Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 review: A laptop with AMD Ryzen 7 power but...
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 (NX.A82EV.00H) is a high-quality-looking laptop with a recommended retail price of around 600 Euros (~$687), but at this price it doesn't include a preinstalled operating system. However, you can easily get and install this. The device is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor, which offers a clock speed of up to 4.3 GHz and includes the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000) onboard graphics. This is accompanied by a meager 8 GB of RAM and a 512-GB SSD.
Alternatively, Acer also offers the Aspire 5 A515-45 in various other configurations, for example having weaker CPUs (AMD Ryzen 3 5300U or AMD Ryzen 5 5500U) or more working memory (16 GB) and additional storage configurations (256 GB and 1 TB).
In our test, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 in the NX.A82EV.00H configuration has to compete also against its 200-Euro (~$229) more expensive sibling, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A with an Intel Tiger Lake i5-1135G7 CPU model with Iris Xe G7 80EUs and twice as much RAM. Which version brings more power for the money? Other competitors in the test include the Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA and the HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr with the same CPU/iGPU combination.
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
81 % | 02/2022 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 R7 5700U, Vega 8 | 1.7 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
81.4 % | 02/2021 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.9 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
78.4 % | 11/2019 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW R5 3500U, Vega 8 | 1.8 kg | 18 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
82.1 % | 07/2021 | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA R7 5700U, Vega 8 | 1.8 kg | 16.1 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
84.8 % | 11/2021 | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs | 1.7 kg | 19.4 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
86.4 % | 05/2021 | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr R7 5700U, Vega 8 | 1.9 kg | 18.4 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
76.9 % | 09/2021 | HP 14s-fq1357ng R5 5500U, Vega 7 | 1.5 kg | 17.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 |
Case: An elegant laptop with a solid heft
The silver-colored case shows good workmanship and is made of a material mix of aluminum and high-quality plastic. Despite its relatively low price, it offers an elegant and haptically satisfying impression. The design varies slightly from the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A with the Intel CPU.
Thanks to the base having sufficient weight and its suitable hinges, the lid can be opened with a single hand. The display only wobbles briefly after the device is shaken.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 brings a good 1.7 kg (~3.7 lb) to the scale, which is completely okay for a 15.6-inch laptop. With this, it is one of the lightest laptops among the similarly-sized comparison devices. The power supply adds another 300 g (~0.7 lb), resulting in a total of about 2 kg (~4.4 lb) to take on the road.
With its 18-mm (~0.7 in) thickness, the test device is in the middle of our test field, and the same is the case for the width measurement. Only in terms of the depth, we see that all the other selected 15.6-inch comparison devices turn out 1 or 2 cm shorter (~0.4 - 0.8 in). However, for most buyers this probably won't be much of a deciding factor.
Equipment: LAN and HDMI but no Thunderbolt
While the amount of connections is anything but ample, it is probably sufficient for most users. An external monitor can only be connected via HDMI, and there is only a single USB-C connection (USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C) on the left side. We would have liked a bit more here, but at least the port remains usable, since the device is charged via a separate power connection.
The connection package is rounded by three USB-A ports, although only two of those support the faster USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard and one, only the USB 2.0 standard. In addition to WLAN, the Gigabit LAN connection is a practical feature. As in the predecessors, Acer continues to forgo any kind of storage card reader in the Aspire 5 A515.
Communication
While the Intel model of the Acer Aspire 5 includes the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 module, our test unit with AMD CPU uses the almost identical Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 without CRF module. This also offers a really good performance, which is significantly above average. It even places first in the download test and gets third place among the comparison field in the upload test. So without a doubt, fast WLAN connectivity with 2x2 Wi-Fi 6 technology is a given.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (447 - 1645, n=127) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (285 - 1094, n=5, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (523 - 1684, n=128) | |
Average of class Multimedia (625 - 1675, n=5, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng |
Webcam
As in many other laptops, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 also uses only a webcam with a resolution of 0.9 MP / 720p, which is placed at the center of the top display edge. The image quality is mediocre, and with a Delta-E of 16, colors are reproduced badly and too bright.
Security
Besides a Kensington Lock connection and a fingerprint sensor in the touchpad, there is no other security equipment.
