Acer Aspire 5520

INTRO
I purchased the Acer Aspire 5520G laptop from Tesco Direct for the cost of £499, about 3 months ago. I purchased the laptop as my third laptop after two very unsuccessful Gateway Laptops earlier in 2007. These two laptops were both around £100 cheaper and as it was nearly a year ago neither of them was as high a spec as this one, which is currently around the highest spec laptop I have seen under £700, even though it cost much less than ...
...and although it is an Acer Aspire 5520, it is the Acer Aspire 5520G version which has some slightly different features such as a slightly faster processor and a bigger hard drive than the standard 5520.

OPERATING SYSTEM
The Acer Aspire 5520G runs Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium as an operating system, which is a very good operating system indeed. Everything is very easy to do, easy to navigate around and in general the ... more

INTRO
I purchased the Acer Aspire 5520G laptop from Tesco Direct for the cost of £499, about 3 months ago. I purchased the laptop as my third laptop after two very unsuccessful Gateway Laptops earlier in 2007. These two laptops were both around £100 cheaper and as it was nearly a year ago neither of them was as high a spec as this one, which is currently around the highest spec laptop I have seen under £700, even though it cost much less than that!

The first thing that I should mention is that my laptop is a slightly different version and although it is an Acer Aspire 5520, it is the Acer Aspire 5520G version which has some slightly different features such as a slightly faster processor and a bigger hard drive than the standard 5520.

OPERATING SYSTEM
The Acer Aspire 5520G runs Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium as an operating system, which is a very good operating system indeed. Everything is very easy to do, easy to navigate around and in general the operating system is a pleasure to use, but for more information you should read my separate review of Windows Vista Home Premium. One thing worth mentioning here is that it runs the 32-bit operating system as apposed to the 64-bit system that seems to be causing many problems for many people. Although in general computing terms higher numbers mean better specs this is not the case for Windows Vista.

PROCESSOR
The laptop has an AMD Turion 64x2 mobile technology tl-58 processor. It is dual core and operates at quite a speedy 1.9 GHz. Although in the world of desktops this would not be seen as overly fast in the world of laptops it falls only 0.3 GHz slower than the fastest I have ever known in a dual core laptop, which was an AMD Turion mobile technology tl-64. Although you may be put off by the name AMD you really shouldn't be as the processor is much faster than the 2.66 GHz Intel Pentium D on one of my desktops and also runs a lot faster than the 3.0 GHz Intel Celeron D processor on my other, although I admit the Celeron D is only single core so not much can really be expected. The processor also runs a lot more smoothly and consistently, and is much less problem prone to the Pentium D mentioned earlier, which seems to have problems at any given chance. With regards to windows experience index this gets a score of 4.7, which is quite respectable. If you want a higher score you really have to go for Intel, however these scores seem to be against AMD for no reason and I have found AMD to be very good and a delight to use.

RAM
There is 2 GB of RAM (sometimes known as just memory) on this system which is more than enough to play games, browse the web, create a word processing document and run a virus scan all at once!!!, Although I wouldn't recommend doing that as it may slow down the processor (as it isn't quad core), it really is a great amount to have. Windows Vista is perfectly capable of running on 1 GB despite what some people may say, however 2 GB will greatly increase the life of your computer and will also ensure that you can get the most of it. My brother has a laptop also running Vista Home premium, with only 1 GB of RAM and that uses 64% of the RAM in idle usage, where as this varies from 28% to 33% in idle usage. The RAM also helps to make the system incredibly fast, which is very good in today's modern world, as speed is the key in this fast paced world. To put this into context and explain how good this is in normal everyday language the best way to do so is to use a technical thingy-ma-jag. The windows experience index gives scores with the maximum score being 6, this gains 5.9, so it goes without saying that this is extremely good. It should probably also be said though, that many new computers now come with 2 GB of RAM whereas it was less common when I bought this.

GRAPHICS
The Graphics on the laptop are also very good, considering it is a laptop. The graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M G 128mb dedicated graphics card, capable of expanding to use up to 896mb for graphics. This graphics card is particularly good for gaming, particularly in comparison to the Intel media graphics accelerators found in many computers. If you want high quality gaming this really is the machine for you as it is absolutely amazing. To go back to windows experience indexes yet again this scores 3.1 for desktop performance, the lowest score of everything on the computer, however for gaming it scores 4.0 so it is considerably better for gaming graphics than desktop graphics.

SOUND
The sound is also second to none with Dolby Digital Live virtual surround sound. Great for listening to music or watching movies the sound will never let you down and is the best sound by far I have ever known on a laptop. The sound is not at all tinny when used on the right mode, however it can sometimes be that, if you want the best sound for playing music you have to go into Acer Empowering Technology programmes and switch the sound to music mode, to turn the surround off, since the surround is mostly designed for movies and games, and is extraordinarily good for them. The sound doesn't echo in the slightest, just perfect crystal clear sound, so long as it is in the right mode.

SCREEN
The 15.4" screen is very bright and crystal clear too. It is the perfect size for a laptop and the best compromise for me between mobility and great viewing pleasure. Although some may favour larger screens for watching films or smaller ones for ultra portable machines, I still find this is the very best available really. In all honesty it does look much bigger than 15.4" and the widescreen makes it seem a lot bigger than it really is. It is very easy to use the Acer Empowering Technology tools on it to change the brightness; this is especially good for me since I never use it on more than 50% brightness, because I am prone to headaches and migraines. Much of the time I only have it on 30% brightness and the screen is still crystal clear and easy viewing. The only complaint with the screen is that it can be notoriously hard to use in intensive light conditions, but lets face it, who is going to sit in a room with bright white light with mirrored walls that reflect the light using a laptop.

