Acer Aspire 7
Acer Aspire 7 stands out as a cost-effective laptop choice for those seeking performance without breaking the bank, especially in the gaming realm. Priced at less than Rs 60,000, this laptop boasts an AMD Ryzen 5000-series chip, an Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU, and ample storage.
What’s particularly noteworthy is Acer’s decision to adopt a slimmer and lighter design compared to its previous Aspire 7 models. However, it’s important to note that this laptop doesn’t feature groundbreaking innovations.
In essence, the 15.6-inch Acer Aspire 7 serves as a more robust counterpart to the Aspire 5, which was recognized as one of the best budget-friendly laptops in the previous year’s tests. If a slim and lightweight option is more appealing to you, the Aspire 5 remains a viable alternative.
Despite the Aspire 7’s attempt to exude a premium look and feel with its metal cover and keyboard deck, its overall aesthetic is somewhat compromised by the plastic bottom and a lid prone to fingerprint smudges. Weighing in at 5.2 pounds or 2.3 kilograms, it’s a tad heavier than ideal for travel but still maintains a reasonable level of portability.
Acer Aspire 7: Design And Build Quality
In terms of design and build quality, the Acer Aspire 7 takes a different approach compared to typical gaming laptops. Despite its gaming capabilities, it doesn’t flaunt a stereotypical gaming aesthetic. Instead, it has a plain and generic look, allowing it to seamlessly blend into various environments without being overly attention-grabbing. In India, Acer offers the matte black variant of the laptop, which maintains a clean appearance without any RGB lighting or flashy elements.
The laptop’s chassis is constructed entirely from plastic, which aligns with expectations given its affordable price. However, the plastic build doesn’t give off a distinctly cheap feel. While it may not match the premium feel of some competitors’ notebooks in the same price range, this isn’t necessarily a drawback. Weighing 2.15 kilograms, it doesn’t qualify as the lightest machine around, but it falls on the favorable side of being travel-friendly and highly portable.
Acer Aspire 7: Display
The display on the Acer Aspire 7 gaming laptop measures 15.6 inches and boasts a native resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Featuring a matte finish, it effectively minimizes harsh reflections and provides a more comfortable viewing experience. The display offers a respectable contrast ratio of 1361:1 and achieves a peak brightness of 268.3 cd/m².
It’s worth noting that the brightness levels of the display are slightly on the lower side. A brightness below 300 cd/m² is generally considered low, potentially posing visibility challenges in outdoor settings, especially under direct sunlight. It’s essential to recognize that this laptop is primarily designed for indoor use. Through testing, an average CCT value of 7447K was recorded, indicating a cooler color temperature.
Acer Aspire 7: Keyboard
The Acer Aspire 7 gaming laptop features a backlit chicklet keyboard with an integrated number pad. The backlight is a simple white light without adjustable brightness levels, offering a toggle function. The keys are flat and smooth, with a comfortable amount of spacing between them. They have a short stroke and a clear pressure point, providing a satisfying typing experience.
The keyboard is remarkably comfortable, offering responsive keys with more travel than anticipated. While lacking an audible click, you can feel the keys actuate, distinguishing them from shallow or mushy alternatives. The keyboard is user-friendly and well-suited for typing tasks, and it’s also adequate for gaming if you don’t intend to invest in a dedicated gaming keyboard.
The touchpad is straightforward, featuring a smooth surface that facilitates easy finger movement. Although not the largest touchpad available, it lacks dedicated keys, providing a seamless one-piece surface. Notably, the touchpad responds effectively to inputs in the corners without exhibiting any signs of flimsiness.
Acer Aspire 7: Battery Life
The Acer Aspire 7 gaming laptop is equipped with a 3-cell 48Whr battery, as per the company’s claim of a maximum runtime of up to 11.5 hours. While our testing didn’t precisely replicate these results, the laptop still delivers notably good battery performance. Credit goes to the Ryzen 5 5500U, with a maximum TDP of 25W, which, owing to its 7nm architecture, proves to be more battery-friendly.
