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Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A (8250U, MX130, FHD) Laptop Review

Boon or bust. A GeForce MX130? Until now only two laptop manufacturers have built this pared-down version of the MX150 into their models. One of them is Acer who uses this rare combination of an i5-8250U and the MX130 in their 15-inch Aspire 5. Among other things we will find in our test how large the difference in the graphics performance really is and whether the Acer is mainly suited for work or also for gaming.

We recently had the 17-inch Acer Aspire 5 of the eight Intel generation (i7-8550U) with an Nvidia GeForce MX150 in our lab for the test, and now we are taking a closer look at the Acer Aspire 5 (i5-8250U, GeForce MX130), which is its smaller sibling in three ways: First, we are looking at a 15-inch Acer Aspire 5; second, it uses an Intel Core i5-8250U; and third and probably the most interesting difference is that instead of a GeForce MX150 we now find a GeForce MX130 in our current test unit. Among other differences, the two graphics chips have a different manufacturing process and a different basic clock speed. Apart from the manufacturer specifications, of course we want to know how the MX130 fares together with the i5-8250U in the Aspire and mainly want to draw comparisons to the MX150 in the graphics performance.

As direct comparison devices, we selected other 15-inchers with either an Intel Core i7-8550U or i5-8250U, which are equipped with a GeForce MX150, such as the Swift 3 (i5-8250U, MX150) that is also from Acer or the larger Aspire 5 (17-inch, i7-8550U, MX150), the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro (i5-8250U, MX150) from China, the convertible HP Spectre x360 (i7-8550U, MX150), and the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 (i5-8250U, MX150). 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A (Aspire 5 A515 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-8250U 4 x 1.6 - 3.4 GHz, Kaby Lake Refresh
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce MX130 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1189 MHz, Memory: 1253 MHz, GDDR5, 391.24
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2400 17-17-17-39 CR2 dual-channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Chi Mei (CMN15D5), TN, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Sunrise Point-LP
Storage
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, 256 GB 
, 200 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Combined headphone/microphone, Card Reader: SD card reader
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 21.6 x 381 x 263 ( = 0.85 x 15 x 10.35 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 24 Months Warranty
Released
01/30/2018
Weight
2.2 kg ( = 77.6 oz / 4.85 pounds), Power Supply: 314 g ( = 11.08 oz / 0.69 pounds)
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - A lot of plastic with a touch of metal

The metal finish peps up the Aspire
The metal finish peps up the Aspire
Stable hinges with sufficient resistance
Stable hinges with sufficient resistance

Acer was careful with the case, avoiding a pure plastic look. For this reason, the top of the base was covered in aluminum, while the rest was made unspectacularly from regular plastic. While the display lid with the Acer Logo has a rippled surface, it can still be cleaned without any problems. 

The stability is within the standard range that can be offered by a laptop made from plastic. In particular, the bottom of the display bezel is extremely sensitive to pressure and bending, so you should not be too rough on the frame.

On the other hand, the hinges are very robust and also offer a high resistance, which holds the display tightly in place. There is hardly any wobbling. Another positive point is that the hinges allow an opening angle of more than 180 degrees, so you can flip the display completely to the back.

With a footprint of 38.1 x 26.3 cm (15 x 10.4 in) and a weight of 2.2 kg (~4.9 lb) without the power supply, we have a work laptop here that is slightly larger and heavier than its direct comparison models in the 15-inch category. At a thickness of 2.16 cm (~0.85 in), the Aspire is not really one of the slimmer laptops either. You will also notice this as soon as you hold the 15-incher in your hands. On the other hand, the power supply turned out more compact and light.

Size Comparison

381 mm / 15 inch 263 mm / 10.4 inch 21.6 mm / 0.85 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs384 mm / 15.1 inch 255 mm / 10 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 2 kg4.46 lbs360 mm / 14.2 inch 244 mm / 9.61 inch 15 mm / 0.591 inch 2 kg4.3 lbs355.6 mm / 14 inch 251 mm / 9.88 inch 17.8 mm / 0.701 inch 2 kg4.48 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Features - The Aspire has strengths and weaknesses

In contrast to its larger 17-inch sibling, you have to make do without an optical drive in the Aspire 5, although nowadays it is already normal for a 15-incher to not have this component. At least there is an Ethernet port on the left side, which might possibly interest our gaming readers, even though the GeForce MX130 should only be interesting for casual gamers. Although there is no Thunderbolt port for the possible connection of an external graphics solution here, we have to admit that the Aspire would hardly be the target audience for this.

