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Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G (i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, SSD, FHD) Laptop Review

The MX250 provides no advantage. Acer's 15.6-inch multimedia all-rounder scores points with a slim and compact body, as well as a good configuration: Core i7 processor, IPS display, NVMe SSD, HDD, dual-channel RAM. The highlight is the new GeForce MX250 GPU. Despite it having a price of around 1,100 Euros (~$1,236), the laptop does not come without its weaknesses.

Acer offers with the Aspire 5 A515-52G series an assortment of 15.6-inch multimedia laptops. With the Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU, we have already reviewed a representative of this line-up. Our current review device represents the top-of-the-line model of the series. The laptop is equipped with a Core i7 processor and the brand-new GeForce MX250 graphics unit. Competition can be found in laptops such as the Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB, the Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN and the HP Pavilion 15.


Since both Aspire 5 models are built identically, we will not go over the case, connectivity, input devices, display or speakers. The corresponding information can be found in our Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU laptop review.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L (Aspire 5 A515 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-8565U 4 x 1.8 - 4.6 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce MX250 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1582 MHz, Memory: 1502 MHz, GDDR5, 64 Bit, Nvidia 425.31, Optimus
Memory
16 GB 
, DDR4 2666, dual-Channel, two slots (occupied)
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, BOE NV156FHM-N48, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Cannon Lake-U PCH-LP Premium
Storage
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G, 512 GB 
, +Toshiba MQ04ABF100, 1439 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Cannon Point-LP PCH - cAVS (Audio, Video, Speech)
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Combo audio, Card Reader: SD, SDHC, SDXC, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 17.95 x 363.4 x 243.5 ( = 0.71 x 14.31 x 9.59 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD
Primary Camera: 0.9 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Norton Security Ultra (trial), Mozilla Firefox, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
1.8 kg ( = 63.49 oz / 3.97 pounds), Power Supply: 320 g ( = 11.29 oz / 0.71 pounds)
Price
1099 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Size comparison

362.5 mm / 14.3 inch 225 mm / 8.86 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2 kg4.48 lbs363.4 mm / 14.3 inch 243.5 mm / 9.59 inch 17.95 mm / 0.707 inch 1.8 kg3.97 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 243 mm / 9.57 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.8 kg3.97 lbs361 mm / 14.2 inch 245 mm / 9.65 inch 18 mm / 0.709 inch 1.9 kg4.25 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs
SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Average of class Multimedia
  (17.6 - 205, n=61, last 2 years)
93 MB/s +35%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80.1 MB/s +16%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
70.4 MB/s +2%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
70 MB/s +1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
69.1 MB/s
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
39 MB/s -44%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
33.5 MB/s -52%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
32.6 MB/s -53%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
27.5 MB/s -60%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Average of class Multimedia
  (16.8 - 266, n=57, last 2 years)
122.4 MB/s +50%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
88.1 MB/s +8%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
85 MB/s +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
83 MB/s +1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
81.8 MB/s
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
36 MB/s -56%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
36 MB/s -56%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 64 GB UHS-II)
34.6 MB/s -58%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
30.1 MB/s -63%
Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Multimedia
  (285 - 1094, n=5, last 2 years)
789 MBit/s +22%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
648 (626min - 667max) MBit/s
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
647 (534min - 664max) MBit/s 0%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
606 (306min - 655max) MBit/s -6%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4
520 MBit/s -20%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
329 (269min - 370max) MBit/s -49%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
289 (232min - 343max) MBit/s -55%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
269 MBit/s -58%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
267 MBit/s -59%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
48 MBit/s -93%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Multimedia
  (625 - 1675, n=5, last 2 years)
1127 MBit/s +116%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Qualcomm Atheros QCA61x4
683 MBit/s +31%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
618 (446min - 680max) MBit/s +18%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Wireless-AC 9560
522 (371min - 601max) MBit/s
Asus TUF FX505DY
Realtek 8821CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
324 MBit/s -38%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
294 (161min - 330max) MBit/s -44%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
293 (188min - 312max) MBit/s -44%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
280 MBit/s -46%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821
265 (239min - 288max) MBit/s -49%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
174 MBit/s -67%
03570105140175210245280315350385420455490525560595630665Tooltip
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L Intel Wireless-AC 9560; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø521 (371-601)
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø288 (161-330)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø265 (239-288)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU Intel Wireless-AC 9560; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø617 (446-680)
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø292 (188-312)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L Intel Wireless-AC 9560; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø648 (626-667)
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø596 (306-655)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng RealTek Semiconductor, Device ID: C821; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø289 (232-343)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU Intel Wireless-AC 9560; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø647 (534-664)
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø329 (269-370)

Display - IPS on board

Subpixels
Subpixels

The Aspire's 15.6-inch display comes with a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. While contrast (1069:1) is adequate to this price point, brightness (271.2 cd/m²) was too low. We expected a value of around 300 cd/m² here.

The display showed flickering at brightness levels of 90% and below, with a frequency of 250 Hz. The relatively low frequency could lead to headaches and/or eye strain on sensitive users.


The A515-52G is equipped with the same IPS display found on the sibling model we reviewed, which has stable viewing angles. However, measurements differ slightly. In this case, we are dealing with a normal phenomenon. Two identically built displays will never be a hundred percent consistent.