Using PCMark 10’s battery benchmark, I conducted tests that yielded promising outcomes. In the Modern office test, designed to simulate battery life during everyday work, the Aspire 7 demonstrated endurance, lasting 5 hours and 9 minutes. This exceeded the battery life of both the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, powered by the Ryzen 7 4800H, and the HP Omen 15 2020, which runs on the Intel Core i7-10750H, showcasing the Acer laptop’s commendable battery longevity.
Acer Aspire 7: Ports
Acer has ensured ample connectivity options on this laptop chassis. Positioned on the left side are two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, an HDMI output, and an Ethernet jack. It’s important to note that the Type C port on this model does not support DisplayPort over USB-C or Power Delivery 3.0.
On the right side, there is an additional USB Type-A port, accompanied by a combo headphone/microphone jack and a power connector. While the laptop boasts a decent array of ports, it’s worth mentioning the absence of an SD card reader, which could have been a valuable addition.
Acer Aspire 7: Processor (CPU) Performance
The Acer Aspire 7 comes equipped with a quad-core Intel Core i5-9300H processor, belonging to the 9th generation i5 series. This processor boasts a base frequency of 2.40 GHz, which can ramp up to a maximum of 4.10 GHz.
Thanks to this processor, the Acer Aspire 7 demonstrates ample power to efficiently handle a range of computing tasks, from everyday activities to more demanding operations. Tasks such as web surfing, document editing, and email correspondence run smoothly on this laptop.
In terms of performance benchmarks, the laptop achieved a commendable score of 791 points in a Cinebench R15 multicore test, surpassing the average score of 554 points. Notably, the Acer Aspire 7 outperformed the HP Omen 15, which scored 769 points. However, it fell slightly behind the ASUS TUF FX505 laptop, which scored 799 points.
Acer Aspire 7: Discreet gaming power
The performance of the Aspire 7 is essentially on par with Acer’s entry-level gaming laptop, the Nitro 5. However, it lacks the Nitro 5’s angular design, red accents, and specialized NitroSense software with direct access to fan controls, power plans, and system monitoring. If you’re seeking additional gaming-centric features, it’s advisable to explore alternatives like the Nitro 5 or other gaming laptops priced below $1,000.
The Aspire 7 is more tailored for general use but stands out by incorporating a graphics chip capable of handling anything from games like Fortnite to the latest AAA titles. While the tested configuration may require adjustments to medium quality settings depending on the game, the GTX 1650 has the capability to handle more demanding graphics. However, for those aiming for future-proof gaming experiences, it’s recommended to consider another gaming laptop featuring at least a GTX 1660 Ti or ideally a GeForce RTX 2060—though such options are less likely to be found within this price range.
Acer Aspire 7: Graphics Card Performance
The Acer Aspire 7 is equipped with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, featuring a base frequency of 1410 MHz and a boost frequency of 1590 MHz. this GPU is complemented by a 4 GB GDDR6 dedicated VRAM, enhancing the overall graphics card performance.
As a result, the Acer Aspire 7 delivers ample GPU power for smooth gaming experiences across a wide range of titles. In most scenarios, you can enjoy playing games at Full HD resolution with settings ranging from medium to high.
Even at Ultra high settings, the Acer Aspire 7 exhibited impressive performance, achieving 88 FPS in BioShock Infinite, 38 FPS in The Witcher, and 77 FPS in World of Tanks enCore. Call of Duty Black Ops posed no challenge for the Acer Aspire 7, delivering a solid gameplay experience at 69 FPS.
Therefore, this laptop earns a commendable score of nine in this review, underscoring its outstanding gaming performance.
Pros:
Extended battery life
Strong overall performance
Backlit keyboard for enhanced visibility
Matte IPS display, reducing glare and improving viewing angles.
Cons:
Temperature tends to rise under heavy load.
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