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MagyarAcer Aspire 5 A517-51G (i7-8550U, MX 150, Full-HD) Laptop Review
For the original German review, click here.
With the current Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G, Acer conducts product maintenance and replaces the presently widespread seventh-generation Intel Core i Kaby Lake processors. The new CPUs form the foundation of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G. To be exact, we find in our test device the Intel Core i7-8550U, which has 8 GB of RAM at its disposal. An Nvidia GeForce MX150 ensures good multimedia performance. The operating system is located on a 256 GB SSD, and a 1 TB hard drive offers enough storage space for other data. Together with the 17-inch Full HD IPS panel, buyers are going to have to fork out 1089 Euros for the device with our review configuration, which Acer currently offers in its in-house store. However, in the lowest configuration, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G costs 699 Euros. In this case, one must forgo the dedicated graphics card and an SSD. One will have to make certain concessions with the display, as well. Because the lower-priced device offers only a resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The processor still offers four cores, however now it goes by the name of “Intel Core i5-8250U”.
You can see the devices we have selected for this review in the table below. Both HP devices are based on the faster Intel Core i7-7700HQ processors. Nevertheless, we used these devices to show what the 8th generation can offer in terms of performance.
| Acer Aspire V17 | HP Omen 17 | Acer Aspire F17 | Acer Aspire V17 | HP Pavilion 17 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-7300HQ | Intel Core i7-7700HQ | Intel Core i5-7200U | Intel Core i5-7300HQ | Intel Core i7-7700HQ |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 |
| Panel | 17.3 Zoll 1.920 x 1.080 | 17.3 Zoll 1.920 x 1.080 | 17.3 Zoll 1.920 x 1.080 | 17.3 Zoll 1.920 x 1.080 | 17.3 Zoll 3.840 x 2.160 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 8 GB |
| Speicher | 1 TB HDD | 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD | 1 TB HDD | 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD | 256 GB SSD |
| Wertung | 87% | 81% | 82% | 87% | 76% |
Case
The case of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is made predominantly out of plastic. However, the upper side of the chassis has been given an Aluminium finish. In terms of color, the device is rather conservative. Silver accents spice up the look of an otherwise black-colored case. The display lid is adorned by an Acer logo and a vertically-striped texture, which we have already seen in the Acer Aspire V17 Nitro. The chassis is quite rigid, albeit the device responds to our twisting attempts with creaking sounds. In our flex test, the chassis exhibits only minimal bending, which is well within reasonable bounds. The same applies to the display lid, which can be bent with some effort. However, this does not result in rippling on the screen. The hinges do a great job and have no trouble keeping the 17-inch display in a set position. Unfortunately, the lid wobbles slightly, but, in our view, the wobbling is more than acceptable. On a positive note, the device can be opened with one hand. However, what we must criticize are the surfaces, which are highly susceptible to fingerprints. Although, the fingerprints can be removed easily with a wet cloth.
Size Comparison
It is clear from the size comparison that all of our devices have a similar footprint. The fact that the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G takes up a surface area of 42.3 x 28.9 centimeters (16.6 x 11.4 in) is not surprising, for a 17-inch laptop. With a weight of 2.9 kilograms (6.4 lbs), our test device, along with the Acer Aspire F5 and the HP Omen 17, belongs to the lightest devices in our comparison chart. The AC power adapter adds another 314 grams (0.7 lbs) to the total.
Connectivity
With the Aspire 5 A517-51G, the manufacturer does not follow the trend and grants the device an optical disc drive. All in all, our test device offers 4 USB ports, 2 of which are based on the older USB 2.0 standard. Both USB 3 ports find their place on the left side, and we have determined that one of them is based on the Type-C standard. Therefore only one USB 3.0 port is available, which should not be the case, these days. The only port for connecting an external monitor that the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G offers is an HDMI output. A USB Type-C to HDMI adapter refused to work and, therefore, it cannot serve as an alternative solution. The ports are well-positioned and well-spaced. There should not be any problems when using multiple ports at the same time. The manufacturer has also given some thought to the power connector (because of the angled shape it will lead the power cable directly behind the device).
SD card reader
The SD card reader is located on the left side and supports all the latest formats. However, inserted cards protrude quite prominently from the card slot, which can easily lead to damage to the data storage device. The performance of the SD card reader shows that it operates with USB 3.0 speeds. With our reference SD card, Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II, we have reached a sequential read speed of 84 MB/s. When copying JPG files, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G took second place in the comparison chart below, with a transfer rate of 74,9 MB/s.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| HP Omen 17-w206ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD | |
| Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD | |
| Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| HP Omen 17-w206ng (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Communication
LAN and Wi-Fi enable access to the internet. The Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G has a Gigabit Ethernet port. The Wi-Fi module Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 is responsible for the wireless communication. Within the scope of our measurements, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G reached a data reception speed of 347 MB/s and a data transmission speed of 310 MB/s. Therefore the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G takes a spot near the bottom of our comparison chart. According to the spec sheet, the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 has a max speed of 433 MB/s. Unfortunately, a boost in performance is only possible with a faster Wi-Fi module.
