but it's nice when you do need it at night in the middle of a shift. The button to turn it on and off is located pretty much at the center of the top row (F keys). Just to the left of that is the button to turn off the track pad. Very nice placement on both of those. The graphics seems to use a combination of resources that gives you 5 GB reserved just for graphics processing. Not bad at all. This must be what pushes it to be able to do a lot more than expected for this price. It's nice going into the Microsoft Store to check the system requirements on games (Halo series, Forza Horizon, etc) and not see any red indicating the computer doesn't meet the requirements. For working from home, this is excellent for those resources that might require a proprietary desktop that you have to load and run via USB. It also has a built in ethernet port, which is usually required for those particular work from home platforms, but it also performs flawlessly on the 5 GHz wifi networks for the rest. As a digital nomad, I also have to upload and edit and create videos. This thing surprisingly gets through Adobe and other applications with ease and renders videos quite fast. This was supposed to be a quick purchase for me to replace my aged out HP and then I'd get another good laptop later on, but I'm probably just going to buy a couple more of these. *Update* I've noticed two things that improved performance. First, I downloaded the full AMD Radeon Software (it comes with the "lite" version) and that opened up a lot of performance tweaks on both the cpu and gpu. Also, I'm noticing the battery time listed must be an overall average. When I'm just browsing, watching a few Youtube videos in the browser, and doing stuff like writing product reviews, with the brightness turned down to the lowest setting and with the backlit keyboard off, I seem to get between 9 and 10 hours of battery life from a full charge. Not sure if that's normal for this device, but it's what I keep noticing. Make sure you also turn off bluetooth and location and all that other stuff you're likely not using because those can draw the battery down quickly. When I have the brightness up, keyboard lights on, playing games with the Xbox controller connected via bluetooth, working (headset in, running work platform software), the battery time can be as low as 5 hours from a full charge. I don't allow any sleep or hibernate functions. Those tend to kill a hard drive. There's nothing I'm ever doing that can't just be saved so I can properly shut the computer down. Sleep and hibernate modes can also do some strange things to batteries, usually causing software glitches that can wreck even the best batteries. They can also cause data fragmentation... all in all, I just don't use those functions on any computer, and for all I know, it could contribute to the better luck I have with laptop batteries and having never had hard drive failure.

I needed a laptop for simple, low-processor requirement tasks (i.e. I didn't need a gaming laptop), but by the same token, I know how the PC buying experience goes: you want as much processing power and speed as you can get, otherwise you'll just find yourself upgrading everything down the road. Admittedly, 4GB of ram wasn't ideal, but upon comparing this laptop with HP, Lenovo, Dell and others across every possible vendor (including Ebay), I am convinced the processing speed and features are an incredible deal for the money ($365 USD = Acer Aspire 5 w/ 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD hard drive). Other people suggested buying some additional RAM, and being spoiled w/ 32GB of it on my desktop, I definitely agreed, so I ordered an additional 4GB more (A-Tech 4GB RAM for Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop A515-43 | DDR4 2666MHz SODIMM PC4-21300 260-Pin CL19 1.2V Non-ECC Unbuffered Memory Upgrade Module) for $40 USD. I also believe more storage is essential. The Acer Aspire 5 comes with a slot for an additional SSD drive to supplement the 128GB drive, but here's where you have to carefully consider your options. You must look at sequential read and write speeds, where faster is always better. You also have to consider that you will likely have your operating system on the main (C:) drive. If I were to use the supplemental SSD slot, I would have to go with a SATA III type storage (looks like a very small, thin book). If I want much better speed for the price, I'll want to replace the 128GB "C:" drive with the same type (PCIe Gen3 8 Gb/s, looks more like a RAM stick). I went with the 1TB Crucial P5 (1TB 3D NAND NVMe Internal SSD, up to 3400MB/s - CT1000P5SSD8) for $120 USD. It's a pain to switch it out, because you have to make an 'image' (i.e. copy) of your C drive on some other storage device, then put that image onto the new SSD drive, but in the long run, it's worth it because you're coming out of the gate with much more storage and very likely (couldn't find specs on the Aspire hard drive) a much faster hard drive. So, $525 ( = $365 + $40 + $120) and you get: CPU 3.52 GHz 8GB RAM 1TB hard drive with up to 3400MB/s read speed and up to 3000MB/s write speed 15 inch monitor under 4lb SLIM laptop AND Windows 10. I call that an incredible deal. Now, I've read the comments about Windows 10 S. The myth is that you get locked into a system where you can only buy and install Microsoft software unless you want to shell out... man, what was it? Oh yeah, a trillion dollars. Well, turns out that's: FALSE! In fact, all you have to do is sign into your free Microsoft account, push a button and 'boom', you're off of Windows 10S and on Windows 10. No charge, no hassle, no anything. In fact, the laptop asks if you want to do this on setup, but either way, the instructions are easy to find with a Google search. Whoever wrote these other reviews apparently aren't familiar with Google searches. I can only wish them luck on their new journey to 'the internet' and beyond. I have no idea how they were able to buy this laptop or write a review. Regardless... It's true that you don't get Windows 10 Pro and have to shell out a few bucks for it ($99 at the time I'm posting, 10 March 2021), but most people don't need it unless they want to use MS OneDrive cloud storage (monthly subscription) or remote desktop. I use Google cloud (free) for some things and never log onto my laptop from another computer (i.e. remote desktop): I just take the laptop with me when I need it. Either way, Windows 10 comes free with this machine, you just have to switch it at the MS store, and that takes less than a minute. All that said, this laptop is just awesome. I love the weight, size, backlit keys and speed. Could not be happier.

