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Good
- Good overall performance for the price
- Large hard drive
- Comfortable to use
Bad
- Keyboard flexes slightly
- Poor graphics performance
In this review
With a 14-inch screen, the Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820T seems like a good compromise between an ultra-portable and a desktop-replacement laptop. It's currently available for around £450 fromLaptops Direct and other vendors, but is it the ideal laptop for busy souls who cart their computer around everywhere they go?
Before we find out, note that the exact model number of our review sample is AS4820T-373G32Mnks or, alternatively, LX.PSN02.207.
Happy medium
Measuring 342mm wide, the 4820T feels more portable than larger, 15-inch machines, yet also more comfortable to use than smaller, 13-inch ultra-portables. Weighing in at 2.2kg, it isn't the lightest laptop around, though.
The 4820T's design isn't exactly mind-blowing, but the combination of the black brushed-metal effect on the lid and the sober grey that adorns the wrist rest makes for a machine that looks very business-like. The laptop's good build quality also inspires confidence that it should stand up to the knocks and scrapes of daily use.
The 4820T's display has a glossy coating, but it isn't as reflective as some we've come across, so working under bright overhead lights isn't really a problem, as long as you position the screen correctly. The display's resolution of 1,366x768 pixels is pretty standard for a laptop in this price range, and the viewing angles on both the horizontal and vertical axes are pretty good. The screen could be brighter, though -- something that would also help colours to shine through more.
The keyboard uses flat keys perched on top of narrow stems, so they have the appearance of floating above the laptop's chassis. Acer has used a similar design to great effect on other keyboards, but this one flexes slightly, so it doesn't feel quite as solid and responsive to type on. Nevertheless, the wide trackpad is excellent and the long, narrow button beneath it is also top-notch.
The HDMI port makes it easy to hook the laptop up to a hi-def TV.
Ports aren't exactly abundant. For example, there's no eSATA port or PC Card slot. This isn't unusual at this price point, though, and you still get three USB ports, which you can use for connecting up peripherals like external hard drives.
We also like the fact that the laptop includes an HDMI port alongside the VGA out. An HDMI port makes it much easier to connect the laptop to a high-definition TV, as both audio and video are carried across a single lead.
The machine supports both 802.11n Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet, but not, sadly, Bluetooth. Most people probably won't be all that bothered about this, though. If you really want to add this functionality, you can now get tiny plug-in USB Bluetooth adaptors that sit almost flush with the chassis, for around £5 online.
Brains behind the operation
The brains of the machine take the form of a dual-core Intel Core i3-380M processor, clocked at 2.53GHz. This is a pre-Sandy Bridge chip, but it's still fairly potent. RAM is also crucial to performance, because more memory helps when you're undertaking heavy multitasking. Thankfully, Acer has added in 4GB of the stuff, which is fairly generous for a machine in this price range.
It's no surprise, then, to find that the 4820T posted a respectable score of 5,952 in the PCMark05 benchmark test. That indicates it'll run day-to-day apps without any problems.
As the CPU is a pre-Sandy Bridge chip, it has older and slower integrated Intel graphics. This is reflected in its poor score of 1,884 in the 3DMark06 test. That's a long way off what's needed for smooth gaming with today's titles.
Nevertheless, the specification elsewhere stands up well to scrutiny. The 500GB hard drive is large by the standards of moderately priced machines, so, unless you carry around a large collection of movies on your laptop, you shouldn't find yourself running out of space too soon.
There's also a DVD rewriter, so you can burn your own music CDs or back up data to discs. Tucked under the front lip, there's a handy memory-card reader, which is ideal for transferring files from mobile devices, such as a digital camera.
The 4820T scores highly when it comes to battery life. In the intensiveBattery Eater Classic test, which runs the CPU at full speed until the laptop runs out of juice, this machine managed to keep running for an impressive 2 hours. Under normal usage conditions, you'll get much longer than this from the battery.