Accessories
In addition to a 45-Watt power supply, Acer also includes an HDD upgrade kit. Using this insertion frame with its connection cables, you can insert a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD to expand the available storage space. The manufacturer also sells various other accessories on its website.
Maintenance
After removing 11 small Philips screws and the case bottom, you get access to the insides, where you can not only clean the fans easily, but also insert a RAM module (up to 16 GB) or an additional storage medium using the insertion frame we already mentioned.
Warranty
Acer offers buyers in Germany the usual 24-month warranty to laptops of the Aspire series. Optionally, you can also purchase three years of mail-in warranty.
Input Devices: A laptop with a number pad and fingerprint sensor
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 is equipped with a keyboard that includes a number pad and a touchpad that is positioned to the side and almost right below the space key.
Keyboard
Aside from 2-cm (~0.8 in) edges on the left and right side, the keyboard takes the whole width of the device. At 17 x 15 mm (~0.7 x 0.6 in), the keys have a sufficient size, allowing for a fairly comfortable and speedy typing experience to be established quickly. The noise development is moderate.
To the right of the regular keyboard, Acer also squeezes in a number pad. At a width of 13 mm (~0.5 in), the keys of the number pad turn out significantly smaller.
The background illumination is distributed evenly across the whole keyboard and can be turned on or off via the F8 function key. There is no dimming. In addition, there are more of the usual special functions on the F1 to F12 keys, such as those for adjusting the brightness and turning off the display.
Touchpad
The touchpad measures about 10.5 x 8 cm (~4.1 x 3.1 in). Together with its comfortable haptics, this size is sufficient to ensure smooth operation. At the bottom of the touchpad are the two "mouse keys" that are not separated haptically and produce a clicking noise that is not particularly loud.
In the top left corner is the fingerprint reader. While it is noticeable when traversing it with your finger, the movement of the mouse cursor is not interrupted. However, this position is still not ideal for unlocking the laptop with your thumb.
Display: Unfortunately not particularly bright
The 15.6-inch display of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD). This is an IPS panel that offers stable viewing angles as usual and can therefore be read even from very steep viewing angles. While the purely subjective impression during the test of the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 is okay, the measurements show a few weak areas.
Among other things, the brightness is not particularly bright at about 230 cd/m². The brightness distribution is also not very even, and we measured a difference of around 70 cd/m² between the top left and bottom right corner of our test unit. The image brightness of our test unit limps behind that of the other comparison laptops fairly significantly in some parts. In addition, there is some slight clouding and IPS glow, but this is only noticeable when displaying a very dark image and looking closely.
The built-in panel does a significantly better job reproducing black values. In this area - as in the contrast - the device surpasses the competitors.
|
Brightness Distribution: 73 %
Center on Battery: 230 cd/m²
Contrast: 1908:1 (Black: 0.12 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.76 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.44
ΔE Greyscale 3.01 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
39.35% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
57.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
38.09% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.41
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 CEC PANDA LM156LF-CL13, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A LG Philips LGD065A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW CEC PANDA LM156LF-CL07, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA Chi Mei N156HCA-EAB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 CEC Panda LM156LF-5L06, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr AUOA08B, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | HP 14s-fq1357ng AUO403D, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | 1% | 4% | 14% | 9% | 77% | -0% | |
Display P3 Coverage | 38.09 | 38.32 1% | 39.53 4% | 43.6 14% | 41.6 9% | 69 81% | 38.11 0% |
sRGB Coverage | 57.3 | 57.5 0% | 59.5 4% | 65.2 14% | 62.3 9% | 99.1 73% | 57 -1% |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 39.35 | 39.6 1% | 40.84 4% | 45 14% | 43 9% | 70.1 78% | 39.37 0% |
