Acer Aspire 5750 Laptop

[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Let’s take a look at the Acer Aspire 5750 laptop, which has a 15.6-inch screen and can come with the Core i3-2310M, Core i5-2410M, or Core i7-2630QM CPU. It has 2 GB to 6 GB of RAM, a hard disk from 320 GB to 640 GB, and one USB 3.0 port. The model we analyzed was the 5750-6606, with a Core i3-2310 CPU, 3 GB RAM and a 640 GB hard disk. Check it out!

An important characteristic of this notebook is its chipset, the Intel HM65, which means this laptop uses second generation Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processors, based on the Sandy Bridge architecture. This means that this product is more updated than the Aspire 5742Z, about which we wrote recently, which is based on first-generation Core i CPUs. To learn more about this new generation of CPUs, read our Inside Intel Sandy Bridge Microarchitecture tutorial.

There are several versions of the Aspire 5750 laptop, and there is also a 5750G model, which comes with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M graphics card.

The operating system that comes installed in the Aspire 5750 can be the Windows 7 Home Basic (available only in emerging markets) or the Windows 7 Home Premium.

Let’s analyze this laptop in detail on the next pages.

[nextpage title=”The Aspire 5750″]

The Aspire 5750 comes inside two cardboard boxes with a top handle, offering good protection for transportation. With the laptop comes only the power supply and a few folders.

In Figure 1 you can see the Aspire 5750. It doesn’t use the “black piano” finishing, which can be easily scratched. The surface is texturized and, even avoiding scratches, can be easily marked by greasy fingers.

Figure 1: The Acer Aspire 5750

Looking at the product from the front, you notice the card reader (compatible with SD, MS, MS Pro, xD and MMC cards) at the left. At its side are the status LEDs.

Figure 2: Front

On the right side you can see a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3.0 port, the optical unit (DVD burner), and the place for an anti-theft Kensington lock.

Figure 3: Right side

On the left side, you see the power supply connector, a Gigabit Ethernet port, the CPU cooler air exit, VGA out, HDMI port, one USB 2.0 port, and the audio connectors (microphone and earphones, which also support 3.5 mm SPDIF digital output).

Figure 4: Left side

[nextpage title=”General View”]

Opening the laptop, you get an idea of its size. The 15.6-inch, 1366×768 resolution screen is very glossy, which can be a problem if you work with a light source (like a window) from behind you. Up in the lid is the 1.3-megapixel webcam, with the microphone at its side. The screen frame has a “black piano” finish and scratches easily. Something the manufacturer can improve in this laptop is the screen resolution, since 1366×768 is a good resolution for 14-inch (and smaller) screens. It would be helpful if the resolution were 1600×900.

Figure 5: Open lid

The Aspire 5750 has an uncommon feature for a laptop: a full keyboard, with an independent numeric keypad. Besides that, the keys are big with a good separation, so typing is comfortable and accurate. Under the keyboard is the touchpad, which has a scroll bar and is gesture-sensitive.

Figure 6: Keyboard

On the bottom of the laptop, you can see the battery in place and a large cap which gives access to the memory slots and to the hard disk.

Figure 7: Bottom view

[nextpage title=”Internal Components”]

The battery has a voltage of 11.1 V and 4,400 mAh of capacity, offering about 210 minutes (three and a half hours) of average usage. Obviously, this time depends on several variables, such as CPU load, screen brightness, optical drive usage, etc.

Figure 8: Battery

Opening the bottom cover (you only need to remove two screws), you have access to the hard disk, wireless network card (on a mini PCI Express slot) and two memory sockets. So, memory upgrades or hard disk changes are simple and quick.

Figure 9: Compartment for hardware access

The hard disk drive that comes in our notebook is a 640 GB, 5,400 rpm, SATA-300 from Western Digital, model WD6400BPVT.

Figure 10: Hard disk

[nextpage title=”Internal Components (Cont’t)”]

The memory in our laptop is 3 GB, in one 2 GB and one 1 GB modules, both DDR3-1333 (PC3-10700) from Kingston. Even though it is a reasonable configuration to work with 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, the problem with this configuration is that it is impossible to use the existing modules if you want to upgrade the RAM quantity, since both slots are used. The Aspire 5750 supports up to 8 GB memory, using two modules with 4 GB each.

Figure 11: Memory modules

The wireless network card that comes in the Aspir
e 5750 is an Atheros AR5B97, which complies with the IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards.

