Aspire 5 with 4gb RAM 128gb PCIe NVMe SSD drive notes (long, so you may want to skip this review):
Aluminum cover, plastic housing.
Left side ports - Ethernet cable, HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Headphone jack.
Right side ports - Kensington computer lock port, USB 2.0.
Notably missing - no port for SD cards at all.
Not a touch screen, but nice in color and clarity. (Opinions on screens and keyboards tend to vary widely - what suits me perfectly may seem to be junk to you, so YMMV).
The speakers on the front underside - the sound is O.K. (for an inexpensive laptop) but volume is lacking.
Power supplied through a proprietary Acer plug, not through a USB-C port. Cord can only attach to the laptop on the left side (as seen by the user at the keyboard).
Windows "S" is installed; it is limited to running apps available only in the Microsoft Store.
Suggested upgrade - move up to Windows 10 Home. It's a free upgrade - with the caveat that you cannot return to "S" version.
To upgrade to Home version (instructions as of the date of this review; I assume/accept no responsibility if things go awry. You may want to Google instructions to verify):
Go to Settings.
Then select Update & Security.
In the left sidebar, click Activation.
Then click “Go to the Store.”
Press the “Get” button under the “Switch out of S Mode” section and in a very short time you'll be assigned the Windows Home version.
Suggested upgrade - if you want to encrypt your laptop you may want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise. These upgrades are not free, check Microsoft for current pricing.
The Aspire 5 has a TPM chip so encryption will not require a boot password (not your Windows password).
If you want to set a boot password for the computer (not your Windows password) you can set that in BIOS. Don't forget it - resetting a boot password on a laptop can be a pain and a half (or impossible) to rectify. See below on how to get into BIOS.
The included 128GB PCIe NVMe SSD drive is (for me) large enough to hold Windows 10 Enterprise and the applications I use and is quick enough to run them. I'm in I.T. support (although semi-retired) and don't use the Aspire 5 for computer games. YMMV.
Suggested upgrade - add an additional SSD to the computer (screws are in the box, housing and cable required are inside the Aspire 5). You can Google videos on how to perform the upgrade. A second internal drive allows you to separate your data from your operating system and applications; if Windows ever has to be completely re-installed your data won't be affected. If you keep your data in the Cloud you can set the second drive as the sync drive and not fill up “C:” drive.
The chip, an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, does pretty well for my purposes. Again, gamers may have a different opinion so YMMV. I've had no issues when viewing training or YouTube videos.
The battery life won't get me through a typical support day without at least some recharge time - Acer claims up to 7 1/2 hours but, of course, that depends on what you're doing. Watching videos will eat more power than writing a project proposal in Word. YMMV, but I bought a second power cord to take with me to client offices while leaving the cord at my home office plugged in. I seem to be getting 5 hours, maybe a bit better, with the screen set to maximum brightness.
The machine doesn't get overly warm in use (again, I'm not a gamer), but I use a laptop board most of the time when the laptop isn't on a hard surface, so there is nearly always some airflow under the machine.
The included 4gb of included RAM is really the absolute minimum to think about with Windows 10.
Suggested upgrade - add a single 4gb RAM chip in the empty slot (Google for videos on that) to bring the total to 8gb RAM. After installing the additional 4gb the computer will report 8gb installed with "5.94gb usable". The 'missing' RAM is being commandeered by the Radeon software for the display. If you need/want more the machine can support up to 32gb (1 16gb chip in each slot, discarding the 4gb already installed). 16gb would require 1 8gb chip in each slot, discarding the 4gb already installed. For business purposes (Office, Chrome and You Tube videos) I'm finding the 8gb (5.94 available) to be acceptable. YMMV.
How 'easy' the RAM and hard drive upgrades are depends on how comfortable you are working with computers. I found them quite simple. Be careful not to crack the plastic housing when removing the bottom cover. Using the correct plastic spudge is helpful, you can search Amazon for a selection of tools. (spudge = type of plastic or rubber pry bar). Google the ‘how-to’ videos first.
"Bloatware" included with the computer isn't completely over-the-top, but it does take a few minutes to delete all of the junk. The "Microsoft Office" included with the Aspire 5 is a 30-day trial version, not a full license.
After uninstalling the bloatware I installed Microsoft Office365 with Access, Adobe Photoshop Elements, DIA (a program for diagramming), AllwaySync (a backup program), Google Chrome, Splashtop Business and Personal (remote access software), VLC Media Player and a couple of network utility applications. I have 78gb of free space left on "C" drive.
The three small stickers showing Ryzen chip, Aspire 5 inclusions, and Radeon graphic chip that are stuck onto the hand rest part of the computer can be easily peeled off and leave no residue (I was able to rub the remaining adhesive off easily with my thumb). I don't know why the stickers are there - presumably if you've bought the machine you know what the details are without seeing sticky notes on the keyboard surface. If they're for advertising purposes in the store it might be more cost effective to print advertising to be placed by the machine rather than label every machine on the production line. I also found the "Full 1080 HD" sticker on the screen bezel easy to take off. So I did. If Acer is interested in putting relevant data on stickers, how about putting the Make, Exact Model Number, Serial Number, and Date of Manufacture on a sticker? THAT one I would leave in place. As it is you need to flip the machine upside down to see the manufacturer's information. (Sorry - this is a pet peeve of mine).
A couple of quick notes for those who are new to Windows laptops - if the keyboard fails to light up, check the F8 key - it can toggle the light on/off. If you suddenly lose your WiFi connection check the F2 key - that toggles "Airplane Mode" on/off. Note that the "function" keys are set to use the little icons (F1 is sleep, F9 is mute, etc.). To use them as traditional function keys you need to hold down the "Fn" key simultaneously. Fn+F9, for instance, will cause the Outlook application to re-sync when you've got that desktop app open. If you prefer the traditional function key usage (not having to hold down the Fn key to use the keys within applications) you can toggle that in BIOS. To get into BIOS, reboot the computer and immediately start tapping the F2 key (no Fn key required).
For me the 'sweet spot' of laptops is in the 14" range (11" for road trips). That being acknowledged I don't find the extra width or weight of the Aspire 5 to be onerous - the thin screen bezel allows the claim to the 15.6" screen while not unduly expanding the overall size of the laptop. At nearly 4 pounds it's a bit heavier than the under-three-pounds-sweetness that I prefer but it's not too bad. Especially after removing the weight of those ridiculous stickers. YMMV.
If you need more power than this machine has, Acer does offer a similar package with upgrades to the Ryzen 5 chip, 8gb of RAM, and 250gb of hard drive space as well as some other goodies:
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-A515-44-R41B-Hexa-Core-Processor-Graphics-dp-B087N4ZRXV/dp/B087N4ZRXV/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
HTH
Regards,
Jim