Conclusion
On the whole, it's difficult to find much wrong with the Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820T. It's fairly compact, yet comfortable to use, has a decent amount of grunt for the price, and its battery life is surprisingly good. In short, you could do much worse for your £450.
Lenovo Essential G570 review
Verdict
The 15.6-inch Lenovo Essential G570's boring design could instantly send the most wired of coffee addicts to sleep, but this laptop does pack a powerful punch for a very reasonable price.
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Good
- Impressive performance for the price
- Bright, bold screen
- Decent battery life
Bad
- Boring design
- Slightly uncomfortable keyboard
- Plastic shell loves fingerprints
In this review
Lenovo's 15.6-inch Essential G570 laptop may not be beautiful, but it offers decent performance for a very affordable price, rather like former Liverpool footballerRobbie Fowler. Our model, the G570 M5134UK, comes with a 2.1GHz, dual-core Intel Core i3-2310M processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. It's available now from SaveOnLaptops, and other vendors, for around £400.
Design
If you've been desperately scrabbling through the over-saturated laptop market looking for a fancy, colourful machine to match your fancy, colourful personality, you might be a little underwhelmed by the G570.
The lid is plain black. We wanted to say more about it, but there's really not much else to talk about. It's just plain black. It's a bit shiny too, actually. The only distinguishing feature is the small, chrome-effect Lenovo logo in the top left-hand corner.
This lid is made of a glossy plastic that doesn't feel as sturdy as we'd like. It flexes a fair amount when poked, which gives it a rather cheap feel. We wouldn't want to take this laptop on any rough and tumble missions. It's also a total fingerprint trap and can look filthy within seconds if you've been eating cake or bacon -- or both.
The lid is shiny, black and loves fingerprints.
Under the lid, the laptop is more attractive. The keyboard surround is made of a much more appealing -- and sturdy -- black brushed metal that doesn't seem to have the same taste for fingerprints as the lid. The keyboard surround is only a small part of the laptop, but it's pleasing and certainly adds a degree of class and style to an otherwise boring piece of kit.
We'd love to see more brushed metal wrapped around the G570, but that would undoubtedly push the price up, so we guess we'll have to make do with the shiny black plastic.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard's isolated keys have a rounded shape, which gives them something of a modern edge. They're slightly too high and wide for our liking though. We've certainly had more comfortable typing experiences on other machines so, if you plan on tapping out long documents, you may want to at least give the G570 a hands-on session in a shop first.
The keyboard is pleasingly wide, so you have plenty of room to stretch those fingers out, and there's a separate numeric keypad too, which is handy if you've got plenty of fascinating spreadsheets to work on.
The trackpad is pretty small, which is annoying considering the amount of spare space that has been left around it. We really don't know why Lenovo didn't just make it a gnat's wing bigger and help us out with all the insufferable swiping and scrolling we have to get through on a daily basis. It has quite a charming dimpled texture, though, which allows for some good finger-sliding action.
The trackpad isn't particularly big, but it has a pleasing texture and supports multi-touch gestures.
The trackpad buttons are large and easy to press, although they do feel rather plasticky. It's not a major problem, but we spent quite a long time in the office discussing the fact that the two buttons produce a slightly different clicking sound. That's probably quite far down the list of things you care about when choosing a laptop, but it's worth mentioning.
At 377 by 18 by 245mm, the laptop isn't so bulky that you can't fit it into a rucksack. Weighing 2.5kg, you shouldn't get too knackered if it's slung over your shoulder all day either.
Around the edge, you'll find a VGA port, HDMI out, three USB 2.0 ports, a combined USB/eSATA socket, an Ethernet jack and headphone out/audio in holes. There's also a DVD drive.
Screen
The 15.6-inch screen is really rather impressive for a laptop of this price. It's bright, offers good contrast and deep blacks, and delivers bold colour reproduction that made our videos sparkle. Its 1,366x768-pixel resolution will easily do the trick if you're watching the odd bit ofFriends or browsing the latest videos of Maru on YouTube.