Security
With the Aspire 5 A517-51G, Acer forgoes biometric security measures. Only a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0) is included. In addition, there is a test version of Norton Security on our device.
Accessories
In the box, besides the device, we found the compact AC power adapter, some service brochures and warranty provisions.
Maintenance
Even though, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G boasts two small maintenance covers, the fan, unfortunately, cannot be cleaned. Both upgrade openings are there primarily to enable access to the 2.5-inch data storage device and the RAM. Those who would like to put in an M.2 SSD will have to remove the entire back cover. After one undoes a number of screws, the underside can be removed with some force. Here we recommend using a handy remover so as not to damage the plastic holder. The bottom cover can be easily removed with a touch of diligence. However, Acer could have been more customer-friendly if it had included a maintenance cover that encompassed both the fan and the SSD.
Warranty
With the Aspire 5 A517-51G, Acer offers a two-year manufacturer warranty, which includes the Pickup & Return service. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices
Keyboard
Right out of the gate, the keyboard layout already resembles the Aspire series from Acer. The power button is located within the keyboard area (the first button in the first row on the right). With 16 x 16 millimeters (0.04 x 0.04 in), the keys offer enough surface area and are not too small. An adjacent numeric pad is a must for a 17-inch laptop, albeit here the keys have smaller dimensions. The white markings provide a nice contrast to the black surface of the keys and make reading the imprinted symbols easier. We have nothing to say about the keyboard backlight, because we were not able to find one. The pressure point is palpable, however it leaves a squishy impression. The travel distance of about 2 millimeters (~0.08 in) is conventional and well within reasonable bounds. During fast typing, the keys produce an audible clicking sound. All in all, the keyboard could have been better, considering the 1089-Euro price tag of the device.
Touchpad
The touchpad fits visually with the overall color scheme and is marked, around the edges, with a silver line. The surface area of 10.7 x 7.9 centimeters (4.21 x 3.11 in) is smooth and offers enough wiggle room. Therefore multitouch gestures are not a problem. The touchpad works well even at the edges. The buttons in the bottom area make a clear clinking sound when they are pressed. On the whole, we can say that the clickpad leaves a qualitatively better impression than the keyboard.
Display
The LG display of our test device measures 17.3 inches (43.9 cm) diagonally and has a resolution of 1920x1080. This amounts to a pixel density of 127 ppi. As already mentioned earlier, Acer equips the lower-priced entry-level devices with different displays with a somewhat lower resolution (1600x900). The IPS panel of our Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G offers a very good brightness of 364 cd/m². Here the other devices fall considerably behind, which one can see in the comparison chart below. The low black value of 0.29 cd/m² is accompanied by a good contrast ratio of 1369:1. Here the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G scores above the comparable devices, as well. Our review device has minor problems with the bright distribution (84 percent) and dark scenes. Slight screen bleeding shows up in the bottom left corner of our review device, although it is not noticeable during normal operation. With our test pattern, we were able to measure PWM, just as with the HP Omen 17 and the Acer Aspire F5. However, the measured frequency of 122000 Hz is extremely high and should not cause any problems for the users.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 397 cd/m²
Contrast: 1369:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.88 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.1
ΔE Greyscale 3.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
84% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
55% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
84.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.59
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L LG Display, LP173WF4-SPF5, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 AU Optronics, 1920x1080, 17.30 | HP Omen 17-w206ng Chi Mei CMN1738, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD AU Optronics B173HTN01.1, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN AUO B173HAN01.0, 1920x1080, 17.30 | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD AUO119B, 3840x2160, 17.30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 0% | 7% | 7% | 3% | 37% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 66.3 | 63.1 -5% | 67.2 1% | 69.7 5% | 64 -3% | 87.1 31% |
| sRGB Coverage | 84.2 | 86.5 3% | 93.1 11% | 91.2 8% | 90.2 7% | 99.9 19% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 61.6 | 63.3 3% | 67.4 9% | 66.8 8% | 65.4 6% | 99.4 61% |
| Response Times | 10% | -26% | -24% | 14% | -16% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 41 ? | 38 ? 7% | 38 ? 7% | 43 ? -5% | 36 ? 12% | 50.8 -24% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 31 ? | 27 ? 13% | 26 ? 16% | 21 ? 32% | 26 ? 16% | 33.2 -7% |
| PWM Frequency | 122000 ? | 200 ? -100% | 1000 ? -99% | |||
| Screen | -7% | -11% | -60% | -10% | -18% | |
| Brightness middle | 397 | 301 -24% | 318 -20% | 339 -15% | 346 -13% | 325.7 -18% |
| Brightness | 364 | 270 -26% | 295 -19% | 315 -13% | 307 -16% | 309 -15% |
| Brightness Distribution | 84 | 79 -6% | 79 -6% | 84 0% | 84 0% | 90 7% |
| Black Level * | 0.29 | 0.38 -31% | 0.25 14% | 0.35 -21% | 0.26 10% | 0.37 -28% |