270
cd/m²
279
cd/m²
277
cd/m²
254
cd/m²
278
cd/m²
267
cd/m²
259
cd/m²
286
cd/m²
271
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
BOE NV156FHM-N48 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 286 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 271.2 cd/m² Minimum: 17 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 278 cd/m²
Contrast: 1069:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.73 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 5.17
ΔE Greyscale 2.59 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
58% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
36% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.34% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.02% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.38
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
0%
-3%
-2%
-8%
Display P3 Coverage
40.02
39.85
0%
38.51
-4%
38.62
-3%
36.27
-9%
sRGB Coverage
58.5
58.7
0%
57.9
-1%
58.1
-1%
54.6
-7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
41.34
41.17
0%
39.79
-4%
39.91
-3%
37.47
-9%
Response Times
2631%
17%
14%
8%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
45 ?(23, 22)
45 ?(24, 21)
-0%
38.8 ?(20.8, 18)
14%
42 ?(22, 20)
7%
45 ?(21, 24)
-0%
Response Time Black / White *
33 ?(18, 15)
35 ?(19, 16)
-6%
26.8 ?(16, 10.8)
19%
26 ?(15, 11)
21%
28 ?(16, 12)
15%
PWM Frequency
250 ?(90)
20000 ?(90)
7900%
Screen
7%
-5%
-13%
-39%
Brightness middle
278
296
6%
262
-6%
270
-3%
240
-14%
Brightness
271
268
-1%
256
-6%
250
-8%
237
-13%
Brightness Distribution
89
81
-9%
90
1%
87
-2%
90
1%
Black Level *
0.26
0.3
-15%
0.21
19%
0.25
4%
0.42
-62%
Contrast
1069
987
-8%
1248
17%
1080
1%
571
-47%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.73
4.01
15%
5.8
-23%
4.79
-1%
7.43
-57%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.38
8.7
-4%
14.3
-71%
8.83
-5%
12.42
-48%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
5.17
4
23%
4.6
11%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.59
0.98
62%
2.5
3%
5.66
-119%
6.26
-142%
Gamma
2.38 92%
2.35 94%
1.99 111%
2.64 83%
2.96 74%
CCT
6160 106%
6408 101%
6528 100%
7179 91%
6661 98%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
36
38
6%
36.6
2%
37
3%
35
-3%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
58
58
0%
57.6
-1%
59
2%
54
-7%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
879% / 469%
3% / -2%
-0% / -7%
-13% / -27%

* ... smaller is better

CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - Color Checker
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - color saturation
CalMAN - color saturation
CalMAN - Color Checker (calibrated)
CalMAN - Color Checker (calibrated)
CalMAN - grayscales (calibrated)
CalMAN - grayscales (calibrated)
CalMAN - color saturation (calibrated)
CalMAN - color saturation (calibrated)

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
33 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 18 ms rise
↘ 15 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 87 % 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
45 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23 ms rise
↘ 22 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. » 73 % 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 250 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 90 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

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.

Performance - A new GPU

Acer delivers with the Aspire 5 A515-52G a multimedia all-rounder in 15.6-inch format. The laptop provides enough processing power for common usage scenarios. The dedicated GPU enables the use of computer games. Our review device can be obtained for about 1,100 Euros (~$1,236). Other configurations are also available. Prices begin at 500 Euros (~$562). Note: the budget entry-level models come with GeForce MX130 graphics.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
Intel XTU

Processor

The Aspire is powered by the Core i7-8565U quad-core CPU, which is based on Intel's current Whiskey Lake architecture. This is a ULV model with a TDP of 15 watts. Acer allows a temporary increase to 51 watts. The Core i7 works with a base speed of 1.8 GHz. Through Turbo, the following speeds can be reached: 4.1 GHz (all four cores), 4.5 GHz (two cores) and 4.6 GHz (one core).

The processor works through the Cinebench CPU tests for a few seconds at 2.9 to 3.1 GHz (multi-thread) and 4.1 GHz (single-thread) respectively. The clock speed then drops to 2.1 to 2.3 GHz (multi-thread) and 3.8 to 3.9 GHz (single-thread). This was observed when plugged in. On battery, the tests were carried out at 2.1 to 2.2 GHz (multi-thread) and 2.2 to 4.6 GHz (single-thread) respectively.

Despite the clock speeds being significantly different, the outcome was quite similar. Therefore, results for the CB15 on battery reached 162 points (single-thread) and 470 points (multi-thread).

Multi-thread
Multi-thread
Single-thread
Single-thread
Multi-thread (on battery)
Multi-thread (on battery)
Single-thread (on battery)
Single-thread (on battery)

We checked whether Turbo would also be under prolonged load when plugged in by running the multi-thread Cinebench R15 test continuously for at least 30 minutes. Results differ a bit between the first and second run and then remain at a constant level. Turbo is used only to a very small extent. Striking: results fall slightly short of those of the sibling model equipped with a Core i5-8265U processor.