On the other hand, on the left side there is a USB Type-C port (3.0 Gen 1) and a USB Type-A 3.0 port, which is the only USB Type-A port with SuperSpeed, by the way. On the right side, the Aspire only has two conventional USB Type-A 2.0 ports. We can also find the SD card reader and a Kensington lock on the left. The 3.5 mm audio connection and power port are on the right side, next to two status LEDs.

Left side: Kensington lock, Ethernet port, USB Type-C (3.0 Gen 1), HDMI, USB Type-A (3.0), SD card reader
Left side: Kensington lock, Ethernet port, USB Type-C (3.0 Gen 1), HDMI, USB Type-A (3.0), SD card reader
Right side: 3.5 mm audio port for microphone and headphones, 2x USB Type-A (2.0), status LEDs, power connection
Right side: 3.5 mm audio port for microphone and headphones, 2x USB Type-A (2.0), status LEDs, power connection

SD card reader

The SD card reader is not spring loaded, but for simple insertion of the SD card. Apparently Acer has used the same card reader as in the 17-inch sibling, since the read and write rates are almost identical. At around 76 MB/s during the copy test and 85.6 MB/s during the write test, fortunately the values are significantly faster than the average.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
157.5 MB/s +107%
Average of class Multimedia
  (17.6 - 205, n=61, last 2 years)
93 MB/s +22%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M510 microSD)
76 MB/s
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
74.9 MB/s -1%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.8 MB/s -65%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
 
21.4 MB/s -72%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
17.4 MB/s -77%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
217.6 MB/s +154%
Average of class Multimedia
  (16.8 - 266, n=57, last 2 years)
122.4 MB/s +43%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M510 microSD)
85.6 MB/s
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
84 MB/s -2%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
29.7 MB/s -65%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
25.6 MB/s -70%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
 
17.4 MB/s -80%

Communication

The transfer rates of the Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless adapter remain within a range that is below average, at the same level as the Lenovo IdeaPad 320, which also uses the QCA9377. The chipset supports the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WLAN standards and Bluetooth 4.1.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Multimedia
  (285 - 1094, n=5, last 2 years)
789 MBit/s +132%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
664 MBit/s +95%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
611 MBit/s +80%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
471 MBit/s +39%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
340 MBit/s
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
325 MBit/s -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
310 MBit/s -9%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Multimedia
  (625 - 1675, n=5, last 2 years)
1127 MBit/s +289%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
585 MBit/s +102%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
541 MBit/s +87%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
347 MBit/s +20%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
294 MBit/s +1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
290 MBit/s
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Intel 8265 Tri-Band WiFi (Oak Peak) Network Adapter
62.3 MBit/s -79%

Security

The Acer Aspire 5 has no biometric security features such as a fingerprint reader. However, it supports TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) and has a Kensington security lock on the left side. There also is a trial version of Norton Security.

Accessories

A 65-Watt power supply is included, and you can purchase additional accessories in the Acer Store.

Maintenance

4 GB is in the expansion slot
4 GB is in the expansion slot

Using two accessible hatches, the maintenance of the Acer is fairly easy, as long as you either want to upgrade the RAM or insert or replace a 2.5-inch HDD. On the other hand, you only get access to the M.2-SSD by removing the whole back of the case, which is fixed with numerous screws and even then can only be removed carefully with some trouble.

By the way, depending on the configuration, part of the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard, while the RAM expansion can be accessed through the maintenance hatch.

Warranty

The manufacturer's warranty of the Acer Aspire 5 is two years (incl. pickup & return). Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices - Keyboard backlight now also available for the Aspire

Keyboard

Keys with a slight concave curvature
Keys with a slight concave curvature

You can quickly and effortlessly type on the keyboard with its 15 x 15 mm keys that have white labels. In their centers, the keys have a small concave curvature, which provides a better typing experience. The typing noise remains within limits. Other than the haptic being slightly spongy, there is nothing to complain about for a device in this price range. There is keyboard illumination as well, so that you can also read the keyboard easily in the dark.

Touchpad

The touchpad works comfortably
The touchpad works comfortably

The touchpad has a sufficiently large surface at 10.6 x 7.7 cm (~4.2 x 3 in) and can be operated easily and reliably. The pressure point of the mouse clicks is also unproblematic, and they are recognized correctly. Navigation is possible up into the corners of the touchpad, and you can also use multi-touch gestures.

Display - The great weakness of the Aspire

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

Unfortunately, Acer made the wrong choice with the display, since the Chi Mei CMN15D5, which has a Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a pixel density of 141 ppi, shows miserable values in all areas of the display quality. You can notice at first glance that the display only achieves 246 cd/m² of brightness. The black value and contrast are also hopeless. We saw the same bad results in the Lenovo IdeaPad 320, which uses the same display model.

