Pros: Skylake Core i7 processor, BlueLight Shield Technology, dedicated Nvidia GeForce 940M graphics card, 8 GB of RAM, bargain price.
Cons: no DVD tray (Is this really a con?)
Gaming laptops are typically very expensive machines and when they're not that's because we're generally looking at a refurbished model. However, once in awhile you come across a model that really stands out thanks to its incredible performance paired with a smashing price. Such is the case of the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB.
Acer has done a great job as of late by really stepping up and delivering great laptops at a great price point and the model at hand is no exception. With a 6th generation Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce 940M with 4 GB of dedicated vRAM, Acer's new laptop is poised to take over the market in a matter of months.
If you're as intrigued as we are - and we wouldn't blame you - then come on down and find out everything you need to know about this spectacular PC in our review of the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB.
Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB Review of a cheap gaming laptop
A screen beyond words and a unique design
One of the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB's most compelling features is its screen. Not only are we looking at an IPS LED-Backlit 15.6 inch Full HD display, but the screen also comes with Acer's BlueLight Shield technology to protect the eyes of those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time in front of the laptop. On our book that definitely adds up points.
In terms of design, we love the textured pattern on the notebook's top cover which provide us with a tight grip and a comfortable overall feeling when dealing with this machine. It's also worth pointing out that despite all the horsepower hidden inside this model, the E 15 E5-574G-71WB weighs just 5.3 pounds and it's not thick at all measuring just 1.1 inch.
The island style keyboard is backlit and the overall ergonomics are quite good with a numeric pad set on the side for all those who need to be crunching numbers. Ports are conveniently placed on the bottom of each side, though we'll get into more details about these in a moment.
Skylake top notch processor and massive RAM makes for a great performance
While the laptop's design is key to many users, it's undeniable that what lies under the design is what's most important. To this point, the newest flagship features an Intel Core i7 6500U dual core processor that works with 4 threads, 4 MB of Intel's smart cache and performs at an intimidating 2.5 GHz upping the bounty to 3.1 GHz when working on more demanding tasks.
Add to that 8 GB of DDR3 SDRAM and you've got yourself a true power player with barely any limitations for professional or domestic use. Whether you're looking for a laptop to edit 4K video or develop a set of apps to take over the world, this laptop has you covered with a top notch performance every step of the way.
Sure, you could always ask for more RAM and we've seen some models with up to 16 GB but truthfully, in 99% of the cases so much RAM would be wasted because unless you're using dozens and I mean dozens of programs at a time, 8 GB should fit you more than fine.
That's all very nice but what about gaming?
While most laptops in this price range really don't support gaming at anything below basic settings, the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB in review offers up a more compelling solution with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 940M graphics card with 4 GB of dedicated vRAM.
To place these numbers into context, while this laptop isn't suited for high end 2016 games, it will do you justice with games of the 2014-2015 circuit. Titles such as Fifa 16 and World of Warships will work smoothly at medium to high settings and others like The Witcher 3 and Evolve might struggle a bit with high settings but will do pretty well for themselves on low settings.
All in all, if you're not a hardcore gamer but rather a medium or beginner gamer then this notebook should not disappoint.
What's up with the storage and battery life?
This segment seems to be one of the most standardized segments in most mid to high range laptops. In that sense, we've got a 1 TB Serial ATA hard drive that works at 5400 rpm. Honestly, with the rest of the specs in place that's fine but we'd be lying if we said we personally wouldn't fork out some extra money to buy a 250 GB SSD and get the full blown experience. Especially with prices being so competitive.
As for battery life, it's not too shabby but it's also hardly one of this laptops most prominent features. Specifically we've got a 4 cell 2520 mAh removable battery that offers up to 6 hours of unplugged pleasure. However, we all know how that goes and it's probably best to assume that factual battery life will be around the 5 hour mark for average usage.
No DVD tray but plenty of connectivity options
Moving on, we should point out that the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB lacks a DVD tray. Personally I don't really see the need but there are users who still use DVD's and CD's, for this set of users i'm going to be so bold as to suggest an external DVD player, they aren't very expensive and you'll have a device that you'll be able to pass on to other machines.
When it comes down to the ports, we mentioned that they are very strategically placed and it's true. That said, we've got a couple of USB 3.0 ports, one of which can charge a device even when the laptop is turned off, a USB 2.0 port in case you prefer to use a mouse, an HDMI port and of course your standard ethernet that allows a faster and safer internet connection.
Speaking of an internet connection, Acer's new laptop also comes with WiFi a/b/g/n/ac connectivity which offers speeds up to 3 times faster when coupled with a compatible router. There's also your standard Bluetooth support and an HD webcam.
Some more stuff
Rounding things up we'll tell you that this laptop arrives with Windows 10, it has two built in stereo speakers that act in conjunction with Acer's TrueHarmony technology to offer a more evolving sound and that's about it on the list of stuff we thought we should point out.
Closing Statements: Is this laptop worth my hard earned money?
That's the million dollar question right there and it's what we've been trying to address in this quite extensive review of the Acer Aspire E 15 E5-574G-71WB. The short answer would be a firm; "Yes". There really isn't anything not to love about this laptop.
It features a state of the art processor, more than enough RAM, a full on dedicated graphics card for more intensive graphic performance, the latest WiFi standard and an ample set of connectivity options. Personally i'd go ahead and upgrade the storage to an SSD but other then that this is an excellent laptop that offers a great bang for your buck. So the question becomes; are you going to let it slip away? You can check availability and pricing for this laptop here.