04080120160200240280320360400440480520560600640680720Tooltip
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L Intel Core i7-8565U, Intel Core i7-8565U: Ø470 (467.49-492.88)
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T Intel Core i7-8550U, Intel Core i7-8550U: Ø570 (535-723)
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB Intel Core i5-7200U, Intel Core i5-7200U: Ø331 (328.8-332.43)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø484 (479.58-505.2)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU Intel Core i5-8265U, Intel Core i5-8265U: Ø487 (482.49-523.51)
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE Intel Core i5-7200U, Intel Core i5-7200U: Ø296 (289.25-316.16)
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Ryzen 5 2500U: Ø431 (417.88-605.96)
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0 AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Ryzen 7 2700U: Ø658 (642.69-661.47)
Asus TUF FX505DY AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Ryzen 5 3550H: Ø725 (718.93-754.96)
CPU clock speeds during the CB15 loop
CPU clock speeds during the CB15 loop
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
6453
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
15342
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6469
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
165 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
493 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
97.5 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (142.6 - 308, n=96, last 2 years)
249 Points +51%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (138.3 - 193, n=51)
172.5 Points +5%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U
172 Points +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
165 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
159 Points -4%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
150 Points -9%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
145 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
144 Points -13%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points -22%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
124 Points -25%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
120 Points -27%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (580 - 4703, n=103, last 2 years)
2280 Points +362%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
757 Points +54%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U
729 Points +48%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
661 Points +34%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (452 - 815, n=52)
612 Points +24%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
606 (417.88min - 605.96max) Points +23%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
524 Points +6%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
505 Points +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
493 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U
331 Points -33%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
316 Points -36%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single 32Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (5791 - 10476, n=3, last 2 years)
7475 Points +16%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (2682 - 8906, n=16)
6571 Points +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
6453 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
6165 Points -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
4959 Points -23%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
4575 Points -29%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
Average of class Multimedia
  (34412 - 61674, n=3, last 2 years)
43500 Points +184%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
20097 Points +31%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (13806 - 23118, n=16)
17608 Points +15%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
16632 Points +8%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
15342 Points
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
11094 Points -28%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Single Core)
Average of class Multimedia
  (341 - 812, n=94, last 2 years)
638 Points +64%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (342 - 472, n=20)
409 Points +5%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
390 Points
CPU (Multi Core)
Average of class Multimedia
  (1192 - 11768, n=94, last 2 years)
5232 Points +406%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (954 - 1645, n=20)
1257 Points +21%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
1035 Points
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
13989 Points +11%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
12557 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (10521 - 13703, n=12)
12071 Points -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
6823 Points -46%
32 Bit Single-Core Score
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (3340 - 4820, n=12)
3882 Points +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
3842 Points +3%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
3737 Points
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3135 Points -16%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Multi-Core Score
Average of class Multimedia
  (28928 - 38187, n=2, last 2 years)
33558 Points +104%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
16490 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
15051 Points -9%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (8142 - 16968, n=30)
14179 Points -14%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
11183 Points -32%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
7749 Points -53%
64 Bit Single-Core Score
Average of class Multimedia
  (6029 - 7531, n=2, last 2 years)
6780 Points +27%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U
5331 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (2357 - 5547, n=30)
5053 Points -5%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U
4714 Points -12%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U
3856 Points -28%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
3623 Points -32%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge 44)
1542 ms * -40%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U
1471 ms * -34%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1421 ms * -29%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)
1217 ms * -11%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U (Edge 42)
1193 ms * -8%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge)
1141 ms * -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
1101 ms *
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (730 - 2622, n=43)
1096 ms * -0%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
986 ms * +10%
Average of class Multimedia
  (363 - 1016, n=94, last 2 years)
554 ms * +50%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Multimedia
  (43921 - 109055, n=42, last 2 years)
86597 Points +161%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (13935 - 49795, n=42)
34603 Points +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U (Edge 42)
34055 Points +2%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U (Edge)
33896 Points +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
33233 Points
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
30945 Points -7%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H (Edge 44.17763.1.0)
28706 Points -14%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U
27612 Points -17%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U (Edge 44)
24198 Points -27%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Multimedia
  (153.9 - 562, n=36, last 2 years)
342 runs/min +473%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
59.7 runs/min
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (55.5 - 62.5, n=5)
59.7 runs/min 0%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Multimedia
  (171.4 - 432, n=91, last 2 years)
292 Points +22%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U (Edge 44)
239 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U
  (176 - 239, n=5)
208 Points -13%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

The very good results observed in the PCMark benchmarks confirm that the laptop has enough computing power for all common applications. The dedicated graphics unit enables the use of computer games. The combination of a solid state drive, a quad-core processor and dual-channel RAM results in a fast and smooth system. We did not find any issues.

PCMark 7 Score
5914 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
4220 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
5352 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
5272 points
PCMark 10 Score
4236 points
Help
PCMark 10
Score
Average of class Multimedia
  (4039 - 8670, n=82, last 2 years)
6552 Points +55%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
4405 Points +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
4236 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (3759 - 4547, n=9)
4153 Points -2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3960 Points -7%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
3763 Points -11%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
3711 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3402 Points -20%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
3293 Points -22%
Essentials
Average of class Multimedia
  (8480 - 12420, n=82, last 2 years)
10417 Points +27%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
8233 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (7204 - 8929, n=9)
8038 Points -2%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
7949 Points -3%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
7348 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
7110 Points -14%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
6903 Points -16%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
6733 Points -18%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
6710 Points -18%
Productivity
Average of class Multimedia
  (5462 - 11186, n=82, last 2 years)
8685 Points +20%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
7212 Points
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (6302 - 7443, n=9)
6948 Points -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
6469 Points -10%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
6446 Points -11%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
6236 Points -14%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
5673 Points -21%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
5574 Points -23%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
5014 Points -30%
Digital Content Creation
Average of class Multimedia
  (3861 - 13548, n=82, last 2 years)
8566 Points +147%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
4528 Points +30%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
3855 Points +11%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3548 Points +2%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (3133 - 3841, n=9)
3489 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
3475 Points
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
3315 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3000 Points -14%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
2476 Points -29%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Multimedia
  (4484 - 5525, n=9, last 2 years)
5075 Points +20%
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
4560 Points +8%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4464 Points +6%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
4220 Points
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
3907 Points -7%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
3860 Points -9%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (3331 - 4220, n=9)
3738 Points -11%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3725 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
3647 Points -14%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
3620 Points -14%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
3404 Points -19%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Multimedia
  (3115 - 6078, n=9, last 2 years)
5278 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
5272 Points
Asus TUF FX505DY
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G
5223 Points -1%
Average Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (4796 - 5277, n=9)
5047 Points -4%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
5025 Points -5%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
GeForce MX150, i5-8265U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
4924 Points -7%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), i5-7200U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4882 Points -7%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R7 2700U, SK Hynix HFS128G39TND
4810 Points -9%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
4762 Points -10%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Radeon 530, i5-7200U, Micron SSD 1100 SED 256GB MTFDDAK256TBN
4631 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
Vega 8, R5 2500U, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW512G7
4467 Points -15%