236
cd/m²
242
cd/m²
230
cd/m²
226
cd/m²
246
cd/m²
215
cd/m²
217
cd/m²
214
cd/m²
200
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei (CMN15D5) tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 246 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 225.1 cd/m² Minimum: 22.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 246 cd/m²
Contrast: 482:1 (Black: 0.51 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 11 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 4.6
ΔE Greyscale 11.6 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 1.91
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Chi Mei (CMN15D5), , 1920x1080, 15.60
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
BOE0747 NV156FHM-N61, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
BOE NV156FHM-N48, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Chi Mei CMN15D5, N156HGA-EAB, , 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
BOE06C3, , 3840x2160, 15.60
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
LG Display, LP173WF4-SPF5, , 1920x1080, 17.30
Display
Display P3 Coverage
66.5
39.86
42.04
66.6
66.3
sRGB Coverage
86.9
58.7
62.8
86.9
84.2
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.5
41.18
43.44
63.5
61.6
Response Times
-57%
-49%
-7%
-68%
83%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43.3 ?(22, 21.3)
47.9 ?(22.4, 25.5)
-11%
42 ?(22, 20)
3%
45.6 ?(24.4, 21.2)
-5%
41.2 ?(23.2, 18)
5%
41 ?(19, 22)
5%
Response Time Black / White *
13.8 ?(9.5, 4.3)
33.7 ?(19.2, 14.5)
-144%
32 ?(17, 15)
-132%
16 ?(11.6, 4.4)
-16%
29.6 ?(16.4, 13.2)
-114%
31 ?(17, 4)
-125%
PWM Frequency
25970 ?(19)
21800 ?(99)
-16%
21000 ?(80)
-19%
25770 ?(60)
-1%
1000
-96%
122000 ?(90)
370%
Screen
49%
50%
3%
59%
71%
Brightness middle
246
296
20%
248
1%
220
-11%
338.7
38%
397
61%
Brightness
225
288
28%
237
5%
194
-14%
325
44%
364
62%
Brightness Distribution
81
89
10%
79
-2%
84
4%
91
12%
84
4%
Black Level *
0.51
0.32
37%
0.21
59%
0.43
16%
0.28
45%
0.29
43%
Contrast
482
925
92%
1181
145%
512
6%
1210
151%
1369
184%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
11
4.3
61%
4.98
55%
11.8
-7%
4.9
55%
3.88
65%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
32.4
8.7
73%
8.41
74%
20.6
36%
8.7
73%
8.22
75%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
4.6
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.6
3
74%
4.26
63%
12.5
-8%
5.5
53%
3.1
73%
Gamma
1.91 115%
2.1 105%
2.37 93%
2.07 106%
2.08 106%
2.59 85%
CCT
11807 55%
7100 92%
7149 91%
14346 45%
7498 87%
6570 99%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
56.83
38
40.1
63.5
55
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
86.86
58
62.7
86.92
84
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-4% / 20%
1% / 23%
-2% / 0%
-5% / 24%
77% / 74%

* ... smaller is better

The Chi Mei also disappoints in the color representation. At 11.6 in the Grayscales and 11 in ColorChecker, the DeltaE-2000 deviations are far from the optimum. We also notice a clear blue tint of the display. Calibration was able to achieve a decent improvement of the ColorChecker values to a deviation of 4.6.

ColorChecker uncalibrated
ColorChecker uncalibrated
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
Grayscales uncalibrated
Grayscales uncalibrated

Unfortunately, not even the matte display helps during outdoor usage, since the maximum brightness of 225 cd/m² on average is powerless against the sunlight. In direct sunlight you can hardly even see whether the Acer is running or not, and only seeking out a shady place will help.

On or off? Even at full brightness you cannot see anything in the sun.
On or off? Even at full brightness you cannot see anything in the sun.
You can see more in the shade.
You can see more in the shade.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
13.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 9.5 ms rise
↘ 4.3 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 29 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43.3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 22 ms rise
↘ 21.3 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. » 69 % 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)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 25970 Hz ≤ 19 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 25970 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 19 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 25970 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

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.

In contrast to an IPS display, this screen has extremely limited viewing angles, and we can see clear color changes particularly in the slanted positions.

Performance - Acer tries the GeForce MX130

Our Acer Aspire 5 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, a 256 GB M2.SSD, and 8 GB of RAM, with 4 GB of that soldered onto the motherboard. In addition to the onboard graphics solution, the Intel UHD Graphics 620, we can also find a slightly exotic Nvidia GeForce MX130. We call it exotic, since most other manufacturers use the MX150 here, which has a slightly higher clock speed and thus offers more performance. We are therefore curious how the pared-down MX130 will do in the benchmark tests and will compare the performance directly with the MX150. You can find further detailed information on the Nvidia GeForce MX130 in our graphics card compendium.

