Acer Aspire 3 review_ A standout funds laptop computer for college and work

At a look Professional’s Score Professionals Spacious keyboard with quantity pad

HD webcam

Strong video playback efficiency

Respectable enterprise app efficiency

Workday-long battery life Cons Poor gaming graphics efficiency

Fundamental 1080p show

Small 128GB storage drive Our Verdict The Acer Aspire 3 represents a sensible set of trade-offs. It’s simply one of many best-built laptops we’ve examined for beneath $500, with sturdy development and a spacious keyboard and trackpad. Whereas it received’t give players a lot pleasure, it’s a a lot competent work machine that’ll make you look and sound good on Zoom calls.

Worth When Reviewed

$329.99

Greatest Costs Right this moment: Acer Aspire 3

Retailer Worth $329.99 View Deal Situation – glorious Acer Aspire 3 A315-24P-R75B 15.6-inch (2022) – Ryzen 3 7320U – 8 GB – SSD 128 GB $377.99 View Deal

Within the crowded discipline of economic system laptops, there’s no scarcity of low-cost and but a dearth of high quality. The Acer Aspire 3 exhibits up properly on this class, sporting easy, low-profile styling, a full-size keyboard full with a quantity pad, and a large display screen that’s a pleasure to videoconference on. Whereas there’s no scarcity of trade-offs for the low $400 value level, Acer has made considered selections to provide a machine that provides you loads of bang for comparatively couple of dollars.

On the lookout for extra choices? Try PCWorld’s roundup of the perfect laptops for faculty college students.

Acer Aspire 3: Specs and options

Modestly spec’d with a 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen CPU, 8BG of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive, the Aspire 3 is not any workhorse, however packs sufficient punch to get issues executed on a funds. You’ll discover an HDMI port for connecting to exterior shows and a single USB-C port for hooking up newer equipment and gadgets.

CPU: Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U

Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U Reminiscence: 8GB

8GB Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon

AMD Radeon Show: 15.8-inch LED-backlit LCD

15.8-inch LED-backlit LCD Storage: 128GB

128GB Connectivity: 1 HDMI Port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C port

1 HDMI Port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C port Networking: IEEE 802.11ax Wi-Fi

IEEE 802.11ax Wi-Fi Biometrics: None

None Battery capability: 40 watt-hour

40 watt-hour Dimensions: 0.74 inches x 14.3 inches x 9.4 inches

0.74 inches x 14.3 inches x 9.4 inches Weight: 3.97 kilos

What’s lacking from these specs that you just would possibly miss? An SD card reader could be good, as would a second USB-C port. Getting by with simply a type of goes to be a drag every so often, however you may at all times plug in an adapter so as to add extra.

The Aspire 3’s massive keyboard with quantity pad is a pleasure to sort on. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Design and construct high quality

Weighing in at slightly below 4 kilos, the Aspire 3 isn’t precisely light-weight, however in trade for possibly an additional quarter-pound of carry weight, you get a large 15.8-inch sufficient room for that full-width keyboard. As somebody who lives and dies by the spreadsheet I’m a sucker for a quantity pad on my keyboards, so getting one on such an inexpensive machine is fairly candy. This keyboard feels pretty stable beneath the fingers, with out an excessive amount of flex or bounce in heavy typing. That issues, as a result of funds machines usually sacrifice chassis construction to chop prices, and the outcomes can really feel flimsy and even result in bounce on the observe pad, inflicting the mouse cursor to bounce across the display screen. However no such fear on this Acer; it’s really a pleasure to sort on.

In entrance of that huge keyboard, we discover a comparatively spacious 3-inch by 5-inch touchpad. Not like these of different Acer laptops we’ve tried, this trackpad feels agency and easy to the contact, and responds with a decisive, however quiet, click on. We discovered it tracks nicely with each single-digit and multi-touch gestures.

Although considerably cumbersome at roughly 3/4 of an inch in thickness, the Aspire 3 makes room for a wholesome array of ports. All the laptop computer appears and feels considerably extra stable than most different sub-$500 laptops we’ve examined. It’s a machine match for a working grownup, not an affordable, plastic child’s laptop. Our solely vital grievance with the construct high quality is that the display screen wobbles a bit once we transfer it round whereas open, fairly than sitting agency. This implies the webcam picture will wobble throughout use in case you transfer the gadget, which we skilled in our testing.

Acer Aspire 3: Show and audio

Acer’s funds laptops, together with the Aspire 5 we reviewed final yr, have lengthy stood out for his or her 1080p shows. The Aspire 3 comes equally geared up, although because the market advances the competitors is bringing the identical decision to their funds strains as nicely, so it now not stands out from the gang on this entrance. That mentioned, in case you’re shopping for a laptop computer in 2023, 1080p is the bottom decision a purchaser ought to settle for, since 768p barely suits most fashionable internet pages of their native decision. Responsive internet design is sweet and all, but when your 15-inch laptop computer display screen triggers a minimized structure with the browser window maximized, you would possibly as nicely be shopping on an iPad Mini.

The Aspire 3 places you squarely within the acceptable decision vary for present gadgets, however as I mentioned, that’s the naked minimal we’d need at this level. General, we appreciated the look of the Aspire 3’s show for motion pictures and video. Shade high quality was first rate, although unremarkable, and vibrant sufficient for comfy use in full solar.