Storage

The system drive is an NVMe SSD from Western Digital. This M.2 2280 model has a capacity of 512 GB. Out of the box, around 439 GB is usable. The remaining space is split between the Windows installation and the recovery partition. Transfer speeds are very good, but this particular model is not the best-in-class when it comes to NVMe SSDs however.

Alongside the SSD, a 2.5-inch hard-disk drive is also to be found inside the device. This one spins at 5400 revolutions per minute and offers 1 TB of storage space.

The Aspire comes with an SSD ...
The Aspire comes with an SSD ...
... and a 2.5-inch hard drive
... and a 2.5-inch hard drive
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
Sequential Read: 1156 MB/s
Sequential Write: 1230 MB/s
512K Read: 963 MB/s
512K Write: 873 MB/s
4K Read: 24.3 MB/s
4K Write: 143.6 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 509 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 439.9 MB/s
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
Average WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G
 
AS SSD
-221%
-6%
-67%
-72%
-3%
Seq Read
1557
504
-68%
1806
16%
522
-66%
490.6
-68%
1363 ?(399 - 2934, n=28)
-12%
Seq Write
1237
202.7
-84%
1226
-1%
476.1
-62%
390.2
-68%
1227 ?(412 - 2407, n=28)
-1%
4K Read
42.56
27.67
-35%
51.4
21%
30.14
-29%
19.47
-54%
40.8 ?(25 - 48.3, n=28)
-4%
4K Write
127.2
51.1
-60%
113.9
-10%
64.3
-49%
72.2
-43%
127.3 ?(82.1 - 179.7, n=27)
0%
4K-64 Read
1034
373.6
-64%
485.7
-53%
319.2
-69%
236.2
-77%
957 ?(631 - 1296, n=28)
-7%
4K-64 Write
1186
173
-85%
1652
39%
239.8
-80%
276.7
-77%
1081 ?(709 - 1459, n=28)
-9%
Access Time Read *
0.077
0.365
-374%
0.06
22%
0.131
-70%
0.07744 ?(0.045 - 0.131, n=25)
-1%
Access Time Write *
0.028
0.603
-2054%
0.032
-14%
0.056
-100%
0.063
-125%
0.03671 ?(0.021 - 0.099, n=28)
-31%
Score Read
1233
452
-63%
1881
53%
402
-67%
305
-75%
1134 ?(721 - 1638, n=28)
-8%
Score Write
1437
244
-83%
710
-51%
352
-76%
388
-73%
1331 ?(926 - 1879, n=28)
-7%
Score Total
3291
921
-72%
35
-99%
967
-71%
850
-74%
3046 ?(2126 - 4334, n=28)
-7%
Copy ISO MB/s
1313
810
-38%
1109
-16%
321.3
-76%
1169 ?(765 - 1637, n=17)
-11%
Copy Program MB/s
334.6
332.5
-1%
503
50%
141.7
-58%
446 ?(205 - 889, n=17)
33%
Copy Game MB/s
684
557
-19%
392.6
-43%
239.4
-65%
874 ?(509 - 1295, n=17)
28%

* ... smaller is better

Graphics card

The Aspire has a dedicated GeForce MX250 graphics unit on board. This is Nvidia's current mid-range model, the successor to the GeForce MX150 GPU. The GPU supports DirectX 12 and reaches speeds up to 1582 MHz. The graphics card also features 2048 MB of GDDR5 memory.

There are not any big differences between the MX150 and the MX250, since they are both based on the same Pascal chip (GP108). However, Nvidia has slightly increased the clock speeds on the MX250. When comparing the 3DMark results obtained by the previously reviewed MX150 Aspire model with the ones from our current review device, it becomes evident that the higher clock speeds lead, at best, to a minimal and irrelevant improvement. A further increase in performance could be achieved by Nvidia's planned ability to increase memory speed to 3.5 GHz. Acer refrains from doing so here. The memory speed remains at 3 GHz.

Intel's integrated UHD Graphics 620 GPU is also found in the device, alongside the GeForce graphics unit. The GPUs provide the ability to switch graphics (Optimus). Intel's unit is used for everyday tasks and on battery power, while Nvidia's GPU takes care of tasks that are more graphically demanding. Switching happens automatically so that users do not have to worry about anything in this regard.