Processor

In our Acer test unit, we can find an eighth-generation Intel processor of the Kaby Lake Refresh series, the Intel Core i5-8250U. This is also a power-saving model with four cores and eight threads, which is twice as many as in the predecessor. In terms of its performance, the more affordable i5-8250U is naturally a bit weaker than the top model, the i7-8550U. However, we can still assume a 40% performance improvement from the seventh Intel generation. Acer used the Intel standard values for the TDP settings. The Turbo Boost Power Max is fixed at 15 watts, and the Short Power Max is fixed at 44 watts for a maximum of 28 seconds.

Intel XTU Tool
Intel XTU Tool
Intel XTU Tool
Intel XTU Tool

The single-core test of the Cinebench tool places our Aspire 5 at the same level as many other devices with the same i5-8250U CPU. The Acer performs solidly here. However, in the single run of the multi-core test, we can see a drop in performance, with the Aspire 5 being at the bottom end of the comparison chart. With only 518 points, the Acer also performs about 11% worse than the average of all the laptops with the Intel Core i5-8250U we have tested before. 

Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (142.6 - 308, n=96, last 2 years)
249 Points +72%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
Intel Core i7-8550U
171 Points +18%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Intel Core i7-8550U
154 Points +6%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 (144.66min - 144.78max) Points 0%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (81 - 147, n=97)
141.1 Points -3%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (580 - 4703, n=103, last 2 years)
2280 Points +340%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
Intel Core i7-8550U
585 Points +13%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
Intel Core i5-8250U
576 (544.28min - 575.47max) Points +11%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (320 - 730, n=101)
570 Points +10%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
Intel Core i5-8250U
560 Points +8%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
542 Points +5%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Intel Core i7-8550U
519 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Intel Core i5-8250U
518 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
4631
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
20995
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
7209
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
64.5 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.65 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
5.69 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
145 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
81.6 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
518 Points
Help

When we run the Cinebench R15 benchmark in an endless loop, the Acer Aspire 5 strikes a good figure. We measure only a 5% throttling after the first run and the values remain stable after that. As we can see, due to its relatively tall case, the Acer Aspire has no temperature problems as expected. 

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540Tooltip
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø493 (481.04-518.17)
Average Intel Core i5-8250U  : Ø526 (520-569)

System Performance

The Acer Aspire 5 delivers a solid performance to be able to work smoothly and comfortably. The 8 GB of DDR4-2400 RAM is sufficient for regular Windows usage, and compared to the predecessor with the seventh Intel generation chip, you can notice the advantage of the additional cores. In the comparison chart below, the Aspire 5 does very well and is able to place in the middle of the field.

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Hynix HFS128G39TND
3935 Points +1%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3910 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3903 Points
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3766 Points -4%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
3457 Points -11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
3274 Points -16%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
5193 Points +9%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Hynix HFS128G39TND
4992 Points +5%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4775 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
4760 Points 0%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4746 Points -1%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
4217 Points -12%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3903 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4924 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4775 points
PCMark 10 Score
3175 points
Help

Storage Solution

CrystalDiskMark 5.2
CrystalDiskMark 5.2
CrystalDiskMark 3
CrystalDiskMark 3

The Acer's 256 GB M2.SSD is a model from the manufacturer Hynix that delivers solid values in our benchmark tests here. Compared to the top model, the PM961 from Samsung, the Hynix SSD is naturally about half the speed in all respects. However, it is still twice as fast as the 128 GB SSD of the same manufacturer which we tested in the Acer Swift 3

Adding to the SSD, you can expand the storage of the Aspire 5 without any problem with a 2.5-inch HDD using the maintenance hatch at the bottom of the laptop.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
Hynix HFS128G39TND
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
Average SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
 