Response Times | -1% | 6% | 42% | -19% | -55% | -4% | |
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 38 ? | 37 ? 3% | 36 ? 5% | 18 ? 53% | 44.8 ? -18% | 60.4 ? -59% | 41 ? -8% |
Response Time Black / White * | 27 ? | 28 ? -4% | 25 ? 7% | 19 ? 30% | 32 ? -19% | 40.8 ? -51% | 27 ? -0% |
PWM Frequency | 178 ? | ||||||
Screen | -21% | -46% | -51% | -26% | 19% | -17% | |
Brightness middle | 229 | 285 24% | 250 9% | 289 26% | 304 33% | 337.2 47% | 220 -4% |
Brightness | 224 | 255 14% | 228 2% | 267 19% | 285 27% | 337 50% | 223 0% |
Brightness Distribution | 73 | 84 15% | 83 14% | 85 16% | 89 22% | 87 19% | 85 16% |
Black Level * | 0.12 | 0.325 -171% | 0.205 -71% | 0.56 -367% | 0.19 -58% | 0.24 -100% | 0.225 -88% |
Contrast | 1908 | 877 -54% | 1220 -36% | 516 -73% | 1600 -16% | 1405 -26% | 978 -49% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.76 | 4.23 -13% | 5.65 -50% | 3.96 -5% | 5.2 -38% | 1.73 54% | 4.16 -11% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.97 | 7.94 -33% | 13.7 -129% | 6.76 -13% | 18.5 -210% | 3.69 38% | 7.43 -24% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.44 | 3.75 16% | 4.5 -1% | 1.61 64% | |||
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.01 | 2.51 17% | 6.32 -110% | 3.43 -14% | 2.9 4% | 2.3 24% | 2.35 22% |
Gamma | 2.41 91% | 2.57 86% | 2.45 90% | 2.28 96% | 2.14 103% | 2.19 100% | 2.62 84% |
CCT | 6484 100% | 6626 98% | 7287 89% | 7191 90% | 6639 98% | 6872 95% | 6389 102% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 36 | 38 | 42 | 64.1 | |||
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 57 | 59 | 65 | 99.6 | |||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -7% /
-13% | -12% /
-27% | 2% /
-22% | -12% /
-18% | 14% /
21% | -7% /
-11% |
* ... smaller is better
The color space coverage of the display in the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 only achieves low values and is below-average compared to that of the competitors. With this, the device is not suited for professional graphics processing, but the low performance of the hardware wouldn't allow this anyways.
On the other hand, the color accuracy is relatively good, as is shown by a Delta E of less than 4. In this area, the device turns out better than many comparison devices, particularly since the reproduction can be further optimized by a calibration.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
27 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise | |
↘ 13 ms fall | ||
The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 63 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18 ms rise | |
↘ 20 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 49 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms). |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM not detected | |||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Even though the display produces a limited brightness at 230 cd/m², it does fairly well when using it outside. In the shade, the displayed contents can be recognized easily. Even in direct sunlight this still works fairly well due to the matte display and high contrast.
Performance: A solid CPU and disappointing iGPU performance
The configuration that we are testing here uses the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor in combination with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000) iGPU. They are accompanied by 8 GB of soldered RAM. Optionally, the working memory can be increased up to a maximum of 24 GB. The built-in 512-GB SSD can also be replaced or expanded by another drive.
The following sections of our Aspire 5 A515-45 review show how this configuration and its separate components fare under load and in everyday operation.
Test Conditions
Acer keeps the processor on a short leash in mains as well as battery operation with 27 Watt PL2 (short burst) and 16 W PL1 (sustained). This is significantly lower than what Asus, for example, delivers to the CPU in the Vivobook S15 D533UA (35 W PL2 / short burst, 28 W PL1 / sustained).
The Acer Care software does not include different performance modes. Our tests were mostly run using the Windows "Best Performance" mode and "Standard" in the AMD Radeon software.
Processor
The built-in AMD Ryzen 7 5700U CPU does not use the new Zen 3 architecture yet, bringing eight Zen 2 cores (octa-core CPU) instead. The processor, which has been manufactured in the 7-nm process, runs at a base clock speed of 1.8 GHz. It supports clock speeds of up to 4.3 GHz (Turbo) and SMT / Hyperthreading (16 threads).
In the configuration we have here, the laptop does not make full use of the CPU's capabilities, which are really fairly powerful. Most of the time, it remains slightly, but sometimes also significantly, behind the average of all the devices with this processor that we tested previously.