Sky Diver
Sky Diver
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark 03 Standard
56769 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
16840 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4769 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
73366 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
12476 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3210 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
1197 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Multimedia
  (3408 - 60250, n=87, last 2 years)
18296 Points +295%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
8451 Points +82%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), Intel Core i5-7200U
8329 Points +80%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
8181 Points +77%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
4633 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
4575 Points -1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
4558 Points -2%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
4506 Points -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (3585 - 4942, n=29)
4404 Points -5%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2895 Points -38%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
2381 Points -49%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
2113 Points -54%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Multimedia
  (14679 - 150699, n=61, last 2 years)
57744 Points +168%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), Intel Core i5-7200U
36552 Points +70%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
35511 Points +65%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
34407 Points +60%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
21545 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (13805 - 23863, n=25)
21491 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
21120 Points -2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
19333 Points -10%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
18770 Points -13%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
13610 Points -37%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
11226 Points -48%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
9210 Points -57%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Multimedia
  (1835 - 46022, n=87, last 2 years)
13540 Points +274%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
6327 Points +75%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
6262 Points +73%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), Intel Core i5-7200U
5705 Points +58%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
3616 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
3613 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
3576 Points -1%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (2939 - 3885, n=29)
3531 Points -2%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
3517 Points -3%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2347 Points -35%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
1715 Points -53%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
1542 Points -57%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Average of class Multimedia
  (622 - 17620, n=87, last 2 years)
5121 Points +370%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
1790 Points +64%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
1090 Points
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (881 - 1169, n=22)
1070 Points -2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
1057 Points -3%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i7-8550U
1050 Points -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
1047 Points -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
443 Points -59%
GFXBench
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (60 - 120, n=11, last 2 years)
104.2 fps +159%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
40.2 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
40.2 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
18.2 fps -55%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (62.8 - 446, n=11, last 2 years)
232 fps +597%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
33.3 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
33.3 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
12 fps -64%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (60 - 120, n=11, last 2 years)
113.5 fps +70%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
66.7 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
66.7 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
26.1 fps -61%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (160 - 950, n=11, last 2 years)
555 fps +603%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
79 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
79 fps 0%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
31.2 fps -61%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (125 - 585, n=11, last 2 years)
400 fps +448%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
75.4 fps +3%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
73 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (66 - 73, n=2)
69.5 fps -5%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
29.6 fps -59%
on screen Car Chase Onscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (60 - 120, n=10, last 2 years)
109.9 fps +57%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
69.9 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (57 - 69.9, n=2)
63.5 fps -9%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
63.1 fps -10%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
24.8 fps -65%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (640 - 3185, n=11, last 2 years)
1823 fps +570%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
283.9 fps +4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
272.2 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (265 - 272, n=2)
269 fps -1%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
118.3 fps -57%
T-Rex Onscreen
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
200.6 fps +36%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
147 fps
Average of class Multimedia
  (60 - 227, n=11, last 2 years)
131.5 fps -11%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (60 - 147, n=2)
103.5 fps -30%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
65.6 fps -55%
GFXBench 3.0
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (309 - 1708, n=11, last 2 years)
1018 fps +595%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
148.7 fps +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
146.4 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (136 - 146.4, n=2)
141.2 fps -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
37.6 fps -74%
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL
Average of class Multimedia
  (60 - 173, n=11, last 2 years)
119.2 fps +20%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
111.5 fps +12%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
99.7 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (60 - 99.7, n=2)
79.9 fps -20%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
29.5 fps -70%
GFXBench 3.1
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (194 - 1294, n=10, last 2 years)
763 fps +596%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
111.5 fps +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
109.6 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (101 - 109.6, n=2)
105.3 fps -4%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
34.3 fps -69%
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen
Average of class Multimedia
  (111.1 - 124, n=10, last 2 years)
119.4 fps +45%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
92.1 fps +12%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
82.2 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (60 - 82.2, n=2)
71.1 fps -14%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
27.7 fps -66%
Geekbench 4.4 - Compute OpenCL Score
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
67483 Points +42%
Average of class Multimedia
  (last 2 years)
62130 Points +31%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
47401 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8265U
46144 Points -3%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
46097 Points -3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (32132 - 49848, n=14)
43563 Points -8%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
22947 Points -52%
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - 1280x1024 high, Tesselation (normal), DirectX11 AA:off AF:1x
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, Intel Core i7-8565U
58.9 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
58.9 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-7200U
56.9 fps -3%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
AMD Radeon 530, Intel Core i5-7200U
25.8 fps -56%

Gaming Performance

The hardware in the Aspire A515 runs almost all games found in our data base smoothly. Most titles reach satisfactory frame rates at HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and medium quality settings. Games that only have moderate hardware requirements run better. A lot of hit games from 2018 and 2019 often allow reducing the resolution and/or quality level in order to get adequate frame rates. However, "Metro Exodus" and "Anthem" are barely playable or not playable at all.

