The Acer Aspire F5-572-57t8 is a mid-range laptop which, in spite of the unattractive casing, promises good performance at a fair price. Out of the myriad of Acer devices, this one stands out as an overlooked underdog.
Review
The Acer I’ll be reviewing today has been launched without any fuss, yet it’s one of the most interesting deal in terms of price – quality ratio. Although the design of the notebook won’t inspire any user, the sheer simplicity makes it ideal for home or office use as a multimedia device, work laptop or even as a desktop replacement. That is if you can get past the integrated video card.
Click to see the price at Amazon.com »
Ready for the real world
The Acer Aspire F5-572-57t8 comes equipped with a 6th generation Intel Core i5-6200U processor, the industry standard when it comes to mid-range notebooks. Its ubiquity makes it an obvious, cost-effective choice for Acer. It has 3 megabytes of available cache and a clock speed of up to 2.8 gigahertz, although that doesn’t count as much as the aforementioned cache.
The Acer also comes with a comfortable 8 gigabytes of memory, enough on its own to support the new Windows 10 operating system, but also to run RAM intensive programs like Photoshop or online spreadsheet editing tools such as Google Sheets without much hassle. The memory is user upgradeable to 16 gigabytes, although I don’t see it as a necessity at all with this notebook.
Storage space is adequate. One terabyte will be enough for your music/movie collections. Speed-wise, it will suffer a bit compared to an SSD, but then again the price for a solid state drive with similar storage capacity is excessive at the moment. It’ll work great in a home and office environment, where there is no need for demanding programs.
Full HD display
The Acer Aspire F5-572-57t8 features a 15.6 inch LCD screen with full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels), meaning you’ll be able to view YouTube content at 1080p resolutions. However, considering there is no dedicated GPU, I don’t know how the Skylake processor can handle 60 frames per second videos, even if they promised increased support for video playback.
The graphics unit is integrated, meaning you won’t be able to play most games released in the last two to three years at satisfying quality settings. The Intel HD Graphics 520 GPU will play movies and online content without glitches or freezes, just don’t expect for your games or visual programs that may need rendering to operate at full capacity.
Great connectivity and backwards compatibility
The Aspire F5-572-57t8 has a 802.111ac wireless card with MU-MIMO technology, meaning you’ll be able to connect to supporting routers and enjoy unparalleled transfer speeds and available bandwidths. It’s great for environments where more than one device connects to an access point, such as work or even at home (we regularly have multiple parallel devices hungry for internet feasting from the same router).
Also, it features a VGA connector which is useful if you have an slightly older generation external screen or a video projector. However, connecting a VGA cable into the notebook for the purpose of using it as desktop will severely limit its ease of use, since unscrewing the VGA port isn’t what you call plug-and-play.
Having a DVD reader/writer isn’t necessarily a feature nowadays, but it’s nice to have it nonetheless, should the need to copy something from a disc arise.
Check the latest prices at Amazon.com »
A few words on portability
This notebook isn’t exactly what you’d call thin or lightweight by today’s standards, but it should prove itself to be a handy companion around the house or the office when needed. Carrying the 5+ lbs laptop around will surely be a pain, especially if you chose to include the power adapter as well. Not that practical, but if you’re on a budget and wish to travel close to home/office with it, it will perform just fine.
When it comes to battery life, I honestly expected lower numbers, but the Acer will manage to hold a charge for up to six and a half hours. Decent for the price, if you ask me.
Technical Specifications
[table width =”100%” style =”table-simple table-hover” responsive =”true” class=”customtable”]
[table_head]
[th_column]Acer Aspire F5-572-57t8[/th_column]
[th_column]VALUE[/th_column]
[/table_head]
[table_body]
[table_row]
[row_column]PROCESSOR[/row_column]
[row_column][/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Name[/row_column]
[row_column]Intel Core i5-6200U[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Dual Core[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Speed[/row_column]
[row_column]2.3 GHz up to 2.8 GHz[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]CPU Cache[/row_column]
[row_column]3 MB[/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]8 GB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Memory[/row_column]
[row_column]16 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]2 Slots[/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]1 TB[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Type[/row_column]
[row_column]Hard Disk Drive[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Storage Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]SATA[/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]ActiveMatrix TFT LCD[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Technology[/row_column]
[row_column]ComfyView Backlit-LED[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Screen Resolution[/row_column]
[row_column]1920 x 1080[/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 520[/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]Yes, 720p[/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]820.11ac MU-MIMO WLAN[/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 Ethernet[/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]2 x USB 3.0
1 x USB 2.0[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]HDMI[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]VGA[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Headphone/Mic[/row_column]
[row_column]Audio Combo Jack[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Multi Card Slot[/row_column]
[row_column]Yes, SD support[/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]Pointing Device[/row_column]
[row_column]Precision Touchpad[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Keyboard[/row_column]
[row_column]Standard Notebook[/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]4-Cell Lithium Ion[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Battery Capacity[/row_column]
[row_column]2520 mAh[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Maximum Battery Life[/row_column]
[row_column]Up to 6.5 hours[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Other Features[/row_column]
[row_column]DVD-Writer[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Operating System[/row_column]
[row_column]Windows 10 Home[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Dimensions (W x D x H)[/row_column]
[row_column]15″ x 10.1″ x 1.1″[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[table_row]
[row_column]Weight[/row_column]
[row_column]5.29 lbs[/row_column]
[/table_row]
[/table_body]
[/table]
Scores, Pros and Cons
[row]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Performance: 8/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”80″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Functionality: 8/10″]
[/column]
[column lg=”4″ md=”12″ sm=”12″ xs=”12″ ]
[progressbar value=”90″ bartype=”progress-bar-info” label=”Price: 9/10″]
[/column]
[/row]
[list]
[li]Pros[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Good overall specs considering the price[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Adequate storage space[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Full HD display[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-plus”]Better battery life than expected[/li]
[li]Cons[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]No dedicated graphics card[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]A bit bulky[/li]
[li type=”glyphicon-minus”]Dull design[/li]
[/list]
Final Thoughts
Click here to buy the Acer from Amazon »
To conclude, if you wish to buy the Acer Aspire F5-572-57t8, you’ll have to make a few compromises. Considering the sub $650 price tag at the time of this review, I think it’s a pretty balanced notebook with the added bonus of having a great display. Hiding under the boring casing is a fair priced device that will get the job done.