In most benchmarks, the performance of the AMD version is still sufficient to beat the Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A with the Intel Core i5-1135G7, particularly in the multi-core benchmarks. In the single-core measurements, the Ryzen-equipped device remains minimally behind. In battery operation, the CPU performance is only slightly less by up to 10%.
Cinebench R15 Multi Constant Load Test
Cinebench R23: Multi Core | Single Core
Cinebench R20: CPU (Multi Core) | CPU (Single Core)
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 | 7z b 4 -mmt1
Geekbench 5.5: Multi-Core | Single-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
Cinebench R23 / Multi Core | |
Average of class Multimedia (3127 - 30789, n=96, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (7438 - 10139, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Cinebench R23 / Single Core | |
Average of class Multimedia (878 - 2110, n=93, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1177 - 1268, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
Average of class Multimedia (1192 - 11768, n=93, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (2309 - 3877, n=18) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
Average of class Multimedia (341 - 812, n=93, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (478 - 494, n=18) | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
Average of class Multimedia (580 - 4703, n=102, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1196 - 1691, n=17) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
Average of class Multimedia (142.6 - 308, n=95, last 2 years) | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (184 - 190, n=16) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (292 - 402, n=17) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (107 - 956, n=91, last 2 years) |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
Average of class Multimedia (11813 - 119900, n=86, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (32529 - 47501, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
Average of class Multimedia (3398 - 7163, n=86, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (4476 - 4620, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng |
Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
Average of class Multimedia (3307 - 23059, n=96, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (4254 - 7635, n=16) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
Average of class Multimedia (926 - 2342, n=96, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1105 - 1205, n=16) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng |
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (4.12 - 30.5, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (6.97 - 12.1, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (52.4 - 68.5, n=17) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Average of class Multimedia (6.7 - 84.9, n=88, last 2 years) |
R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (0.567 - 0.641, n=17) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (0.3826 - 0.763, n=86, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
AIDA64: FP32 Ray-Trace | FPU Julia | CPU SHA3 | CPU Queen | FPU SinJulia | FPU Mandel | CPU AES | CPU ZLib | FP64 Ray-Trace | CPU PhotoWorxx
AIDA64 / FP32 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Multimedia (3804 - 27411, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (5798 - 12346, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
AIDA64 / FPU Julia | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (16379 - 136048, n=84, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (49225 - 69580, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / CPU SHA3 | |
Average of class Multimedia (1099 - 6681, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1103 - 2231, n=17) | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
AIDA64 / CPU Queen | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (31314 - 134321, n=84, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (57016 - 99178, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / FPU SinJulia | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (6837 - 14169, n=17) | |
Average of class Multimedia (3099 - 15484, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / FPU Mandel | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average of class Multimedia (9602 - 68591, n=84, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (25889 - 36523, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / CPU AES | |
Average of class Multimedia (23702 - 169946, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (34176 - 64646, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
AIDA64 / CPU ZLib | |
Average of class Multimedia (228 - 1901, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (540 - 776, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
AIDA64 / FP64 Ray-Trace | |
Average of class Multimedia (1996 - 14590, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (3247 - 6784, n=17) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
AIDA64 / CPU PhotoWorxx | |
Average of class Multimedia (7419 - 52727, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (6903 - 24627, n=17) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
System Performance
In the end, the fact that the CPU performance isn't fully taken advantage of, the low amount of RAM equipment, and a relatively slow SSD lead to results in the lower half of the comparison field in the system benchmarks. Our test unit remains below the CPU/storage average by sometimes a larger, sometimes a smaller amount. However, it is still sufficient for a direct competition with the Intel version of the Aspire 5.
On the other hand, in everyday operation the rather mediocre benchmark results are usually hardly noticeable with low demands. But if you pose higher demands by running or starting two or more programs at the same time, the operation may start to show some significant stutters. Then the low RAM equipment becomes noticeable. This means that the device is more suitable for surfing and streaming but less suitable for more demanding and extensive work tasks.