HARD DRIVE
There is a 250 GB hard drive to the machine which is split into two parts, the C: drive and the D: drive. Each is apparently 111 GB, now to me 111x2=222, so it would seem that28 GB got lost in transit somewhere, somehow, sometime, for some reason, however this is still more than many people will use in the lifetime of the laptop, me included. My family of three haven't even used 60 GB between us on our shared desktop with a large majority of our files, folders game etc on it, so this is absolutely plenty for me. Now the hard drive's only set back is that it is a pretty standard 5400rpm, compared to some more modern desktops which use 7200rpm. Either way this is plenty fast enough for the vast majority of users and is still a decent speed. The hard disk and speed get a windows experience index of 5.3, once again a very very good score.

OTHER FEATURES
The laptop is also wireless enabled which in a laptop now is most definitely a key feature and much needed in our world of Wi-Fi everywhere we look. This allows easy internet access and can pick up wireless signals from other people's wireless routers or public wireless networks (i.e. those on trains). The laptop also has built in Bluetooth 2.0 for easy transfer of documents, pictures, music and so on to and from laptop and another Bluetooth enabled laptop or a phone. This is actually a key feature of the laptop as it is quite rare for a laptop to have built in Bluetooth, and this is one of only a few I have seen. The Bluetooth makes it so much easier to transfer music and pictures to and from a phone, however the one major problem of course, is that it is not as easy to do so with a computer as many computers do not have such a feature. In addition the laptop has a built in 0.3mp crystal eye webcam and microphone ideal for video chatting online. 0.3mp for a built in webcam is poorer than average, with most laptops with built in webcams having around 1.3mp, but despite this the colours are true to life, and the picture clarity is brilliant. As one of my friends said when I used it on msn 'it is considerably good for a laptop webcam.' I've never known him talk so officially and posh before but never mind.

SOFTWARE
As the laptop is made by Acer it comes with Acer's own software installed when you buy it, and many computers that come with pre-installed software have very pointless software that absolutely no-one is likely to use, however this is an exception. The software included is both usable and practical. It actually has a point to it and is easy to use. It can make it easy to manage files and photos, easy to manage battery settings, easy to connect to the internet and also includes Acer Game Zone. The whole package is Called Acer Arcade, and this specific laptop also has Acer Arcade deluxe too. All in all this built in software makes use of the laptop easier for many things and does not affect the other parts of it. Norton Internet Security and Microsoft Office 2007 trials are also included. I have used none of these as I already had the full version of Office 2003 student and teacher edition, which I prefer to 2007 which I have on one of my desktops, and I have heard several bad reports about Norton, so I chose not to use them.

PROBLEMS
Now onto the problems that I have with the laptop. There are not really many, just a few minor glitches that I have encountered. The laptop does occasionally take a little while longer than normal to shut down, which although it isn't a major problem it leaves me thinking it has a problem and will come up with an error when it restarts, even though it never does. It doesn't take kindly to non vista compatible Tesco Anti-virus programmes, it isn't the laptops fault, I should have checked first before installing it really, but I hadn't realised Tesco software did two versions of everything, a vista compatible and non-vista compatible, and I just happened to pick up one which was not. Very confusing really, but admittedly partially my fault, even if I did check the specifications online before buying. Ah well. The spacebar on the keyboard is a little short as it rounds off into a slope at the end; this takes a little getting used to. Also the touchpad is sensitive to tapping and if you tap it gently you can sometimes click something you didn't want to accidentally, though this is very easy to sort out and turn off.

LOOKS
Finally onto the looks and feel of the machine. From the outside the laptop is a speckled black colour, almost like a granite finish with a small strip in piano black which looks very pretty. There is a silver slide on the bottom half in the centre of the front of the laptop (that probably sounds confusing) which releases the catch to open the laptop. On most laptops the slider would be on top to move the latches but on this one the slider is on the bottom and moves the holes. Either way it works. Once opened the screen is black on a black lid, and the keyboard section is a very nice grey colour. Some people may admittedly dislike the grey colour and think of it as an ugly dirty looking colour however I like it and think it looks very smart but also very fun and unique. There are several buttons at the far side of the keyboard including the power button in the centre and several buttons in a line in front of it. There is a pointing device (touchpad) in the centre at the front which blends nicely with the colour of the keypad. The equivalent of left and right mouse buttons are silver and between them is a scroll button which you can use to scroll up, down, left and right through a document or a webpage which is quite handy. The keyboard feels a little wobbly to begin with but is fine when you get used to it, and is really more of a cushioned affect. It is very similar to use to that of a real keyboard and very easy to type with. The keyboard section is also very easy on the eyes as it is not a striking black or silver colour but the nice grey. Above the monitor is a built in webcam and a built in microphone. All in all the laptop feels very sturdy however for a laptop it is very heavy-around 3kg which although not that heavy really, for a laptop and for carrying around is a little on the heavy side. Now in all the laptop is part of Acer's new 'gemstone concept' which is supposed to mirror things and look like what you would see in nature. Now I'm not sure I have aver seen a laptop in nature before, but never the less I suppose it does not really matter what they say it is supposed to look like, it is more important that it does what it does and what it claims to be able to do technically

CONCLUSION
All in all this is an amazing laptop for the money and overall I would give it 5 stars easily. All in all I do have to knock it down for a few things though despite 5 stars I would probably say I am about 97.5% happy with it. If you have £499 to spend on a computer look no further. This really is a great machine and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good computer. I have a feeling it will see me through college and hopefully through further education after that with ease, and without going too far out of date. Thanks to Acer for a great laptop, and thank you for reading.

If you have any questions just leave me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. 

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