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
157%
-19%
5%
183%
-0%
-8%
Read Seq
499.5
1260
152%
481.5
-4%
530
6%
1248
150%
480.1
-4%
482 ?(282 - 518, n=19)
-4%
Write Seq
265.8
1241
367%
131.5
-51%
497.5
87%
1476
455%
385.6
45%
246 ?(138.2 - 270, n=19)
-7%
Read 512
314.3
1039
231%
324.8
3%
392
25%
849
170%
295.6
-6%
328 ?(234 - 562, n=19)
4%
Write 512
266.3
827
211%
130.6
-51%
253.7
-5%
1118
320%
302.5
14%
243 ?(137.8 - 268, n=19)
-9%
Read 4k
29.24
60
105%
30.81
5%
29.67
1%
58.8
101%
27.58
-6%
28 ?(15.9 - 33.1, n=19)
-4%
Write 4k
78.4
154
96%
84.8
8%
78.3
0%
155.2
98%
81.4
4%
74.8 ?(46.6 - 95.9, n=19)
-5%
Read 4k QD32
402.5
526
31%
345
-14%
282.8
-30%
645
60%
247.4
-39%
323 ?(119.3 - 403, n=19)
-20%
Write 4k QD32
264.9
435
64%
131.6
-50%
149.8
-43%
547
106%
237.7
-10%
220 ?(98.5 - 267, n=19)
-17%
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Sequential Read: 499.5 MB/s
Sequential Write: 265.8 MB/s
512K Read: 314.3 MB/s
512K Write: 266.3 MB/s
4K Read: 29.24 MB/s
4K Write: 78.4 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 402.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 264.9 MB/s

Graphics Card

As we already indicated above, the Nvidia GeForce MX130 with 2 GB of GDDR5-RAM which Acer selected here is not only a lower performance variant of the GeForce MX150, since it runs at a clock speed that is about 300 MHz lower, but it is also based on the old Maxwell architecture. Among other things, the difference to the newer Pascal architecture lies in the manufacturing process with a small technology leap of 14 nm between the two graphics chips. A look at the 3DMark benchmark results confirms and completes the image. The MX150 performs about 50% faster than the MX130, so this is a significant difference.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Multimedia
  (3408 - 60250, n=87, last 2 years)
18296 Points +535%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
4742 Points +65%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
4582 Points +59%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
4564 Points +58%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
4519 Points +57%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
4252 Points +48%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2882 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (2476 - 3203, n=14)
2872 Points 0%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Multimedia
  (14679 - 150699, n=61, last 2 years)
57744 Points +356%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
21666 Points +71%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
20470 Points +62%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
18940 Points +50%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
18188 Points +44%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
17552 Points +39%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (12166 - 14880, n=13)
13617 Points +8%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
12654 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Multimedia
  (1835 - 46022, n=87, last 2 years)
13540 Points +486%
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
3688 Points +60%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
3563 Points +54%
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
3542 Points +53%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
3511 Points +52%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
3263 Points +41%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (2149 - 2495, n=13)
2350 Points +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2310 Points
3DMark 11 Performance
3159 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
9860 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2179 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
725 points
Help

Gaming Performance

As expected, the Acer Aspire 5 with the GeForce MX130 can only master current games with the settings at minimal details. If you try to get smooth results in medium detail levels, the more-demanding games will start to stutter. So the Aspire 5 equipped with the MX130 only receives a limited recommendation for gaming. Anyone who wants to play more-demanding games should definitely get a model with at least the GeForce MX150, which will then offer sufficient performance to handle the medium detail level.

After the synthetic benchmark tests, the frame rates of the games also paint a similar picture. The difference cannot be ignored, and the values show that the MX130 is on the level of the direct predecessor, the GeForce 940MX, and thus comparable with that. 

FIFA 18
1920x1080 High Preset AA:2xMS
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
80 (56min - 90max) fps
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
78.1 fps
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Hynix HFS128G39TND
76.6 fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
73.2 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
58.5 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
54.1 (39min - 59max) fps
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4xMS
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s-20L8S02E00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
73 fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
72.3 fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
66 (54min - 72max) fps
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Hynix HFS128G39TND
59.5 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
56.3 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
43.6 (33min - 47max) fps
Rocket League
1280x720 Performance
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
156 (126min - 202max) fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
112.5 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
94 (74min - 127max) fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
87 fps
1920x1080 Quality AA:Medium FX
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
57.1 (48min - 75max) fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
45.8 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
40.9 (33min - 52max) fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
31.3 fps
1920x1080 High Quality AA:High FX
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
39.9 (32min - 56max) fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
32 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
28.9 (22min - 37max) fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
20.7 fps
F1 2017
1280x720 Ultra Low Preset
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
78 (64min - 91max) fps
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
55 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
51 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
50 (38min - 56max) fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
43 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset AF:4x
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
38 (33min - 42max) fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
25 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
25 (21min - 28max) fps
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
24 fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
21 fps
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T AF:8x
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
30 (27min - 34max) fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
20 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
20 (18min - 22max) fps
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
19 fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
17 fps
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:T AF:16x
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
14 fps
HP Pavilion x360 14-ba011ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Samsung CM871a MZNTY128HDHP
13 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKB 80XL01NEGE
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G3BTND
13 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
13 (10min - 14max) fps
Assassin´s Creed Origins
1280x720 Very Low Preset
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
44 (6min - 68max) fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
42 (22min - 77max) fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
29 (21min - 36max) fps
Asus VivoBook Flip TP501UQ-FZ119T
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 (MTFDDAV256TBN)
21 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
20 (7min - 25max) fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
18 (2min - 39max) fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
13 (4min - 17max) fps
Asus VivoBook Flip TP501UQ-FZ119T
GeForce 940MX, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 (MTFDDAV256TBN)
10 fps
1920x1080 High Preset
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
16 (8min - 20max) fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
10 (4min - 14max) fps
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark - 1280x720 Lite Quality
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
32.2 (22min - 41max) fps
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 2018
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
29.3 (6min - 40max) fps
Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
28.3 fps
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
25.4 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
22.5 (6min - 29max) fps
low med. high ultra
Rocket League (2017) 94 40.9 28.9
F1 2017 (2017) 50 25 20 13
FIFA 18 (2017) 54.1 43.6
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) 43 19 11
Assassin´s Creed Origins (2017) 29 13 10
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 22.5