Performance
Under the hood of the G570, you'll find a dual-core Intel Core i3-2310M processor clocked at 2.1GHz, paired with 4GB of RAM. We threw our set of benchmark tests at it and were rather pleased with the results.
In the PCMark05 test, the G570 returned a score of 5,622, putting it about level in terms of processing grunt with the Lenovo Essential B570, which we were rather keen on.
The 20p doesn't come with the G570, but, with such a modest price tag, you'll have plenty of these left over.
In the Geekbench test, the G570 delivered a score of 6,063 which is, again, very admirable. By way of comparison, our 11-inch MacBook Airdelivered a score of 6,285, and that laptop packs a dual-core Core i7 processor and costs about a grand more.
The G570 may be pretty cheap, but this laptop won't limit you to simply sending and receiving business emails, and browsing the company's intranet. Happily breaking free from the shackles of commerce, it will play your high-definition content, undertake some basic editing of your photos, and deal with some light multitasking too.
There's no dedicated graphics card on offer, so you can rule out firing up the latest games, as you sink energy drink after energy drink. Instead, the G570 relies on integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, which produced a score of 4,290 in the 3DMark06 graphics benchmark test. That score indicates you'll be able to tackle some older titles fairly well, as long as you dial the settings back.
The G570's battery is also quite decent. It managed to last 1 hour and 39 minutes in our test, which runs the CPU at a constant 100 per cent until the battery conks out. You'll get longer life from the battery with less intensive use.
Conclusion
The Lenovo Essential G570 looks as interesting as a paving slab on an industrial estate in Rotherham, but it offers impressive performance for a very reasonable price. If you're after a decent machine for some light work, the G570 is definitely worth considering.
Acer Aspire 5749 review
Verdict
The Acer Aspire 5749 offers an interesting design, a good screen and relatively swift performance for a very reasonable price. It won't tackle the more hardcore of tasks, but it's a great choice for general computing on a budget.
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Good
- Sturdy construction
- Attractive design
- Bright screen
Bad
- Not as powerful as some budget models
- Screen resolution could be higher
The budget end of the laptop market has often meant poor performance, shoddy build quality and disgusting design. The Acer Aspire 5749 has none of that, instead offering relatively good performance with an interesting look.
It's available now for the very reasonable price of £400 from Save on Laptops among other places.
Design and build quality
The laptop world may be being flooded by super-thin ultrabooks, but they're not to everyone's taste. With price tags upwards of a grand, they're not going to dominate the market quite yet.
At 32mm thick, the 5749 is certainly no ultrabook as defined by Intel's criteria. Its 2.39kg weight doesn't make it the lightest machine to carry around either. But its 380mm-wide chassis isn't so huge that it won't slide into a stylish shoulder bag without too much fuss.
That's not very slim, but you won't struggle getting it into a bag.
It's considerably slimmer and easier to hulk about than MSI's GT680gaming rig, but you probably wouldn't want to carry it everywhere with you. We reckon it's best suited to a trip to the library every now and then, but spending most of its time anchored to your desk amongst the discarded coffee cups and old sweet wrappers.
It's not a bad-looking machine either. The budget end of the laptop market is typically full of boring expanses of plain black or grey plastic, but the 5749 has been given a rough criss-cross effect. It looks like that aluminium flooring you sometimes find in factories. The lid is still just one plain colour, but the texture adds an extra element of interest that just about saves it from being boring.
We're keen on that pattern as it reminds us of the factories we spend our weekends in.
The pattern extends to the wrist rest around the keyboard. The black strip that houses the speakers and the unusual metal power button all add to a rather cool industrial look. If floral prints and bright colours are more your style then the 5749 won't do much for you. But if you find yourself dreaming of men hitting hot iron with big hammers, it'll be right up your street.
Although the chassis is made of plastic, it doesn't have the typical flimsy feel we often find on budget models. The lid seemed reassuringly firm and resistant to our poking and prodding, as did the wrist rest. The keyboard offered minimal flex too, which is often a problem in weaker laptops.
