Acer Aspire ES 15, 15.6″ HD, Intel Core i3-6100U, 4GB DDR3L, 1TB HDD, Windows 10 Home, ES1-572-31KW Reviews

I have several low-budget laptops, computers, and mini-PC’s with Core i3 processors and integrated graphics, and they all work great. Here’s the secret that most computer manufacturers probably don’t want you to know: you don’t need discrete graphics (external video graphics board) or the latest/fastest Core i7 processors unless you plan to run CAD, play the latest games, or run resource intensive applications that 99% of the world’s computer users aren’t going to be doing on a laptop.

Chances are you are a high school or college student looking for a new laptop on a budget that will get you through the next 4 years. You have many many choices these days. When I was in your situation, the least expensive laptops were all pushing at least a grand and they weighed a ton or ran really hot. This Acer ES15 isn’t that much different from an Asus or Dell of comparable specs.

The ES15 is just over 5 pounds, with chiclet keys. The keyboard feels very stout and robust. The screen is acceptable, it won’t be winning any awards for display quality. The touchpad is huge and my left palm keeps touching it. However, the ES15 is packed to the brim with features you will help you out: 802.11ac dual-band WiFi card, Ethernet port, HDMI port, SD lot, 1x USB 3.0 port, 2x USB 2.0 ports, and an optical drive. The included hard drive is 1TB and it only comes with 4GB of DDR3L RAM. I popped the bottom panel and found that there are 2 SODIMM slots, only 1 is filled with a 4GB stick. That means you can go out and buy a 16GB (8GBx2) kit and max out the RAM really cheaply. The hard drive is also easily swapped out next to the memory slots.

The cool thing about the Core i3 processor is that it is underrated. It runs almost ice cold, barely kicking on the fan, while the integrated graphics will be more than enough to watch movies and finish homework assignments.

The included Windows 10 operating system is standard fare, and while it includes Office 2016, you will need a product key for registration.

Overall: 5/5 stars, for a budget laptop – this is quite nice. RAM and hard drive are easily accessed for future upgrades.

I have a number of Dell and Sony corporately supplied laptops that are low to mid-range in price and performance. My normal at home “working” (gaming) setups includes a multi-card GPU desktop and a mid-range gaming laptop. I do not expect this type of midrange laptop to run games–they are strictly for work.

For inexpensive laptops there are things I always look for—finish (fit, appearance, keyboard, touch pad), ports (must have minimum 3 USB ports with at least one 3.0, along with HDMI, mini DP, or full size DP), and a suitably bright screen and resolution. Let’s face it laptops for work are rarely your dedicated game machine, and the most they have to deal with is Windows Office, web browsing, and local network issues. There are lots of low cost laptops, so finding a solid one that will last should not be a challenge. The Acer ES15 proves very capable and that there is a lot to like for just a little money!

Opening the box reveals a well packaged laptop, complete with lint and scratch free pouch. The top outside laptop surface is covered in a rough patterned attractive plastic that is grippy but not sticky or the normal “soft touch” that is on so many other laptops. This Acer surface is NOT a finger print magnet!

Initial startup was trouble free with a quick connection to a local wifi connection and a couple of Windows 10 (64 bit) updates that took only a couple of minutes. Using the mouse pad is moderately refreshing, with left and right buttons on the bottom of the pad, not clearly delineated but workable. There are two USB 2.0 ports, and one USB 3.0 port. Adding a preferred mouse was also easy, with no delays at all… plug and play. Same for a USB keyboard.

Ports along the back include an HDMI, but no display port or mini DP. A single USB 3.0 and single 2.0 are also on the back. The third USB 2.0 is on the right side.Surprisingly, since they are getting rare, there is an 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive. Along the right side is a convenient SD card port. Additional connectivity is provided by Bluetooth 4.0.

Inside there is an Intel i3-6100U CPU running at 2.3 GHz, 4 G of RAM, and 1T of hard drive storage (910 GB free of 930 GB available upon initial start.). Graphics are supplied via Intel HD 520 with 2116 MB dynamic video memory. The display is a glossy “CineCrystal” LED backlit screen with max 1366 x 768 native resolution, suitable for most applications. No touchscreen on this model. Plugging in a high def. screen accommodated higher resolutions immediately, and the display required no tweaking.

The weight is just enough to feel solid at 5.3 pounds but not so much to weigh down your backpack. Nicely, the AC charger is compact and light.

Getting down to business, I initialized Microsoft office (Windows 10 preloads it, and you have to supply a 360 account or authentication key) and started working! Typing and keyboard quality are typically soft feeling on most laptops so spacing is important for touch typing, and the Acer keyboard is nicely laid out with a 9 key number pad on the right side. Other keys are where you expect them to be, including the Windows key. Touch typing and data entry via the compact scroll keys was trouble free and students should like the feel.

The onboard display, even with the lower resolution is bright and colorful, without any edge related bright spots (in darker modes) or dead pixels. The screen backing and hinge feel solid and well built.

Over a couple of hours of use, there was no heat buildup or obvious hot spots. Leaving the computer on and the display not allowed to shut off revealed the 6.5 hour operating specification was very close to reality.

Now, with this type of laptop and Intel 520 graphics, you cannot expect to run any fast motion game at very quick speeds, but at the native resolution, Borderlands and Fallout 3 runs OK at medium to low settings with the “bling” turned off or down. Other games probably fall into a similar range. Your own play will vary!

The Acer ES15 provides a surprisingly high value package for an attractive price. The outer surfaces will make you think it is more than just a basic laptop, and the innards are more than sufficient for most activities that students and others need on a daily basis. There is nothing to hate about the Acer—it does what you need, and should last a long time! Great value for the price!

I was very surprised at how much this computer came with for the low cost. Generally when you get a laptop out of the box – you spend half of the day installing things only to discover that most of it was garbage bloat ware.

In less than half an hour this laptop was up and running (Windows 10) and without all of the garbage that most of the laptops I have acquired came with. The case is sturdy, the keyboard layout is actually quite comfortable and the mouse touch pad worked very well for me. My boyfriend has different shaped hands than me and did not like the touchpad but we simply plugged in an external mouse (which is what he normally uses anyway) and he was off to the races. There is no program that we currently own which this computer cannot run for us. This is the perfect functional laptop for someone going off to school, or who needs one for business.

I probably wouldn’t attempt CAD or high end video editing software on this – but if you are the type of person who uses a computer for basic accounting, email, internet, a handful of games, watching movies etc – then this is more than what you need. I also really love that this is upgradable – it is rare that you come across a laptop where you can easily upgrade the RAM on your own. And while it’s on my mind – I love this this still has a disk drive in it, rather than having to utilize an external drive to install things. I didn’t realize how rare they are becoming any more, but it was nice to see it so that I can play my DVD’s on it.

If hardcore gaming, high end graphic design, film editing, or engineering are what you are planning on purchasing a laptop for – this is probably not going to meet your expectations. If you are looking for you standard household, small business or student use – this is an excellent buy.