Figure 12: Wireless network card

The optical unit is a DVD-rewriter from Philips/Lite-on, model DS-8A5SH, seen in Figure 13. This unit reads and writes CDs with 24x speed, read DVDs at 8x, records DVD+R, DVD-R, and DVD-RW at 8x, and DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL at 4x.

Figure 13: Optical unit

[nextpage title=”Software and Usage”]

We liked using the Acer Aspire 5750. It is big at 15.4 x 10.0 inches (390 x 255 mm) and weighs 5.7 lbs (2.6 kg), which makes it not the best choice if you need to carry it around all the time, as you may expect from a notebook of its class. It is not an “ultra thin” like the Aspire TimelineX AS3830T which we analyzed last week.

The audio quality of the Aspire 5750 is excellent due to two strong speakers located on the upper sides of the equipment. When it comes to video performance, we have been able to watch full HD movies with no problems.

This laptop comes with no drivers or operating system installation disks. However, you have the option to create system rescue DVDs (four blank DVDs are required), which can be used to return the hard disk to the factory default state, if needed. There is also an option to return to the original state using an application that uses a hard disk image stored at a hidden partition on the hard disk. It would be far better if the manufacturer had included an operating system installation disk and a drivers disk with the laptop so you could install and customize the operating system. For example, this laptop comes with only one big hard disk partition available to the user, but many people prefer to split it in two partitions, one for the operating system and another for personal data.

As with any laptop, the Aspire 5750 comes with a typical “bloatware” (preinstalled, usually useless software) package, which will make you spend some time uninstalling software. Among them, there are the Norton Online Backup and the McAfee Internet Security Suite, both in 30-days demo version. There is also the NTI Media Maker and The Microsoft Starter 2010, which is a free version of the famous Suite from Microsoft that brings only Word and Excel, supported by advertising.

Some games and utilities from Acer come preinstalled, as well as other software with dubious utility such as the MyWinLocker, Shredder and eSobi 2. There is also the Clear.Fi application from Acer, which allows you to share media contents (videos, pictures and music) between devices (laptops, desktops, smartphones and media players) which have this utility installed.

Generally, the Aspire 5750 comes reasonably ready to use, mainly thanks to the free versions of Microsoft Word and Excel. The Windows 7 is a great operating system for this laptop.

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications of the Acer Aspire 5750-6606 which we analyzed (keep in mind that the manufacturer also offers this product with different configurations) include:

• Dimensions: 1.2 x 15 x 10 inches (30 x 380 x 255 mm) (H x D x W)
• Weight: 5.7 lbs (2.6 kg)
• Screen: 15.6”, 1366×768 native resolution
• Processor: Intel Core i3 2310M (two cores, 2.1 GHz, 3 MB cache)
• Chipset: Intel Mobile HM65 Express
• Memory: 3 GB DDR3-1333 (one module of 2 GB and one module of 1 GB)
• Graphics chip: Intel HD 3000, integrated to the CPU
• Hard disk: Western Digital WD6400BPVT (640 GB, SATA-300, 5400 rpm)
• Optical unit: DVD rewriter Lite-on DS-8A5SH
• Webcam: 1.3 Megapixels
• Network: Gigabit Ethernet Broadcom Netlink
• Wireless network: IEEE 802.11b/g/n Atheros AR5B97
• Ports: Two USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet
• Memory card reader: SD, xD, MS, MS Pro, and MMC
• Operating System: Windows 7
• More information: https://us.acer.com
• Average price in the US*: USD 500.00

*Researched at Newegg.com on the day this First Look article was published.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

Choosing a laptop is quite a challenge, even for a well-informed user. There are lots of options related to size, CPU, memory, hard disk, and, obviously, price tag. The choice must be made based upon the uses you will have for the computer and, of course, on price. It is important to keep in mind that it is better to buy a model with more updated components, so the product will take a longer time to become obsolete. Furthermore, it will be compatible with newer technologies.

That is the strong point for buying the Acer Aspire 5750. We still have laptops available on the market based on older CPU families, and buying a computer based on the last generation of processors is a good deal, particularly if this model is not more expensive than less updated ones. Besides that, it also has a USB 3.0 port, which is an excellent option for external drives.

However, it is good to remember that the Aspire 5750 is a relatively big laptop (because of its 15.6-inch screen), and it is not the best choice if you need good mobility. It also doesn’t have a high performance video card, which means it is not intended for gamers.

If you are looking for a laptop with a big screen, updated, relatively inexpensive, and with good upgrading possibilities, the Acer Aspire 5750 is an excellent choice.