Acer AS7739Z-4469 17.3-Inch Laptop

Functionally, the laptop is a great value. Even though the specs on this laptop is entry-level, it is still plenty fast for high-def video, web browsing, ms office, casual gaming, and light photo editing. The bottleneck seems to be the integrated intel 3000 graphics, so this isn't meant for graphic intensive games. The 1600x900 screen is great considering this is a sub-$400 laptop. At 1600x900, I appreciate the real estate and the ability to run 1080p natively. While this isn't a 1920x1200 screen like some higher end 17" laptops, it is still very usable.

The build of this laptop is solid. It is based on the Aspire case which is the same as some of Acer's higher-end offerings which has better components. The full keyboard feels nice and the trackpad is responsive.

Now for some "negatives." The laptop is large and heavy. You're not paying for a macbook pro here so it shouldn't be a surprise. If you haven't owned a 17" laptop before, you should decide whether or not you need one. Acer has 15.6" models too. The laptop isn't very good at multitasking. For example, I can't have it post-process photos in lightroom and watch HD netflix at the same time - the video will freeze. The battery life is relatively short, but usable at 2.5-3 hours. I don't take the laptop to many places except the living room or the library, so it doesn't bother me that much. The trackpad has a terrible time doing the 2-finger scrolling. The speakers are, well, laptop speakers.

I plan to do some mild gaming with this laptop and it really exceeded expectations here. I was able to run Grand Prix Legends at full detail in 1600 x 900 res on my HDTV(via HDMI) at its maximum frame rate of 36 FPS! It also linked up with my Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 Force Feedback steering wheel and Club Sport pedals without a hiccup, yielding as satisfying an experience as I could have dreamed of with this vintage game. The Acer also comfortably handled iRacing at 1600 x 900 res, with a few graphical compromises.

If the Acer is short in any area, I would say that battery life would be it. When I'm using it for web browsing on battery power, I get about 2 hours and 50 minutes to 3 hours before they're dead. I was expecting something along the lines of 4 to 5 hours. I tend to watch video clips and listen to audio files as I browse, so I'm probably don't fit the model for gauging battery life. The speakers don't quite deliver the volume and dynamic range I'd like, but I would say they're adequate. When I want to do some serious listening, I stick in my ear buds, or pipe it out to my Home Theater system via Windows Media Center and my Xbox 360s .

So overall it's a great laptop for the money. Works great as a media center (I plug mine into my TV for netflix) or a secondary computer to browse the internet or watch some movies. Just don't expect it to be beyond entry level, and you'll be happy with it!

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