Unsurprisingly, compared to the MX150 Aspire, our current review device does not manage to stand out. Frame rates are normally on par between the two laptops. In some cases, the MX250 Aspire reaches slightly higher frame rates.

low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 180.2 107 94 34.8
GTA V (2015) 110.4 100.9 41.5 7.9
The Witcher 3 (2015) 63.5 37.9 20.4 11.4
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) 89.2 79.5 66.4 52.9
World of Warships (2015) 136.4 110.9 72.9 47.9
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 123.1 90.3 50.2 31.9
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 34.6 16.1 5.7
Overwatch (2016) 166.4 112.2 49.5 30.4
For Honor (2017) 82.6 28.8 26.9 21
Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017) 50.1 21.2 18.3 4.5
Rocket League (2017) 175.4 77 52.1
Destiny 2 (2017) 62.5 32.2 30.3 25.1
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 36.7 16.6 9.9
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) 56.6 48.3 43
Far Cry 5 (2018) 45 20 17 16
Monster Hunter World (2018) 51.1 17.5 17.3 13
F1 2018 (2018) 65 33 26 15
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 46 18 15 10
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey (2018) 41 18 14 7
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (2018) 54.6 20.9 18 16.4
Hitman 2 (2018) 34.7 17.3 15.8 13
Battlefield V (2018) 59.9 27.7 22.7 18.5
Darksiders III (2018) 95.7 27.9 21.7 18.6
Just Cause 4 (2018) 40.7 25.3 18.4 15.9
Apex Legends (2019) 57 24.4 19.7 17.8
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) 43 21 18 17
Metro Exodus (2019) 27.8 7.3 6.8 5.3
Anthem (2019) 34.5 16.9 14.7 13.1
Dirt Rally 2.0 (2019) 89.7 29.2 20.8 11.1
The Division 2 (2019) 46 19 12 9
The Witcher 3 - 1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing
Average of class Multimedia
  (23 - 316, n=62, last 2 years)
135 fps +256%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
70.3 fps +85%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
68.4 fps +80%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
64.4 fps +70%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
37.9 fps
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
Intel Core i5-7200U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
36.9 fps -3%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
35.3 fps -7%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (30 - 40, n=27)
35.3 fps -7%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
35.2 fps -7%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
17.3 fps -54%
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
129.6 fps +38%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
114 fps +21%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
94 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (84 - 100.5, n=14)
93.6 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
89.8 fps -4%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51RL
Intel Core i5-7200U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
82.2 fps -13%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
80.9 fps -14%
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
64.8 (23.7min) fps -31%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
42.9 fps -54%
Far Cry 5 - 1280x720 Low Preset AA:T
Average of class Multimedia
  (40 - 187, n=43, last 2 years)
110.3 fps +145%
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
63 fps +40%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
55 fps +22%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
45 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
45 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (38 - 45, n=3)
42.7 fps -5%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
22 fps -51%
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
15 fps -67%
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey - 1280x720 Low Preset
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
Intel Core i5-8265U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
41 fps 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
41 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
  (40 - 41, n=2)
40.5 fps -1%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
30 fps -27%
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
Intel Core i5-7200U, AMD Radeon 530
23 fps -44%

In order to verify that frame rates also remained largely constant over longer periods of time, we let the game "The Witcher 3" run for about 60 minutes at HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and at medium quality settings. The character was not moved during the entire time. There were no frame rate drops to be found.

05101520253035404550Tooltip
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L GeForce MX250, i7-8565U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G: Ø37.9 (34-54)
GPU measurements during the Witcher 3 test
GPU measurements during the Witcher 3 test

Emissions - At a normal level

Noise emissions

The A515-52G never gets too loud, even under load. The fan normally remains quiet during idle usage and under light load. Silence reigns - except for when the 2.5-inch hard drive is accessed. The fan turns up under load. Sound pressure levels increased up to 41.7 dB(A) during the stress test. The Aspire does not produce any other noises.

Noise Level

Idle
29.9 / 29.9 / 29.9 dB(A)
HDD
31 dB(A)
Load
41.7 / 41.7 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: 29.9 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2033.543.73834.233.52531.637.837.63431.63132.838.337.435.632.84030.838.532.532.430.85029.833.73530.729.86328.229.531.526.528.28026.827.427.325.426.81002626.326.225.12612524.625.524.523.524.616025.22523.424.325.220025.325.323.122.125.325025.525.421.521.625.531526.927.52120.926.940025.725.120.219.825.750025.525.92019.325.563025.825.819.11925.880027.127.918.218.227.1100030.930.917.617.930.9125030.930.917.217.330.9160029.829.817.116.929.8200031.231.116.817.131.2250033.733.716.916.933.7315032.432.61717.232.4400025.92617.317.325.9500023.423.417.317.423.4630022.922.817.617.522.9800020.720.617.617.820.7100001918.917.817.7191250018.118.117.717.618.11600018.117.917.917.618.1SPL41.341.43029.941.3N3.33.31.21.23.3median 25.7median 25.8median 17.8median 17.8median 25.7Delta3.13.21.81.73.1hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseAcer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
i5-8265U, GeForce MX150
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
i5-7200U, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
Average of class Multimedia
 
Noise
-1%
6%
1%
-4%
2%
3%
3%
9%
off / environment *
29.9
30.5
-2%
29
3%
30.3
-1%
30.6
-2%
30.5
-2%
30.5
-2%
28.7 ?(24.9 - 30.7, n=27)
4%
24.1 ?(19.4 - 29.6, n=92, last 2 years)
19%
Idle Minimum *
29.9
30.5
-2%
29
3%
30.3
-1%
30.6
-2%
30.5
-2%
31.4
-5%
29 ?(24.9 - 32.4, n=27)
3%
24.6 ?(20.1 - 31.8, n=92, last 2 years)
18%
Idle Average *
29.9
30.5
-2%
29
3%
30.3
-1%
30.6
-2%
30.5
-2%
31.4
-5%
29.3 ?(24.9 - 36, n=27)
2%
25.1 ?(20.1 - 31.8, n=92, last 2 years)
16%
Idle Maximum *
29.9
30.9
-3%
30.2
-1%
30.3
-1%
32.1
-7%
31.2
-4%
31.6
-6%
30.2 ?(24.9 - 41, n=27)
-1%
26.6 ?(20.1 - 36.8, n=92, last 2 years)
11%
Load Average *
41.7
41.2
1%
36.2
13%
39.2
6%
43.2
-4%
35.4
15%
33.5
20%
38.3 ?(30.1 - 49, n=26)
8%
39.8 ?(24.2 - 59.7, n=91, last 2 years)
5%
Load Maximum *
41.7
41.9
-0%
36.2
13%
39.2
6%
43.4
-4%
38.7
7%
35.9
14%
41 ?(33.6 - 50.9, n=27)
2%
47.6 ?(29.6 - 62.9, n=92, last 2 years)
-14%
Witcher 3 ultra *
36.2
41.6

