The Acer Aspire E Series is specifically designed for everyday users who need modest laptop performance for a very good price tag. Acer managed just that with the E series, a range of laptops that emphasize the balance between tech specs, build quality and an attractive selling price. For being one of the cheapest full-sized laptop, the Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M has received stellar reviews from hundreds of satisfied users on Amazon.
However, don’t be fooled by the ecstatic reviewers, this is a full sized mobile computer that sells for under $300. That amount of money will only get you so far in terms in technical specifications. The processor is a dual core, 4th generation Intel Celeron N2840 which received a PassMark score of only 1006 points. For comparison, the ubiquitous Intel Core i5-5200U currently has a PassMark score of 3528. This doesn’t mean the Celeron is three and half times slower than the i5, but an average user will see the laptop struggle in scenarios where heavy multitasking is involved.
The downside of the CPU comes with the upside of system memory capacity: it comes standard with 4GB of installed RAM which can be upgraded to 8GB by the user. This will make activities like photo editing take less time and provide a more rapid experience. The standard issue RAM will be enough for most daily needs, such as internet browsing, movie watching, document editing and so forth. Also, it’s worth noting that upgrading the RAM will imply a bigger cost since it has only 1 available memory slot.
The Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M comes with 500GB of storage space in the form of a 5400rpm Hard Disk Drives. Getting a low capacity SSD upgrade is one of the best investments for this laptop. Aim for a Solid State Drive that’s under $80 and you’ll transform the laptop to a greater extent than if you would only upgrade the RAM.
The screen is 15.6 inches across and the display has a resolution of 1366 x 768 (standard for low-end and even mid-range models). It doesn’t have a VGA port and the wireless protocol is the old 802.11 b/g/n, sufficient for browsing, downloading stuff, but may struggle when streaming either out or in, especially if ultra high definition resolutions are involved. However, we don’t see this as an issue for the potential buyers of the Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M.
One of the most surprising aspects of this budget laptop is the battery life: it can hold a charge up to 7 hours, a figure so unusual in the world of low-end devices, it had to be mentioned loud and clear. This laptop, although a bit bulky, is a decent travel companion if you’re on a tight budget (like a college student) if we’re considering it’s overall ruggedness as well.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Product[/th_column]
[th_column]Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]Details[/row_column]
[row_column]Click to see the price on Amazon[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]PROCESSOR[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Celeron N2840[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual Core (2 cores, 2 threads)[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Speed[/row_column]
[row_column]2.16 GHz up to 2.58 GHz (turbo)[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Cache[/row_column]
[row_column]1 MB L2[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]SYSTEM MEMORY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Installed Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]4 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Memory Type[/row_column]
[row_column]DDR3L SDRAM[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Total Memory Slots[/row_column]
[row_column]1 slot[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]STORAGE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]500 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]HDD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]5400 rpm[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]DISPLAY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Size[/row_column]
[row_column]15.6″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Active Matrix TFT LCD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]CineCrystal[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1366 x 768[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Aspect Ratio[/row_column]
[row_column]16:9[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touchscreen[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]GRAPHICS[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Processing Unit[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel HD Graphics[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphic Card Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Integrated[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Graphics Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]Shared[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]AUDIO & VIDEO[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Audio Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]HD Audio[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Speakers[/row_column]
[row_column]2 speakers[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Webcam[/row_column]
[row_column]VGA Webcam[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]NETWORK AND COMMUNICATION[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Wireless LAN[/row_column]
[row_column]802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Bluetooth[/row_column]
[row_column]Bluetooth 4.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Ethernet[/row_column]
[row_column]Gigabit[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INTERFACE[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]USB Ports[/row_column]
[row_column]1 x USB 3.0
2 x USB 2.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Sleep-and-Charge USB[/row_column]
[row_column]Unknown[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]HDMI[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, HDCP support[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]VGA[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Headphone/Mic[/row_column]
[row_column]Audio Combo[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Multi Card Slot[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, SD Card[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]LAN (RJ45)[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]INPUT DEVICES[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Touch Pad / Track Pad[/row_column]
[row_column]Precision Touchpad[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Number of Keys[/row_column]
[row_column]84 Keys[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Backlit Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]No[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]BATTERY[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Type[/row_column]
[row_column]3 Cell Lithium Ion[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]3220 mAh[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Up to 7 hours[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]-[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 8.1[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]15″ x 10.2″ x 1″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]5.29 pounds[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Warranty[/row_column]
[row_column]1 Year Limited[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores: Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M
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[progressbar value=”55″ bartype=”progress-bar-danger” label=”Performance: 55″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”75″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 75″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”95″ bartype=”progress-bar-success” label=”Price: 95″]
[/column]
[/row]
Pros:
- Great battery life
- Attractive price
- Sufficient starting system memory
- Good build quality
Cons:
- Slow CPU
- Modest storage capacity
- No dedicated video card
- No VGA
Although being very affordable, we don’t view the Acer Aspire E15 ES1-512-C88M as necessarily cheap, or cheaply made. Its single downside would be the slower processing unit, but other than that it’s a great laptop that will handle every-day activities. It’s a good compromise and the Acer manages to come out with its head up after the technology-price tradeoff has been made.