Midnight Black Acer Aspire ES1-572-31KW 15.6 Inches Laptop Review

I have several low-budget laptops, computers, and mini-PC's with Core i3 processors and integrated graphics, and they all work great. Here's the secret that most computer manufacturers probably don't want you to know: you don't need discrete graphics (external video graphics board) or the latest/fastest Core i7 processors unless you plan to run CAD, play the latest games, or run resource intensive applications that 99% of the world's computer users aren't going to be doing on a laptop.

Chances are you are a high school or college student looking for a new laptop on a budget that will get you through the next 4 years. You have many many choices these days. When I was in your situation, the least expensive laptops were all pushing at least a grand and they weighed a ton or ran really hot. This Acer ES15 isn't that much different from an Asus or Dell of comparable specs.

The ES15 is just over 5 pounds, with chiclet keys. The keyboard feels very stout and robust. The... Read more

I have a number of Dell and Sony corporately supplied laptops that are low to mid-range in price and performance. My normal at home “working” (gaming) setups includes a multi-card GPU desktop and a mid-range gaming laptop. I do not expect this type of midrange laptop to run games--they are strictly for work.

For inexpensive laptops there are things I always look for—finish (fit, appearance, keyboard, touch pad), ports (must have minimum 3 USB ports with at least one 3.0, along with HDMI, mini DP, or full size DP), and a suitably bright screen and resolution. Let’s face it laptops for work are rarely your dedicated game machine, and the most they have to deal with is Windows Office, web browsing, and local network issues. There are lots of low cost laptops, so finding a solid one that will last should not be a challenge. The Acer ES15 proves very capable and that there is a lot to like for just a little money!

Opening the box reveals a... Read more

I was very surprised at how much this computer came with for the low cost. Generally when you get a laptop out of the box - you spend half of the day installing things only to discover that most of it was garbage bloat ware.

In less than half an hour this laptop was up and running (Windows 10) and without all of the garbage that most of the laptops I have acquired came with. The case is sturdy, the keyboard layout is actually quite comfortable and the mouse touch pad worked very well for me. My boyfriend has different shaped hands than me and did not like the touchpad but we simply plugged in an external mouse (which is what he normally uses anyway) and he was off to the races. There is no program that we currently own which this computer cannot run for us. This is the perfect functional laptop for someone going off to school, or who needs one for business.

I probably wouldn't attempt CAD or high end video editing software on this - but if you are the type... Read more