PCMark 10 / Score | |
Average of class Multimedia (4039 - 8670, n=81, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (4775 - 5518, n=12) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
Average of class Multimedia (8480 - 12420, n=81, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (8347 - 10091, n=12) | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
Average of class Multimedia (5462 - 11186, n=81, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (7001 - 8112, n=12) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
Average of class Multimedia (3861 - 13548, n=81, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (4583 - 5964, n=12) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 4159 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 5443 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5304 points | |
PCMark 10 Score | 4861 points | |
Help |
AIDA64 / Memory Copy | |
Average of class Multimedia (20513 - 92447, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (15867 - 39326, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / Memory Read | |
Average of class Multimedia (22917 - 89474, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17632 - 47190, n=17) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
AIDA64 / Memory Write | |
Average of class Multimedia (20226 - 95196, n=84, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (11554 - 45188, n=17) | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
AIDA64 / Memory Latency | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Average AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (84.9 - 113, n=17) | |
Average of class Multimedia (75 - 141.6, n=83, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A |
* ... smaller is better
DPC Latencies
In our standardized test, which always only represents a momentary snapshot, the maximum DPC latency turns out solid. There shouldn't be any problems with real-time audio, and the device isn't suitable for video editing anyways.
DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Solution
The built-in 512 GB M.2 SSD from Micron isn't one of the faster representatives of its kind. The read and write rates as well as the access times are only sufficient for a place in the lower half of the comparison field in the various benchmarks, and they also always remain below the average for the storage module.
* ... smaller is better
Constant Performance Reading: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics Card
Acer forgoes a dedicated GPU in the Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1, which isn't very surprising considering its price. Instead, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000) onboard GPU of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U is used. 512 MB out of the total 8 GB of RAM are assigned to this GPU by default and the maximum core clock speed is 1900 MHz.
However, in our test the GPU leaves an impression that is anything other than fast. Acer doesn't even come close to making use of its full potential, as is shown in the meager benchmark results. Changing the setting in the AMD Radeon software from "Standard" to "Games" hardly brings any noticeable changes, and some of the scores were even reduced by this.
Probably this performance is not only owed to a defensive configuration to control the battery life and noise volume, but the small 8 GB amount of single-channel working memory, which is also slow at a 1600 MHz clock speed (3200 MHz being the effective frequency), should also have an effect of limiting the performance while gaming. However, the working memory can optionally also be upgraded.
At least, the graphics performance remains almost stable during the stress test (3DMark Time Spy Stress Test: 98.7%). It also remains the same in battery operation, as a hardly changed result of 3DMark 11 (4167 points) shows.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
Average of class Multimedia (3408 - 60250, n=86, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (3459 - 7591, n=53) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics | |
Average of class Multimedia (14679 - 150699, n=60, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (13941 - 36134, n=45) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics | |
Average of class Multimedia (1835 - 46022, n=86, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (1694 - 5041, n=53) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics | |
Average of class Multimedia (622 - 17620, n=86, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (540 - 1557, n=53) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
3DMark 11 Performance | 4249 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 85514 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 13219 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2116 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 867 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
Due to the fairly low iGPU performance, the gaming performance also turns out mediocre. At least, most games can be played smoothly at the lowest graphics settings. But already at medium settings, things quickly become more difficult or not playable at all, even in some older games. In addition, several newer games only start up with a warning in our test, which is due to the low amount of RAM. The Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA, which is equipped with the same CPU/iGPU but with 16 GB of RAM, delivers a significantly higher performance.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 may still be barely sufficient for the occasional and short gaming session with an older game. But you really couldn't expect more in this price and device class anyways.