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The Aspire during the stress test
The Aspire during the stress test

Our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for an hour at least) are carried out by the Aspire in the same way on battery power as well as plugged in. The processor runs at 1.8 GHz in the beginning of the test. The clock speed then drops to 1.3 GHz. In the remaining part of the test the CPU speed keeps increasing slightly, up to 1.6 GHz. The graphics unit begins the test with 1230 MHz. Over time, the clock speed drops to 975 MHz.

The laptop gets a bit too hot in some areas. Thus we registered temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius (~122 degrees Fahrenheit) around the heat sink area during our stress test. This should not be a cause for concern though. The stress test represents an extreme scenario, which does not occur with everyday use. We use this test to verify that the system also remains stable at full load. The temperatures are fine during everyday use.

Max. Load
 43.5 °C
110 F
53.7 °C
129 F
39 °C
102 F
 
 35.1 °C
95 F
45 °C
113 F
27.6 °C
82 F
 
 24.7 °C
76 F
25.4 °C
78 F
24.5 °C
76 F
 
Maximum: 53.7 °C = 129 F
Average: 35.4 °C = 96 F
34 °C
93 F
56 °C
133 F
36.4 °C
98 F
26.3 °C
79 F
28.4 °C
83 F
37.8 °C
100 F
24.1 °C
75 F
25 °C
77 F
25.6 °C
78 F
Maximum: 56 °C = 133 F
Average: 32.6 °C = 91 F
Power Supply (max.)  52.7 °C = 127 F | Room Temperature 22.1 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.4 °C / 96 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 53.7 °C / 129 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 56 °C / 133 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.9 °C / 79 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 25.4 °C / 77.7 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 (+3.4 °C / 6.1 F).
Heat development top (load)
Heat development top (load)
Heat development bottom (load)
Heat development bottom (load)
Heat development top (idle)
Heat development top (idle)
Heat development bottom (idle)
Heat development bottom (idle)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
i5-8265U, GeForce MX150
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
i5-7200U, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
Average of class Multimedia
 
Heat
2%
14%
25%
13%
2%
25%
10%
9%
Maximum Upper Side *
53.7
52.9
1%
46.1
14%
41.2
23%
48
11%
46.5
13%
37.3
31%
45.3 ?(38.4 - 54.2, n=27)
16%
43.9 ?(26 - 67, n=95, last 2 years)
18%
Maximum Bottom *
56
51.5
8%
50
11%
36.4
35%
49
12%
53.8
4%
37.3
33%
48.7 ?(39.3 - 59.4, n=27)
13%
46.5 ?(25 - 69, n=95, last 2 years)
17%
Idle Upper Side *
28.4
28.4
-0%
23.8
16%
22
23%
24.4
14%
30.5
-7%
23.7
17%
26.6 ?(21.8 - 32, n=27)
6%
28.5 ?(21.2 - 41.7, n=93, last 2 years)
-0%
Idle Bottom *
28.9
29.7
-3%
24.7
15%
23.6
18%
24.6
15%
30.1
-4%
23.9
17%
28.1 ?(22.1 - 37.4, n=27)
3%
29.3 ?(21.4 - 39.8, n=93, last 2 years)
-1%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2031.234.231.22532.93432.9313335.6334029.532.429.55029.430.729.46327.426.527.48026.825.426.810026.525.126.512524.623.524.61602624.32620031.722.131.725044.921.644.93154820.94840049.819.849.850052.219.352.263056.91956.980064.218.264.210006117.961125059.117.359.1160060.116.960.1200059.617.159.6250059.316.959.3315059.117.259.1400059.117.359.1500062.317.462.3630065.117.565.1800065.317.865.31000062.117.762.1125005317.6531600059.617.659.6SPL73.229.973.2N28.81.228.8median 59.1median 17.8median 59.1Delta8.11.78.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAcer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L audio analysis

(-) | not very loud speakers (65.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 83% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 69% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy management - Decent battery life

Energy consumption

There are no peculiarities regarding energy requirements. In idle usage we measured a maximum energy consumption of 9.9 watts. This increased up to 63.4 watts during our stress test. This value is normal considering the hardware used. The included power supply has a rated output of 65 watts. Energy consumption is on par with the MX150 sibling model across all different load levels.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.46 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 4.4 / 6.9 / 9.9 Watt
Load midlight 55 / 63.4 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 A515-52G-723L
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
i5-8265U, GeForce MX150
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
i5-7200U, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop)
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX250
 
