With the power that goes along with
it…
Sleek and small don’t always go hand in
hand with powerful performance. This is particularly true of notebook
computers. And while there are some very enticing offers in the former category
on the market these days, the truth of the matter is that sometimes you need
power, and lots of it. In these cases, buying an Ultrabook or a netbook may not
be the best option. Sure, going for a larger notebook may well mean that you
are compromising portability, but that’s the way of things.
Acer have some entrants in the Ultrabook
market, true, but they haven’t added these products at the expense of their
other notebooks. The Aspire V3-771 stands testament to that. Endowed with a
17.3 inch LED display, it’s a pretty big device. Big enough to handle a full
sized keyboard, in fact, complete with a NumPad. But it’s not just big in size
– the V3 has a lot of ‘big’ where it counts, too; under the hood.
The heart of the machine is an Intel i5
processor that runs at 2.5GHz. This can be boosted up to a really chunky 3.1
GHz using built in Turbo Boost technology. The CPU is supported by 4GB of RAM,
which is fairly standard, but is still not a number to sneeze at. Visuals are
provided via Intel HD 3000 graphics technology, and storage is provided by a
fair sized 500GB hard drive. It’s not SSD, but it does the trick rather nicely.
In terms of looks, the V3 bucks the brushed
metal trend, going rather for something that could be considered a little
anachronistic: shiny black and silver plastic. As a result, it doesn’t feel
quite as tough as it should, but it does make a visual impression. The keyboard
is black, set on a matt silver background, and a large left-aligned touch pad
completes the input ensemble. The large display is a little too shiny for our
tastes, but it supported by very decent audio, thanks to a Dolby Home Theatre
sound system.
When it comes to ports, the V3 is well
provisioned. Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports group together with audio ports,
a LAN port, HMDI output and VGA output, while a multi-card reader (something
that is becoming ubiquitous in notebooks) is positioned at the front of the
device.
On the whole, the Aspire V3-771 is a rather
good workhorse. It is a bit heavy but that weight speaks of the power it
provides the user. It looks a little more at home on a desk than on the go, but
it is still portable enough to make sense. And it offers the kind of
performance that many users would want.
A glance
Summary
It a big, bulky notebook that delivers good levels of power.
Tech Specs:
- 4GB RAM
- 500 GB HDD
- 17.3 inch display
- 2 USB 3.0 ports
- 2 USB 2.0 ports
Manufacturer: Acer
Online: www.acer.com
RRP: Approx. $688.5
Pros: Powerful, Good port
options
Cons: Bulky
Score: 80
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