The keyboard itself uses isolated keys, but rather than being set into the tray -- as you'd see on laptops like the MacBook Pro -- they float above the surface. These types of keys can feel quite wobbly and awkward but Acer has managed to firm them up, which makes for a comfortable typing experience. It does however mean that there's a gap underneath every key that's just crying out to be filled with biscuit crumbs, so make sure you don't eat over it.
The keyboard isn't amazing, but it's fairly comfortable. Just make sure you don't get biscuit crumbs under the keys.
The trackpad is a decent enough size for most scrolling tasks, but if you find yourself sending your cursor darting wildly around web pages and long documents you'll probably want to slot in an USB mouse. The buttons beneath are fused together into one long rocker button. It looks pretty good but requires you to press on the outer areas in order for it to register a click.
It has a matte texture that makes sliding your finger around extremely easy and it supports multi-touch gestures for two-fingered scrolling.
Around the edges of the machine you'll find a VGA port, an HDMI connection, an Ethernet slot, three USB 2.0 ports and a DVD drive. Notably absent are both USB 3.0 ports and a Blu-ray drive. On a machine in this price range, that's not in the least bit surprising and we can't hold it against the 5749.
Screen
It offers a 15.6-inch display with a 1,366x768-pixel resolution. That's a pretty low spec for a screen of this size so it's clearly one of the areas that Acer has cut back on in order to keep the price as low as possible. It certainly hasn't got the 1,600x900-pixel skills of the 13-inch Asus UX31 Zenbook, but that thing does cost a cool grand.
It's a bright display though and handles colours better than many screens we've seen at this price. It's not going to replace your home cinema system, but it will satisfy the YouTube lover and will happily show off the jokes in The Big Bang Theory -- even if you don't understand them.
It's not a high resolution screen, but it's a cheap laptop, so stop complaining.
Performance
Under the hood of the 5749 is an Intel Core i3-2330M processor running at 2.20GHz, along with 4GB of RAM. Those aren't 'blow you socks off' specs, but they're good for the price, so we were keen to see just what this thing could handle.
We fired up the PCMark05 benchmark test and were given a score of 6,536. That's an admirable total but it doesn't beat the rival budget Asus K53E, which achieved over 7,000 on the same test. The K53E is available for around £440, so in terms of performance versus price, it's probably got the edge over the 5749.
Asus K53E review
Verdict
The Asus K53E offers solid performance for a relatively low price, making it an appealing choice for those of you in need of an everyday laptop but who don't want to spend a small fortune.
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Good
- Decent performance for the price
- Sturdy aluminium wrist rest
- Comfortable trackpad
Bad
- Uninspiring design
- Lacklustre screen
- No USB 3.0
Not everyone needs the most high-powered beast of a laptop for their work. Sometimes it's better to opt for the affordable option, something with just enough 'oomph' to get you through the day.
The Asus K53E comes in a number of flavours but the one we reviewed -- the SX123V -- packs an Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of RAM. It comes with an affordable price tag of £440.
Design and build quality
The K53E isn't beautiful enough to earn it a place in an art gallery, but it's not the most hideous laptop we've ever seen. The lid is a plain black affair but it has an unusual lined texture that just about manages to keep it the right side of boring.
Boring little black number? Moi? Run your fingers along my unusual textured body.
The plastic has a fair amount of flex to it, which is never a good sign. At least it feels like a thicker, more durable plastic than can be found on other machines. It could probably take a few knocks without cracking like the Grand Canyon. If you scratch your nails over it you'll hear a very plasticky sound. It's not going to win the build quality category if you're playing 'most luxurious laptop Top Trumps'.
It's made of a thick, durable plastic that's unlikely to crack.
Things seem more premium under the lid as the wrist rest and keyboard edging is made from aluminium. It's coloured either a purpley-brown or a browny-purple; we can't decide which way around it is -- or even if we like it. Even so, it's a change from black or grey.