Emissions - The Aspire 5 becomes noticeable with fan noises and heat

Noise Emissions

In particular under load, the fans of the Acer Aspire 5 are clearly noticeable. However, in idle operation as well, our unit is at the top range of the scale of the devices we tested and at 31.9 dB(A) is not very quiet either. Under full load, we measured volume values between 41 and 46.4 dB(A). But other than being loud, the subjective impression of the fan noise is not very uncomfortable, and we did not notice any coil whining during our test.

Noise Level

Idle
31.4 / 31.9 / 32.2 dB(A)
Load
41 / 46.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.1 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.636.844.5394745.439.4253433.936.531.735.635.835.63131.931.833.432.934.633.430.44031.531.830.933.138.930.430.55030.631.831.230.733.929.530.3633132.431.732.432.73031.28028.127.229.428.228.929.327.210027.728.228.528.327.82826.812527.226.527.727.328.927.426.316031.72931.630.431.329.728.620029.526.629.929.129.127.726.625025.524.427.327.82828.726.431523.222.927.533.528.928.6224002122.728.833.930.530.422.750021.322.43134.132.231.221.563020.32129.531.631.528.920.480019.820.63034.331.429.920.3100019.219.929.336.233.130.418.9125018.82132.436.833.432.418.316001819.631.836.733.633.118200018.21930.434.832.130.418.125001818.830.435.731.63117.7315017.918.627.73630.927.417.4400017.71825.83328.126.217.5500017.717.925.132.927.625.617.7630017.818.222.430.324.822.917.6800017.91821.328.923.621.918.11000018.118.11924.220.119.218.112500181818.721.218.818.717.9160001818.218.419.118.318.518.1SPL31.431.94146.442.941.431.1N1.71.73.75.64.33.81.6median 18.8median 19.9median 28.5median 32.9median 29.1median 28.6median 18.3Delta32.83.43.33.53.42.338.439.235.542.238.434.733.933.335.934.729.929.630.627.929.930.531.929.129.830.532.332.731.830.832.333.133.335.535.633.128.5283029.128.527.22727.22827.225.324.525.92625.324.624.525.126.124.624.425.225.426.624.422.722.323.824.822.722.622.425.324.722.621.120.522.723.721.119.820.122.322.919.819.419.323.123.119.418.418.823.923.918.417.617.923.423.517.617.117.223.92417.116.316.624.524.216.316.116.324.824.816.115.815.922.822.315.815.815.721.321.715.815.615.519.420.115.615.715.718.719.115.715.715.717.71815.715.715.816.617.115.715.615.616.316.515.615.715.816.216.415.7161616.316.81629.429.479.634.434.529.41.31.344.82.12.11.3median 17.1median 17.2median 23.4median 23.5median 17.1median 15.33.33.32.32.83.314.138.940.837.739.841.241.940.333.435.83332.532.931.932.931.33231.832.132.330.732.431.23330.932.330.631.530.931.231.830.731.129.130.430.929.53130.53129.532.129.429.429.930.12827.929.428.626.727.431.927.630.427.728.426.327.228.526.827.726.527.826.526.827.928.127.327.227.325.726.627.626.526.726.426.324.324.62624.526.824.725.423.624.225.624.627.623.42422.723.530.72431.323.123.821.122.937.323.93920.823.420.121.33422.240.520.321.319.221.628.422.730.519.620.518.921.428.821.429.619.220.218.621.128.921.532.718.720.918.521.128.822.33218.321.217.720.828.821.230.818.220.417.520.329.921.332.318.120.217.519.430.521.233.918.119.517.61930.219.732.717.71917.718.328.718.330.917.518.217.71826.417.930.117.51817.618.12217.82417.717.817.817.820.717.82217.717.917.817.719.817.620.217.617.817.817.821.117.718.617.717.730.932.641.833.344.831.132.51.51.841.951.61.8median 18.6median 21.1median 28.7median 21.5median 30.4median 18.7median 20.52.42.92.22.632.33hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseAcer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509AAcer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80LXiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5