A pair of small, downward-pointing audio system kick out pretty loud audio that we discovered nicely tuned for video conferencing and YouTube movies, however just a bit tinny for any music with a lot bass.

Acer Aspire 3: Webcam and microphone

In videoconferencing checks, the Aspire 3 blew away our expectations for an economic system laptop computer. The HD webcam produced crisp, clear video and the mic picked up and filtered voices from the background noise fairly nicely.

Aspect by facet with a Macbook Professional, we notably appreciated the Aspire 3’s low-light webcam efficiency. Geared up with Temporal Noise Discount, the high-def cam cleans up in any other case grainy low-light video and will increase the publicity ranges to ship a vibrant, crisp picture that outperforms a lot of the different built-in webcams we’ve tried, even on a lot pricier computer systems.

Equally, the mic cleans up in-room audio with Acer PurifiedVoice software program that filters out noise and sends clear, crisp sound to your recipient. For a pc on this value vary, that’s saying quite a bit. General, with its picture and voice seize high quality, we’d fairly soar on a Zoom with the Acer Aspire 3 than with some machines at quadruple the worth.

On its left facet, the Aspire 3 has a DC energy portm a USB-C port, a full-size HDMI port, and a USB-A port. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Connectivity

One upside of an even bigger laptop computer is the capability for lots of helpful connectors. Alongside the left facet you’ll discover the DC in, a single USB-C port, a full-size HDMI port, and a USB-A port. On the appropriate, you get a Kensington lock port, one other USB-A, and a headphone jack. What you don’t get at this value is a second USB-C port, which is turning into frequent on higher laptops nowadays, or a card reader slot.

For many customers, this complement of ports can be a lot and getting each a USB-C and a full HDMI port on a $400 laptop computer isn’t unhealthy. Should you do have to learn an SD card, you may at all times plug an adapter into one of many USB ports.

The fitting facet of the Aspire 3 affords a Kensington lock port, a USB-A port, and a headphone jack. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Efficiency

Should you’re spending $400 on a laptop computer, you must mood your efficiency expectations significantly. With its Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U course of and Radeon graphics, the Acer Aspire 3 is not any exception, delivering first rate efficiency in primary enterprise duties, however notably sub-par outcomes for graphics and gaming.

With regards to enterprise productiveness efficiency, the Acer Aspire 3 is middle-of-the-pack for inexpensive laptops. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Our PCMark 10 check measures the machine’s efficiency in on a regular basis workplace duties starting from phrase processing and spreadsheets to video conferencing. The Aspire 3 gave a middle-of-the-pack efficiency of 4,284 in a discipline of barely pricier machines we’ve examined in latest months, notably outperforming the three,902 rating of the Intel-equipped Aspire 5 we examined final yr. This can be a good factor as a result of this machine is constructed to attraction to highschool and small-business customers. Should you’re searching for an inexpensive laptop computer for back-to-school within the fall or want to interchange an growing older work machine on a funds, this efficiency signifies a good funding.

For motion pictures and video playback, the Aspire 3 once more outperforms different funds methods we’ve examined. On our multi-thread Cinebench 15 check, the Aspire 3 got here in on the high of the pack of economic system laptops with a rating of 1,925. On the single-thread Cinebench check, its rating of 435 beat out the others we now have a end result for.

The Acer Aspire 3’s video efficiency in our Cinebench check is considerably higher than different funds laptops we’ve examined. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

As with the all-threads check, the video playback efficiency on the Aspire 3 beats out comparable economic system laptops we’ve examined. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

The place the Aspire 3 falls very quick, even in opposition to different low-cost laptops we’ve examined, is its gaming graphics efficiency. In our 3DMark TimeSpy 1.2 check, this machine was downright pitiful with a rating of 584, lower than half that of the Aspire 5. Whether or not that is acceptable or not relies on how you’re feeling about gaming, in fact. Should you’re shopping for this to write down or surf the online, you received’t care. But when it is a scholar laptop computer, let’s simply say you received’t have to fret about video games distracting you from examine time.

The Aspire 3 is not any gaming laptop computer, with the bottom 3D rating in any of our latest budget-laptop checks. PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Battery life

Battery life was another constructive efficiency for the Aspire 3. In our checks taking part in again a film on repeat till the battery died, it averaged about eight hours of life constantly. That’s nearly a full work day and in case you’re not taking part in video always and possibly take a lunch break, it must be greater than sufficient to get you thru the day. If it’s essential to cost up, the Aspire 3’s tiny charging brick is likely one of the most compact round, so it slips into your bag with out taking over an excessive amount of area.

Acer Aspire 3: Do you have to purchase it?

In a world the place funds constraints pressure compromises, the Acer Aspire 3 represents a sensible set of trade-offs. It’s simply one of many best-built laptops we’ve examined for beneath $500, with sturdy development and a spacious keyboard and trackpad. Whereas it received’t give players a lot pleasure, it’s a a lot competent work machine that’ll make you look and sound good on Zoom calls. Should you’re available in the market for a primary enterprise laptop computer or back-to-school laptop, you’ll need to take a more in-depth look.