Dec 15, 2015 05:46 PM
3359 Views
Promises big screen size of 15.6-inch for little money. Intel Pentium processor and 6 GB of working memory which is very good for medium and moderate level users
It gleams in dark gray on the desk. Only a silver stripe and Acer's logo catch the eye. When opened, the Aspire E1-531 shows us what it has to offer right away - thanks to stickers.
Intel's Pentium dual-core processor with 2.2 GHz and its integrated Intel HD Graphics(Sandy Bridge), 6 GB of working memory and a 500 GB hard disk are installed. This bundle is rounded off with a large 15.6-inch screen and a small price.
Color design is restrained and elegant. The cover on the bottom can be lifted quickly and easily after removing two screws. It conceals the working memory and HDD.
Specification based review:
Connectivity
The 5-in-1 card reader
4 USB Ports
All connections are sufficiently spaced in line with the laptop's size. However, fast USB 3.0 is not installed.
Communication
Webcam and microphone
Broadcom cards provide both LAN and WLAN. Wireless network access always worked without interferences because a correspondingly sized antenna is installed. Connections with 802.11 b/g/n networks can reach speeds up to 72 Mbit/s. Other features, such as Bluetooth, are not available.
A webcam with a resolution of 1 megapixel is built in above the screen, they are sufficient for video calls.
Accessories
Driver DVD is included with a paperboard for structural support.
Device provided with included a Linux operating system. This makes a low price possible.
Maintenance
Both the working memory and the hard disk are easy to access and replace.
6 GB of RAM cannot be upgraded with another module.
Warranty
A standard two-year pick-up & return service is included in the purchase price.
The warranty can be extended up to 4 years.
Keyboard
Regrettably, typing on the keyboard is not really compelling. A weak pressure point and sleek surface cause a spongy typing feel
Touchpad
The roughened surface supplies a pleasant, haptic feedback during use.
Display
The 15.6-inch screen's resolution of 1366x768 pixels is adequate but not outstanding.
Reflectiveness, the viewing angle stability is also an issue.
While the image quality only suffers to an extent from the sides, annoying effects quickly evolve when looking up or down. The colors fade and darken particularly towards the top of the screen.
CPU
A moderate CPU/GPU array alongside a quite generously configured working memory of 6 GB - how will it fare in practice? The processor is Intel's Pentium B960 clocked to 2.2 GHz. Corresponding to that, Intel's HD Graphics(Sandy Bridge) takes care of graphics. But let us look at the system in detail.
The Aspire E-531 places itself between Acer's Aspire V5-571G and Sony's SV-E14A1M6EW in system performance. Both devices are more expensive and let the 1857 points in PCMark 7 look quite good in the end. Nevertheless, we are only on the performance level of office laptops.
4.9Windows 7 Experience IndexProcessorCalculations per second6.1
Memory(RAM)Memory operations per second 7.5
Graphics Desktop performance for Windows Aero 4.9
Primary hard disk - Disk data transfer rate 5.9
PCMark - 7 Score
Western Digital's 500 GB hard disk corresponds to the current standard. It is even quite fast with an average write speed of 90.7 MB/s and a peak rate of 119.5 MB/s. We did not notice any performance drops in the write performance either. This combination consistently loads the processor to a total capacity of 5.4%.
Graphics Card
Intel's CPU and its integrated Intel HD Graphics(Sandy Bridge) are used as a mobile solution. The test based on 3DMark 06 makes a good impression - our test laptop leaves devices using the same CPU/GPU array, such as Lenovo's B750e or the IdeaPad G580(also Lenovo), behind by over 20%.
Unfortunately, the laptop refused to run the 3DMark 11 benchmark because the hardware only supports DirectX 10.1; a bad omen for the gaming tests.
Battery Life
Power Consumption
The Aspire E1-531's 6-cell battery has a capacity of 48 Watt hours. Battery Eater indicated a maximum runtime of 6 hours and 10 minutes in idle mode.
The battery runtime nearly reaches 4 hours when browsing on the Internet. DVD movies should not exceed a length of 3 hours and 10 minutes.
It took 93 minutes in order to recharge the drained battery while using the laptop.
Battery Runtime
Idle(without WLAN, min brightness)
6h 10min
WiFi Surfing
3h 55min
DVD
3h 10min
Load(maximum brightness)
1h 13min
Verdict
Acer's Aspire E1-531 positions itself as a tightly calculated entry-level laptop for tight budgets.
if you are looking for an affordable laptop for home cinema use and occasional office work, you might find it in this device.