The Witcher 3 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Average of class Multimedia (36 - 428, n=63, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (27.2 - 89, n=46) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing | |
Average of class Multimedia (23 - 316, n=62, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (19.6 - 55.2, n=34) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
GTA V | |
1024x768 Lowest Settings possible | |
Average of class Multimedia (42.8 - 187.2, n=66, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (53.6 - 160, n=47) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
1366x768 Normal/Off AF:4x | |
Average of class Multimedia (33.1 - 186.4, n=73, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (34 - 148, n=42) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
Dota 2 Reborn | |
1280x720 min (0/3) fastest | |
Average of class Multimedia (37.2 - 215, n=83, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (67.9 - 152, n=56) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
1366x768 med (1/3) | |
Average of class Multimedia (36.7 - 192.8, n=83, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (49.9 - 122.3, n=56) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark | |
1280x720 Lite Quality | |
Average of class Multimedia (19 - 211, n=69, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (21.9 - 50.1, n=51) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
1920x1080 Standard Quality | |
Average of class Multimedia (9.75 - 162.4, n=80, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (11.7 - 25, n=46) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
X-Plane 11.11 | |
1280x720 low (fps_test=1) | |
Average of class Multimedia (23.1 - 181.6, n=87, last 2 years) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (26.9 - 64.9, n=56) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
1920x1080 med (fps_test=2) | |
Average of class Multimedia (25.6 - 164.3, n=86, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (21.1 - 49.6, n=56) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Strange Brigade | |
1280x720 lowest AF:1 | |
Average of class Multimedia (39.7 - 460, n=73, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (43 - 117, n=49) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 | |
1920x1080 medium AA:medium AF:4 | |
Average of class Multimedia (15.2 - 270, n=77, last 2 years) | |
HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (16.9 - 45.3, n=48) | |
HP 14s-fq1357ng | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 |
Dirt 5 | |
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (44.7 - 159.4, n=3, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (31.2 - 60.6, n=4) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (22.5 - 72.9, n=3, last 2 years) | |
Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (13.9 - 24.2, n=4) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
Monster Hunter Stories 2 | |
1280x720 Low Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (43 - 73.6, n=4) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (25.5 - 44.4, n=4) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
F1 2021 | |
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset | |
Average of class Multimedia (75 - 441, n=24, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (51.8 - 134, n=22) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 | |
1920x1080 Medium Preset AA:T AF:16x | |
Average of class Multimedia (31 - 336, n=27, last 2 years) | |
Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) (23.9 - 58.2, n=22) | |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 |
The frame rate in "The Witcher 3" in Ultra mode and FHD resolution remains constant during a runtime of one hour. The GPU runs at an average of almost 1600 MHz, which doesn't come close to its limits. At a frame rate of about 10 fps with the gaming character staying in one place, the game does not run at a playable level. When the gaming character is moved, the frame rate drops even further.
The Witcher 3 FPS Chart
low | med. | high | ultra | |
GTA V (2015) | 55.8 | 48.5 | 13.8 | 6 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 38.4 | 25.9 | 11.5 | 7.9 |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 90.1 | 64.5 | 33.6 | 31 |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 21.9 | 11.8 | 7.71 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 35.4 | 27.6 | 24.8 | |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 43 | 17.3 | 15 | 13.3 |
Dirt 5 (2020) | 31.2 | 13.9 | 10.2 | 7.3 |
Monster Hunter Stories 2 (2021) | 43 | 25.5 | 21.4 | |
F1 2021 (2021) | 51.8 | 23.9 |
Emissions: The Acer Aspire 5 A515 remains quiet and cool in the test
Noise Emissions
During idle operation, the Acer Aspire 5 A515 runs silently. Under full load, the fan revs up, but even then, it remains comfortably quiet and unintrusive at less than 40 dB(A). This is a positive aspect of Acer not making full use of the hardware capabilities, so it stays relatively cool.
