Acer Aspire 3 review: A standout budget laptop for school and work

Price When Reviewed

$329.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Aspire 3

In 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 reveals up properly on this class, sporting easy, low-profile styling, a full-size keyboard full with a quantity pad, and a large display that’s a pleasure to videoconference on. While there’s no scarcity of trade-offs for the low $400 value level, Acer has made even handed selections to supply a machine that offers you loads of bang for comparatively couple of bucks.

Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops for 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 isn’t any workhorse, however packs sufficient punch to get issues carried out on a finances. You’ll discover an HDMI port for connecting to exterior shows and a single USB-C port for hooking up newer equipment and units.  

• CPU: Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U
• Memory: 8GB
• Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 
• Display: 15.8-inch LED-backlit LCD 
• Storage: 128GB
• Connectivity:  1 HDMI Port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port
• Networking: IEEE 802.11ax Wi-Fi
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capability: 40 watt-hour
• Dimensions: 0.74 inches x 14.3 inches x 9.4 inches
• Weight: 3.97 kilos

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

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Design and construct high quality

Weighing in at just below 4 kilos, the Aspire 3 isn’t precisely light-weight, however in change 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 reasonably priced machine is fairly candy. This keyboard feels pretty strong beneath the fingers, with out an excessive amount of flex or bounce in heavy typing. That issues, as a result of finances machines usually sacrifice chassis construction to chop prices, and the outcomes can really feel flimsy and even result in bounce on the monitor pad, inflicting the mouse cursor to bounce across the display. But no such fear on this Acer; it’s truly a pleasure to kind on.

In entrance of that large keyboard, we discover a comparatively spacious 3-inch by 5-inch touchpad. Unlike these of different Acer laptops we’ve tried, this trackpad feels agency and clean to the contact, and responds with a decisive, however quiet, click on. We discovered it tracks properly with each single-digit and multi-touch gestures.

Though considerably cumbersome at roughly 3/4 of an inch in thickness, the Aspire 3 makes room for a wholesome array of ports. The complete laptop computer seems to be and feels considerably extra strong than most different sub-$500 laptops we’ve examined. It’s a machine match for a working grownup, not an inexpensive, plastic child’s laptop. Our solely vital grievance with the construct high quality is that the display wobbles a bit once we transfer it round whereas open, slightly than sitting agency. This means the webcam picture will wobble throughout use for those who transfer the gadget, which we skilled in our testing.

Acer Aspire 3: Display and audio

Acer’s finances laptops, together with the Aspire 5 we reviewed last year, 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 finances traces as properly, so it now not stands out from the group on this entrance. That mentioned, for those who’re shopping for a laptop computer in 2023, 1080p is the bottom decision a purchaser ought to settle for, since 768p barely matches most fashionable internet pages of their native decision. Responsive internet design is sweet and all, but when your 15-inch laptop computer display triggers a minimized format with the browser window maximized, you would possibly as properly be shopping on an iPad Mini. 

The Aspire 3 places you squarely within the acceptable decision vary for present units, however as I mentioned, that’s the naked minimal we’d need at this level. Overall, we preferred the look of the Aspire 3’s show for films and video. Color high quality was respectable, although unremarkable, and vibrant sufficient for snug use in full solar. 

A pair of small, downward-pointing audio system kick out pretty loud audio that we discovered properly 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 properly. 

Side by facet with a Macbook Pro, we notably preferred the Aspire 3’s low-light webcam efficiency. Equipped with Temporal Noise Reduction, 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 many of the different built-in webcams we’ve tried, even on a lot pricier computer systems.

Similarly, 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 lots. Overall, with its picture and voice seize high quality, we’d slightly leap on a Zoom with the Acer Aspire 3 than with some machines at quadruple the worth.

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Connectivity

One upside of an even bigger laptop computer is the capability for lots of helpful connectors. Along 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 suitable, 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 changing into widespread on higher laptops today, or a card reader slot. 

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

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Performance

If you’re spending $400 on a laptop computer, you need to mood your efficiency expectations significantly. With its Quad-core 2.4GHz AMD Ryzen 7320U course of and Radeon graphics, the Acer Aspire 3 isn’t any exception, delivering respectable efficiency in fundamental enterprise duties, however notably sub-par outcomes for graphics and gaming. 

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Our PCMark 10 take a look at 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 3,902 rating of the Intel-equipped Aspire 5 we examined final yr. This is an efficient factor as a result of this machine is constructed to attraction to highschool and small-business customers. If you’re searching for an reasonably priced laptop computer for back-to-school within the fall or want to interchange an getting old work machine on a finances, this efficiency signifies an honest funding.

For films and video playback, the Aspire 3 once more outperforms different finances programs we’ve examined. On our multi-thread Cinebench 15 take a look at, the Aspire 3 got here in on the prime of the pack of economic system laptops with a rating of 1,925. On the single-thread Cinebench take a look at, its rating of 435 beat out the others we have now a outcome for.

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Where the Aspire 3 falls very brief, even towards different low-cost laptops we’ve examined, is its gaming graphics efficiency. In our 3DMark TimeSpy 1.2 take a look at, this machine was downright pitiful with a rating of 584, lower than half that of the Aspire 5. Whether that is acceptable or not will depend on how you are feeling about gaming, in fact. If you’re shopping for this to put in writing or surf the online, you gained’t care. But if it is a scholar laptop computer, let’s simply say you gained’t have to fret about video games distracting you from examine time.

PCWorld / Robert Strohmeyer

Acer Aspire 3: Battery life

Battery life was yet one more optimistic efficiency for the Aspire 3. In our checks enjoying again a film on repeat till the battery died, it averaged about eight hours of life persistently. That’s nearly a full work day and for those who’re not enjoying video continually and possibly take a lunch break, it ought to be greater than sufficient to get you thru the day. If that you must 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 on an excessive amount of area. 

Acer Aspire 3: Should you purchase it?

In a world the place finances constraints drive compromises, the Acer Aspire 3 represents a wise 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. While it gained’t give avid gamers a lot pleasure, it’s a lots competent work machine that’ll make you look and sound good on Zoom calls. If you’re out there for a fundamental enterprise laptop computer or back-to-school laptop, you’ll wish to take a better look.