Acer Aspire 5000 > Reviews > Perfect for student/prof, not for gamers!

Author's product rating:   

Speed	Fast
Look & Feel	Good
Comfort & Portability	Excellent
Robustness & Durability	Excellent
Value For Money	Good

Advantages:	Inexpensive, looks great, relatively lightweight and easy to travel with
Disadvantages:	Poor ventilation, dim display, audible fan noise, not suitable for video gamers

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I had been searching for a fast, lightweight laptop for a couple of months, and came across the Acer Aspire 5000 not long after giving up when my funds were running rather low.

FIRST IMPRESSION
Upon booting, you are required to create 4 backup discs, which is a really good idea considering the reliabilty of EVERY machine out there. (Even the best are prone to failure at some point. I felt this was a good start, and when I started to properly use it, i realised this was a very fast, efficient machine.

BASIC SPECS
What first attracted me to this laptop, effectively the entire Aspire series, was their specs: 64bit CPU, 1GB RAM, 100GB HDD, Dual DVD Burner were standard with all of them.

NON-GAMING MACHINE
The first, of few, disappointments I had with this machine is its incapability to run computer games. Sure, it can run some of the less graphically superior games, but this could be a problem for those gamers who expect to be able to play the latest in quality games. The problem is, the Aspire 5000 features a SiSM760GX graphics chip, just not enough to run games such as and Half Life 2. However, if you're an easily-distracted student like me, perhaps it's a good thing.

SOME BAD ASPECTS
The main faults with the Aspire 5000 is its physical features - the display is quite dim, for e.g.. needs to pulled forward to watch movies. The ventilation is a MAJOR problem - towards the side of the machine, the temperature can reach 40degrees if it is obstructed, so owners must be careful to allow a good airflow to the system. However, this is standard with computers that deliver fast performance. Also, at times when the machine is working hard to do multiple tasks/installing software/virus scanning, the fan noise is very loud. As well as this, while playing DVDs/CDs the disc reader can be extremely loud, but this is usually just a temporary irritation.

Overall, I am very pleased with this computer. It is fast, the harddrive space is more than enough (although an investment in an external harddrive would go far) and it is comfortable to use - there is plenty of wrist space when typing up lengthy essays, and the mouse pad is easy to use when using it during travel.

Despite a poor gaming performance and some poor design elements, I would highly recommend this to the financially-strapped laptop-newbie who is looking for a reliable, fast machine to work on and enjoy.