Asus has used some kind of trickery to ensure that the metal stays cool during intensive use, which is handy. That is, unless you intend using it on a cold London day (like us) and want a portable hand-warmer.
It's also apparently a scratch-resistant metal. We immediately tested this by throwing our keys and other shrapnel at it. After several lengthy bouts, we had to conclude that it is indeed very scratch-proof. You'll appreciate this if you make a habit of wearing heavy metal watches as you type.
Keyboard and trackpad
The isolated keys on the keyboard are a fair size and are spread wide across the body. They're set a little too high for our liking and take more pressing than we'd prefer. If you're a light-fingered touch-typist then you may not have a comfortable experience. There's a separate numeric keypad on the right-hand side for all the number fun you could want.
Light-touch typists need not apply -- the keys are set too high for speedy accuracy.
The trackpad is lovely, offering a responsive input from the large, smooth surface. The coating on it allows for an easy finger slide, even if your hands are particularly oily. The two buttons are large and easy to click so fast web browsing is made as comfortable as possible. Of course, you can always whack in a USB mouse if you prefer.
You can slide your fingers along this lovely, smooth trackpad all day, but you might attract a few looks.
Around the side of the machine you'll find an HDMI port, three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, headphone and microphone jacks, a DVD drive and an SD card reader. There's no Blu-ray drive so don't plan on playing your high-definition discs on the Asus K53E, but this price though we can't complain. A USB 3.0 port would have been welcome though; this would have allowed you to hook up an external hard drive and transfer data with epic speed.
Plenty of ports, but it lacks a USB 3.0 for ultra-quick data transfers.
Screen
The 15.6-inch screen is certainly not the brightest thing we've ever seen so it's probably not going to be a great companion if you make a habit of working in strong sunlight -- you know, while sipping Martinis in Monte Carlo.
The 1,366x768-pixel screen is good enough for everyday use.
It has a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which isn't great, but it's fine for most computing tasks and web browsing. If you do want a more special movie-watching experience, you can simply connect it to a TVusing the HDMI port.
Performance
The K53E has an Intel Core i5-2410M processor, running at 2.3GHz and backed up by 4GB RAM. Those are the specs you'd see on a higher priced machine so we were hoping for a decent performance for the money.
We booted up the PCMark05 benchmark test and were given a score of 7,467. That's about what we would expect from a machine with these specs so we're satisfied. You can find similar performance in bigger, more expensive machines such as the Toshiba Satellite P770. The P770 comes in at £730 so you're getting a lot of bang for your buck with the K53E.
Of course, some of that extra cash for the P770 pays for the 17-inch screen, which will suit those of you wanting a media machine with a bigger screen than the K53E's 15-inch display.
To see how it handles 3D graphics, we booted up the 3DMark06benchmark and received a score of 3,684. That's really not good enough to allow you to do much by way of gaming -- unless you consider Solitaire and Minesweeper to be games -- but the graphics power it does have will lend a hand when it comes to processing high-definition video and editing photos.
Performance was swift and pleasant with general computing tasks -- we experienced quick loading times and very little lag when switching between browser windows and tabs during intense multitasking. It's only got 4GB of RAM though so don't try and run too much at once or you'll quickly find it shedding tears.
The K53E is quick with general computing tasks, but with only 4GB RAM on board, anything too arduous may cause it to shut up shop.
Battery
The K53E is definitely more of a desktop replacement laptop than it is ultra-portable; as such, it's not likely that you'll be hauling it around. Even so, it's nice to know if the battery will get you from one plug to another in an emergency.
We ran our battery test and the K53E managed to last 1 hour 15 minutes before giving up. The test runs the processor at a constant 100 per cent so it's extremely brutal. If you use wireless connectivity sensibly and don't play a lot of high-definition video, you'll get a much better battery life.
Conclusion
The K53E isn't much to look at but it offers solid performance for general computing tasks that belies its affordable price tag. It won't suit the gaming fanatics, but if you need a machine to cope with day-to-day tasks and don't want to spend the Earth, the K53E is definitely one to consider.
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