I bought this entry level laptop for my son to be able to play some basic games. This is the amd version with vega graphic, stock 4 gb ram no upgrades. First off, this laptop is really well built, the design and the look gives it a big boost. Beautifully made, definitely not something you would expect for a 400 dollar laptop. Spec wise, this model suits any general user perfectly, performance, noise, storage are all pretty basic but good for office computing. Documents, youtube, all with breeze. Video gaming, my son play minecraft and roblox on it, both allowed in windows 10 S mode. Depending on the roblox server and games, it does lag from graphic here and there, for minecraft, no problem. Battery is built in non-removable, so you will have to play plugged in with battery. I can't say for long term effect of battery life, you could open it up to take it out, but not sure if that will void warranty, and for the same reason, I did not upgrade the ram (shared between cpu and gpu, possibly enhance game performance). Couple tips and tricks for video gaming, lower your graphic settings, by means of in game, or your desktop native resolution. I know it's default at 1080p, drop it down to 720p will reduce gpu stress and lower heat as well at the same time enhance performance. If it is being used for kids, they can't tell the difference. All in all, I give it a 90/100 for the price that it comes in at.

I was debating on which laptop to get after my 11 year old Acer Travelmate finally stopped working. I loved that laptop, so I decided to stay with Acer products. The Ryzen CPU was what caught my attention. This laptop is fast, responsive and will take anything you throw at it. The backlit keys are a nice feature. If you're on the fence about buying this laptop, just get it, you will not be disappointed.

Lo compré ya que buscaba un ordenador para la carrera que fuera ligero y de potencia media, y que preferiblemente tuviera un buen diseño. He de decir que, en lo que llevo de prueba, esta cumpliendo muy bien. El tamaño está muy bien, ni demasiado grande ni tampoco pequeño, y es muy liviano y fino. Llegó en perfecto estado, con dos bolsitas con el cargador, una pequeña con tornillos extra y las guías y garantía. Es muy ligero y silencioso, la pantalla se ve bien (tiene efecto mate, lo que viene perfecto para mi), el teclado es QWERTY inglés y silencioso. Viene con Windows 10 Home S, pero es relativamente fácil cambiarlo a Windows 10 Home si así se quiere. Se carga bastante rápido y la batería tarda mucho en gastarse. En general, una buena compra, con buena calidad-precio.

I would like to thank Amazon for expediting the delivery of the laptop. Amazon is wonderful and delivered this laptop to me during this pandemic. I am so grateful. The Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop 15.6 is the top ranking budget gaming laptop on Amazon now. It is ranked sixth on the chart. The reason for the high rank is the affordability. It is only USD $350 and comes with an eye pleasing IPS Display that is 15.6 inch. I get around 3 hours out of the battery as I make it power an external laptop cooling fan which is awesome. The laptop can be upgraded without voiding the warranty. I ported over a SSD drive and added ram. It is fairly light weight and easy to carry around. The boot up speed is fast. It is manufactured in the province of Taiwan by Acer. The only downside is the CPU. It is fast but is not upgradable. But this is a wishlist. Great buy. I love Amazon Prime for your great service. God bless Amazon 😊

I was very much looking forward to receiving this laptop as I had read many reviews and the price was really good. Well I was certainly not disappointed. This is a great looking laptop that performs very well. In this price range it is probably the best one around at the moment. The 1920x1080 resolution is excellent, add to this a solid state drive built in and a backlit keyboard and full 15.6” display and I am a happy woman. The 4gb of memory will need to be upgraded as that is no longer sufficient to run Windows 10 but that is a minor issue. I absolutely recommend this laptop if your looking for a good looking, value for money laptop that performs really well.