Average of class Multimedia
 
Power Consumption
3%
10%
-44%
9%
19%
14%
-6%
-62%
Idle Minimum *
4.4
3.8
14%
3.1
30%
9.9
-125%
3.3
25%
3.6
18%
4.5
-2%
4.1 ?(2.16 - 7.4, n=29)
7%
7.28 ?(2.2 - 34.6, n=93, last 2 years)
-65%
Idle Average *
6.9
6.3
9%
6.3
9%
9.5
-38%
6.1
12%
6.4
7%
7.3
-6%
7.91 ?(4.2 - 12.4, n=29)
-15%
11.8 ?(4.6 - 43, n=93, last 2 years)
-71%
Idle Maximum *
9.9
9.6
3%
8.6
13%
10.7
-8%
8.3
16%
7.2
27%
9.4
5%
10.4 ?(7 - 16.2, n=29)
-5%
14.6 ?(5.6 - 44.9, n=93, last 2 years)
-47%
Load Average *
55
59.5
-8%
56.4
-3%
62
-13%
56
-2%
39.4
28%
34
38%
58.6 ?(29 - 84, n=29)
-7%
77.3 ?(14.3 - 147, n=92, last 2 years)
-41%
Load Maximum *
63.4
64.4
-2%
62.7
1%
86.7
-37%
67
-6%
55.3
13%
41.9
34%
68.9 ?(38 - 131, n=29)
-9%
119.3 ?(44 - 247, n=92, last 2 years)
-88%
Witcher 3 ultra *
45
84

* ... smaller is better

Battery life

In our practical Wi-Fi test, Acer's 15.6-incher reached a runtime of 6:54 hours. With this test we simulate the load caused by browsing the web. The "balanced" energy profile is selected and the brightness set to around 150 cd/m². The A515 finishes our video test after 6:28 hours. We test here how long the battery can play videos. To this end we play the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264-encoded, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The network modules are turned off, energy saving mode is activated and the display brightness is set again to around 150 cd/m². All in all, run times in our review device are a bit behind the ones found on the MX150 Aspire, despite the same battery being used.

The battery has a rated capacity of 48 Wh
The battery has a rated capacity of 48 Wh
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
12h 53min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 44)
6h 54min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
6h 28min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 57min
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, 48 Wh
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-53PU
i5-8265U, GeForce MX150, 48 Wh
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 42 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 720-15IKB
i5-7200U, Radeon RX 560 (Laptop), 40 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-cs0003ng
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 41 Wh
Lenovo Ideapad 330-15IKB-81DC00SWGE
i5-7200U, Radeon 530, 30 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-cw0003ng
R5 2500U, Vega 8, 41 Wh
Average of class Multimedia
 
Battery Runtime
2%
-6%
3%
-21%
-24%
-24%
29%
Reader / Idle
773
846
9%
963
25%
493
-36%
809
5%
504
-35%
933 ?(506 - 1571, n=25, last 2 years)
21%
H.264
388
401
3%
552
42%
301
-22%
230
-41%
680 ?(319 - 1481, n=49, last 2 years)
75%
WiFi v1.3
414
450
9%
388
-6%
425
3%
284
-31%
286
-31%
302
-27%
560 ?(262 - 1204, n=92, last 2 years)
35%
Load
117
101
-14%
50
-57%
121
3%
61
-48%
126
8%
96.9 ?(39 - 215, n=73, last 2 years)
-17%

Pros

+ matte IPS display
+ Full HD resolution
+ NVMe SSD + HDD
+ keyboard backlighting
+ fast memory card reader

Cons

- dim display
- PWM flickering

Verdict

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L, provided by:
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L, provided by:

Acer has packed the technology inside the 15.6-inch multimedia all-rounder within a slim, compact, relatively light body, which also offers narrow display bezels.

The laptop is powered by a Core i7 processor based on the Whiskey Lake generation. In addition, it also features the brand-new GeForce MX250 GPU. Together they make for a smooth gaming experience on the majority of computer games included in our data base. Nevertheless, some compromises have to be made regarding resolution and quality - this applies particularly to current titles.

Acer delivers with the Aspire A515-52G a successful all-rounder. The new GeForce MX250 GPU does not bring any real advantages compared to its predecessor.

The laptop does not lack storage space. In this way, a 512 GB SSD and an additional 1 TB hard drive are to be found inside. The NVMe SSD allows for the system to run with ease. It could be possible to swap the storage drives, but the case would need to be opened in order to do this. There is no maintenance hatch available though.

The matte IPS display scores points with stable viewing angles, decent color reproduction and good contrast. However, the brightness is too low. Something better is expected at this laptop's price point. The Aspire comes with a backlit keyboard that is suitable for everyday use. In addition, the laptop offers decent battery life.

The biggest innovation found in our review device compared to its sibling model is the GeForce MX250 graphics processing unit. However, this is not really a new GPU. The MX250 results in a minimally improved version of the MX150 GPU. Subsequently, processing performance and frame rates are at best slightly better than on the MX150 Aspire. There is no real reason to buy an MX250 laptop therefore. In this case, some savings could be eventually made by opting for an MX150 model.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L - 09/26/2019 v7
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
79 / 98 → 81%
Keyboard
81%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
51 / 80 → 64%
Weight
65 / 20-72 → 87%
Battery
89 / 95 → 93%
Display
86%
Games Performance
77 / 90 → 85%
Application Performance
90 / 90 → 100%
Temperature
87%
Noise
88 / 95 → 93%
Audio
53%
Camera
44 / 85 → 52%
Average
75%
84%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G (i7-8565U, GeForce MX250, SSD, FHD) Laptop Review
Sascha Mölck, 2019-04-18 (Update: 2019-04-20)