Temperature

Due to the relatively tall case, we measured large temperature differences of up to 10 °C (18 °F) between the bottom and the top of the base with the keyboard in the stress test. Fortunately, the highest temperature, which is 49 °C (120 °F), is at the bottom of the Acer, and the temperature on the keyboard is 39 °C (102 °F) under full load, while the palm rest still remains within a comfortable range at 24 °C (75 °F).

Max. Load
 40 °C
104 F
41 °C
106 F
33 °C
91 F
 
 37 °C
99 F
39 °C
102 F
24 °C
75 F
 
 25 °C
77 F
24 °C
75 F
24 °C
75 F
 
Maximum: 41 °C = 106 F
Average: 31.9 °C = 89 F
31 °C
88 F
47 °C
117 F
47 °C
117 F
26 °C
79 F
49 °C
120 F
40 °C
104 F
23 °C
73 F
22 °C
72 F
23 °C
73 F
Maximum: 49 °C = 120 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Fluke 62 Mini
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.9 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41 °C / 106 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 49 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.3 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 28 °C / 82 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 25 °C / 77 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 (+3.8 °C / 6.8 F).

Speakers

Speaker on the bottom
Speaker on the bottom

You can find the speakers of the Acer Aspire 5 on the bottom left and right. They achieve a mediocre volume of almost 80 dB, and the sound is primarily lacking in bass. On the other hand, the mids and highs are very balanced and linear. The subjective impression confirms the values such as the flat bass and the sub-optimal positioning of the speakers.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2037.838.72533.533.63131.8324031.731.65030.830.46329.828.980282810027.726.812526.926.416028.835.720027.450.725023.459.331522.458.140021.458.150021.662.563019.666.980019.272.1100018.768.7125018.268.716001869.2200017.869.5250017.669.4315017.666400017.668.4500017.667.3630017.665.4800017.964.11000017.963.6125001862.8160001859.7SPL30.979.9N1.547.2median 18.2median 64.1Delta2.48.435.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAcer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509AApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 56% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 36% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management - Good battery performance for the multimedia notebook

Power Consumption

Compact 65-Watt power supply
Compact 65-Watt power supply

With its power consumption, the Aspire 5 places within a good average and does not act particularly different than the other comparison devices. The Intel Core i5-8250U together with the GeForce MX130 consume 49.4 watts under load on average and the peak is at 68 watts. However, we can say that the 65-Watt power supply is dimensioned large enough here and is still able to maintain the battery level or even capable of charging the battery during high demands.

Minimum power consumption during idle
Minimum power consumption during idle
Power consumption during the first 3DMark06 test
Power consumption during the first 3DMark06 test
Power consumption during our save game in The Witcher 3
Power consumption during our save game in The Witcher 3
Extreme loads with Furmark and Prime95
Extreme loads with Furmark and Prime95
Furmark with external display
Furmark with external display
Cinebench R15 power supply with external display
Cinebench R15 power supply with external display
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.19 / 0.47 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5.1 / 7.6 / 8.2 Watt
Load midlight 49.4 / 68 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, Hynix HFS128G39TND, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP, IPS, 3840x2160, 15.60
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN, aSi TFT, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
 