In addition, the fan, which can "breathe" via two fan vents hidden between the base and lid, runs relatively evenly, resulting in a more or less even whir without too many variations. Our test unit did not produce any other annoying noises such as coil whine.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 25 / 25 / 29.5 dB(A) |
Load |
| 38.6 / 38.6 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25 dB(A) |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 Vega 8, R7 5700U, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA512QFD | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA1T0QFD | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW Vega 8, R5 3500U, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8 | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA Vega 8, R7 5700U, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-1T00 | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 Iris Xe G7 80EUs, i5-1135G7, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr Vega 8, R7 5700U, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G | HP 14s-fq1357ng Vega 7, R5 5500U, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA512QFD | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Noise | 6% | -10% | -7% | 11% | 9% | -5% | |
off / environment * | 25 | 24.5 2% | 30.2 -21% | 26 -4% | 23.8 5% | 25 -0% | 26 -4% |
Idle Minimum * | 25 | 24.5 2% | 30.2 -21% | 26 -4% | 23.8 5% | 25.1 -0% | 26 -4% |
Idle Average * | 25 | 24.5 2% | 30.2 -21% | 26 -4% | 23.8 5% | 25.1 -0% | 26 -4% |
Idle Maximum * | 29.5 | 26.4 11% | 30.2 -2% | 28.8 2% | 25 15% | 25.1 15% | 31.6 -7% |
Load Average * | 38.6 | 32 17% | 34.8 10% | 45 -17% | 32.2 17% | 26.3 32% | 41 -6% |
Load Maximum * | 38.6 | 39 -1% | 39.5 -2% | 45 -17% | 32.2 17% | 35.5 8% | 41 -6% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 32.2 | 30.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
In addition to resulting in a the low noise level, the unused hardware potential also benefits the temperature development. Even under full load, the case hardly warms to more than 40 °C (104 °F) and this also only happens in one section directly in front of the display. When there are no demands on the hardware, the device remains barely above room temperature and with this, comfortably cool.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42.8 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.4 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.9 °C / 84 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-0.1 °C / -0.2 F).
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000) | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 Intel Core i5-1135G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EUs | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | HP 14s-fq1357ng AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heat | 20% | 10% | -1% | 4% | 7% | 1% | |
Maximum Upper Side * | 40 | 33.6 16% | 35 12% | 46.1 -15% | 41.9 -5% | 39.6 1% | 37.7 6% |
Maximum Bottom * | 42.8 | 30.1 30% | 36.1 16% | 46.6 -9% | 48.6 -14% | 44.4 -4% | 45.6 -7% |
Idle Upper Side * | 32.4 | 25.5 21% | 28.1 13% | 27.4 15% | 25.1 23% | 23.6 27% | 30.6 6% |
Idle Bottom * | 29.4 | 26.1 11% | 30.3 -3% | 28.2 4% | 26.4 10% | 28.2 4% | 29.8 -1% |
* ... smaller is better
Stress Test
Our standardized stress test also confirms the weak performance values. After one hour under constant load, the CPU levels out at barely 1600 MHz and about 63 °C (145 °F) after a brief intermediate high. This is less than the basic clock speed. The GPU levels out at around 400 MHz and 61 °C (142 °F). But at least, this performance remains constant and without any interruptions, and another benchmark with 3DMark right after the stress test did not show any deviations compared to the behavior after a cold start.
CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C, °F) | Average GPU Temperature (°C, °F) | |
System Idle | 1.8 | 400 | 39, 102 | 38, 100 |
Prime95 Stress | 2.2 | 400 | 63, 145 | 60, 140 |
Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 1.6 | 400 | 63, 145 | 61, 142 |
Witcher 3 Stress | 1.8 | 1600 | 60, 140 | 57, 135 |
Speaker
The stereo speakers in the Acer Aspire 5 A515 are mediocre at best. Not only do they produce a below-average maximum volume, but they also lack any bass. On the other hand, they reproduce the highs well, and the mids are solid. This is sufficient for video calls, but external solutions via Bluetooth or the audio port are recommended for listening to music or playing games.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 68% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 52% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Apple MacBook Pro 16 2021 M1 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | bass is linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (4.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 0% of all tested devices were better, 0% similar, 100% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management: A frugal laptop with good endurance
Power Consumption
Corresponding to the rather mediocre performance, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 consumes relatively little power during operation. The minimum during idle operation is 3 watts, and under full load the maximum is only 38 watts. Compared to the competitors, both measurements are the best values, and the same also goes for the average consumption during idle operation. On the other hand, the average value turns out higher under load than that of several other competitors. Delivering 45 watts, the power supply is therefore more than sufficient.