Average of class Multimedia
 
Power Consumption
5%
8%
6%
-62%
-10%
0%
-61%
Idle Minimum *
5.1
3.7
27%
3.8
25%
4.03
21%
11.6
-127%
4.1
20%
4.54 ?(3.12 - 7.5, n=13)
11%
7.28 ?(2.2 - 34.6, n=93, last 2 years)
-43%
Idle Average *
7.6
7.5
1%
6.5
14%
6.81
10%
13.8
-82%
9.3
-22%
6.98 ?(5.3 - 9.7, n=13)
8%
11.8 ?(4.6 - 43, n=93, last 2 years)
-55%
Idle Maximum *
8.2
8
2%
9.1
-11%
8.34
-2%
14.2
-73%
9.8
-20%
9.08 ?(7 - 13, n=13)
-11%
14.6 ?(5.6 - 44.9, n=93, last 2 years)
-78%
Load Average *
49.4
49
1%
53.4
-8%
37.3
24%
67.9
-37%
64
-30%
54.1 ?(34 - 74.3, n=13)
-10%
77.3 ?(14.3 - 147, n=92, last 2 years)
-56%
Witcher 3 ultra *
42.1
50.6
-20%
52
-24%
59
-40%
Load Maximum *
68
55.2
19%
55.6
18%
65.5
4%
76.9
-13%
66.4
2%
66.4 ?(40.5 - 106.6, n=13)
2%
119.3 ?(44 - 247, n=92, last 2 years)
-75%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Like the larger 17-inch model, Acer has also built-in a 48 Wh battery here. During the WLAN test where we continually open websites in the browser triggered by a script in order to simulate normal surf behavior, our Aspire 5 lasts for 6 hours at most, while the Acer Swift 3 manages to last for almost 2.5 hours more. However, we need to put the runtimes of the Xiaomi and HP Spectre into perspective, since they have larger batteries of 60 Wh and 79.2 Wh, respectively.

The smaller 15-inch display for sure helps at times to achieve longer runtimes than the 17-inch Aspire. Under full load, such as during gaming, you can have fun playing games with the smaller Aspire for twice as long.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
14h 27min
WiFi Websurfing
5h 50min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 45min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 42min
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 60 Wh
Acer Swift 3 SF315-51G-57E5
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 49.7 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 30 Wh
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 79.2 Wh
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 48 Wh
Average of class Multimedia
 
Battery Runtime
22%
46%
-31%
13%
-28%
15%
Reader / Idle
867
631
-27%
934
8%
560
-35%
933 ?(506 - 1571, n=25, last 2 years)
8%
H.264
525
632
20%
300
-43%
321
-39%
680 ?(319 - 1481, n=49, last 2 years)
30%
WiFi v1.3
350
597
71%
511
46%
270
-23%
511
46%
377
8%
560 ?(262 - 1204, n=92, last 2 years)
60%
Load
162
122
-25%
110
-32%
136
-16%
89
-45%
96.9 ?(39 - 215, n=73, last 2 years)
-40%
Witcher 3 ultra
83
81.8 ?(57 - 104, n=5, last 2 years)

Verdict

Pros

+ metal base top
+ low throttling
+ dedicated GeForce MX130
+ case handles cooling well
+ two maintenance hatches
+ Ethernet port

Cons

- poor display in almost all respects (brightness, colors, contrast)
- mediocre keyboard
- relatively thick and large case
- weight
- WLAN performance
Provided by PCO Computer Handels GmbH
Provided by PCO Computer Handels GmbH

Looking at the whole package, the Acer Aspire 5 could have been a solid multimedia laptop if the display had not spoiled the evaluation. We would have gotten over the small weaknesses such as having only a single USB Type-A 3.0 connection or the mediocre WLAN data transfer rates. With its slightly bulky case with two maintenance hatches at the bottom, the Aspire does not appear to be built too carelessly. Despite the price of the device, the keyboard and the touchpad are on an acceptable level.

The significant "but" is clearly based on the display, which causes the Acer to plummet in our evaluation. Unfortunately, the bad values of the brightness, contrast, black value, and ColorChecker are irrefutable, as is the lack of the viewing-angle stability. 

This also causes the Aspire to lose some points in terms of the mobility, since in direct sunlight outdoors it's difficult to see anything on the matte display even at the full brightness setting. On the graphics performance, we can say that on one hand a dedicated graphics card is naturally always an advantage, but on the other hand you should not expect too much from the Nvidia GeForce MX130, since its performance clearly remains behind the MX150, and it basically is just a relabeled GeForce 940MX. Gamers should therefore not flirt with the idea of getting the Aspire 5 too much. However, anyone who only occasionally plays some games and is otherwise looking for a 15-inch device with a stable system performance for home that also offers an empty 2.5-inch slot for an additional HDD could find an affordable notebook in the Acer Aspire 5.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A - 05/04/2018 v6(old)
Daniel Puschina

Chassis
83 / 98 → 84%
Keyboard
77%
Pointing Device
94%
Connectivity
48 / 81 → 59%
Weight
62 / 20-67 → 89%
Battery
89%
Display
76%
Games Performance
72 / 85 → 84%
Application Performance
89 / 92 → 97%
Temperature
91%
Noise
82 / 95 → 86%
Audio
50%
Camera
45 / 85 → 53%
Average
74%
82%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A (8250U, MX130, FHD) Laptop Review
Daniel Puschina, 2018-05- 6 (Update: 2020-05-19)