Off / Standby | 0.25 / 0.35 Watt |
Idle | 3 / 5.5 / 8.2 Watt |
Load |
34.2 / 38 Watt |
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 R7 5700U, Vega 8, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA512QFD, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA1T0QFD, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW R5 3500U, Vega 8, Intel SSD 660p 1TB SSDPEKNW010T8, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA R7 5700U, Vega 8, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-1T00, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr R7 5700U, Vega 8, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60 | HP 14s-fq1357ng R5 5500U, Vega 7, Micron 2210 MTFDHBA512QFD, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Average AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 4000/5000) | Average of class Multimedia | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -16% | -8% | -48% | -4% | -23% | -4% | -44% | -135% | |
Idle Minimum * | 3 | 3.3 -10% | 3.7 -23% | 5 -67% | 3.1 -3% | 3.5 -17% | 4.2 -40% | 5.25 ? -75% | 7.28 ? -143% |
Idle Average * | 5.5 | 8.4 -53% | 6.2 -13% | 7.7 -40% | 6.1 -11% | 5.7 -4% | 6.3 -15% | 7.82 ? -42% | 11.8 ? -115% |
Idle Maximum * | 8.2 | 8.9 -9% | 8.4 -2% | 12.2 -49% | 6.9 16% | 5.8 29% | 7 15% | 9.25 ? -13% | 14.6 ? -78% |
Load Average * | 34.2 | 30.1 12% | 31.1 9% | 41 -20% | 23.6 31% | 46 -35% | 27.7 19% | 45.3 ? -32% | 77.3 ? -126% |
Witcher 3 ultra * | 30.2 | 43 -42% | 26.7 12% | 42.1 -39% | 27.7 8% | ||||
Load Maximum * | 38 | 45.4 -19% | 43.1 -13% | 65 -71% | 63 -66% | 65.4 -72% | 42 -11% | 60.1 ? -58% | 119.3 ? -214% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption The Witcher 3 / Stress Test
Power Consumption With an External Monitor
Battery Life
The low power consumption in combination with the solid 48-Wh battery leads to a considerable battery life. In our standardized WLAN test, our device achieves the best battery life among the comparison models, even though it does not have the largest battery. In the video test, the device ran for almost 9 hours continuously. However, under load it remained slightly behind in some parts, which is due to the relatively high average consumption.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 R7 5700U, Vega 8, 48 Wh | Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 48.85 Wh | Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW R5 3500U, Vega 8, 48 Wh | Asus VivoBook S15 D533UA R7 5700U, Vega 8, 50 Wh | Asus ExpertBook B1 B1500CEAE, i5-1135G7 i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 42 Wh | HP Envy x360 15-eu0097nr R7 5700U, Vega 8, 51 Wh | HP 14s-fq1357ng R5 5500U, Vega 7, 41 Wh | Average of class Multimedia | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -11% | -4% | -17% | -34% | 35% | -22% | 2% | |
H.264 | 525 | 680 ? 30% | ||||||
WiFi v1.3 | 652 | 416 -36% | 466 -29% | 538 -17% | 432 -34% | 591 -9% | 507 -22% | 560 ? -14% |
Load | 107 | 122 14% | 130 21% | 192 79% | 96.9 ? -9% | |||
Reader / Idle | 1061 | 1430 | 675 | 933 ? | ||||
Witcher 3 ultra | 89 | 81.8 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Visually, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 makes a good impression, even though it is affordable at a recommended retail price of barely more than 600 Euros (~$687). The CPU also leaves a solid impression in the test, even if the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U does not make full use of its capabilities.
Unfortunately, this is even more the case for the iGPU, which, together with the low amount of 8 GB of RAM, results in a rather mediocre system and gaming performance.
On the other hand, the fairly quiet operation and good battery life stand out positively. The display is unfortunately not particularly bright and does not at all cover the usual color spaces.
Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1 is mainly suited as a device for surfing and streaming. While it can also handle simple office tasks, it quickly hits its limits here. An upgrade of the RAM, which is possible up to 24 GB, should bring some improvements. In the tested configuration, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 is a solid multimedia device, but nothing more.
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-56-511A with Intel's Tiger Lake i5-1135G7 CPU and 16 GB of RAM brings more performance but also costs about 200 Euros (~$229) more. At the same price, you can then also get the AMD-equipped Asus Vivobook S15 D533UA, which also impressed us with better equipment and performance in the test.
Price and Availability
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R5B9, which is fairly similar to the tested configuration, is currently available in the US with a Ryzen 7 5500U, 8GB RAM, 512 TB SSD, and Windows 11 Home for $599 from Acer.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R4R1
-
01/31/2022 v7
Marcus Schwarten