| Contrast | 1369 | 792 -42% | 1272 -7% | 969 -29% | 1331 -3% | 880 -36% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.88 | 3.49 10% | 4.7 -21% | 10.4 -168% | 4.32 -11% | 6.5 -68% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 8.22 | 7.49 9% | 8.8 -7% | 15.96 -94% | 8.05 2% | 9.6 -17% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.1 | 1.88 39% | 5 -61% | 11.67 -276% | 5.76 -86% | 5.6 -81% |
| Gamma | 2.59 85% | 2.35 94% | 2.28 96% | 2.32 95% | 2.35 94% | 2.59 85% |
| CCT | 6570 99% | 6587 99% | 7374 88% | 13081 50% | 6447 101% | 5860 111% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 55 | 56 2% | 61 11% | 60 9% | 59 7% | 87 58% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 84 | 86 2% | 93 11% | 91 8% | 90 7% | 100 19% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 1% /
-3% | -10% /
-10% | -26% /
-41% | 2% /
-4% | 1% /
-7% |
* ... smaller is better
Overall, the provided picture quality can be described as good. Here the interplay between the low black value (0.29) and the good contrast ratio (1369:1) makes for a very good presentation. The average DeltaE 2000 deviations of the grayscale (3.1) and the colors (3.88) are very low. A calibration of the display can provide some improvement. We have linked the appropriate ICC profile and made it available for downloading. The measured color space coverage is rather average with 84 % for the sRGB color space and 55 % for AdobeRGB. Therefore the device is only suitable for casual image editing.
The high brightness (364 cd/m²) in combination with a matte display makes for good outdoor usability. One can work with the device even on a sunny day. In the shade, in some circumstances, the brightness can even be reduced, which can extend the battery life.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4 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. » 81 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 41 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 58 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (34.5 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 122000 Hz | ≤ 90 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 122000 Hz (Likely 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 122000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 54 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18941 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
When testing the viewing angles, we have observed a typical IPS panel with slight clouding around the edges, which results in very minor color deviations. Nevertheless, the screen of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G has very stable viewing angles. During normal use, no problems should arise.
Performance
Our review configuration is the top variant of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G. The Intel Core i7-8550U offers enough performance for work and multimedia applications. With a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia (GeForce MX150), one can play a diverse range of video games. Even the entry-level device, which is based on the Intel Core i5-8250U, offers enough base performance to justify its designation as a multimedia device. However, we recommend that the users make sure that their device is at least equipped with an SSD, in order to deal with the disadvantageous loading times which are associated with conventional hard drives.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-8550U is a power efficient quad-core processor which is based on the Kaby Lake architecture. Despite its four physical cores, the TPD only amounts to 15 watts. The base clock speed comes in at 1.8 GHz, and it can be dynamically increased up to 4.0 GHz. In order to boost performance in multi-threaded applications, Intel has integrated the well-known Hyper-threading technology into the i7-8550U. Therefore the i7-8550U has 8 threads at its disposal. The single core performance of the new SoC has been significantly increased, thanks to the high 4.0 GHz clock rate. Therefore the i7-8550U-based Acer Aspire 5 dominates in the Cinebench R15 Single-Core benchmark with a score of 171 points. In the Cinebench R15 Multi-Core benchmark, the performance of the Intel Core i7-8550U is restricted, because of the hard-set power target. Here the i7-7700HQ-based devices manage to deliver much better results. However, with a TDP of 45 watts, these devices consume considerably more power.
For the additional benchmarks for the Intel Core i7-8550U, click here.
We test how well a processor’s performance holds up under continuous load with the Cinebench R15 Multi-Core benchmark running in a continuous loop. For a short while, the processor drew 44 watts, which is reflected clearly in the results, because during our first benchmark run the CPU scored 584 points. During the second benchmark run, the score sank to 544 points. All subsequent benchmark runs achieved similar results, therefore there are no other fluctuations in performance to report. Numerically, this means that the CPU’s performance drops by about 7 % under continuous load.
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L | |
| HP Omen 17-w206ng | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit | |
| HP Omen 17-w206ng | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L | |
| HP Omen 17-w206ng | |
| HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD | |
| Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN | |
| Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN | |
| Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD | |
| Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN | |
| HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD | |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The high CPU performance makes for consistently good results. Here the increase in performance that Intel promised shows itself in almost every area. The sensible storage solution (SSD+HDD) results in a very responsive system. 8 GB of RAM is not very much these days, but it is enough to run all the latest applications. All in all, we can say that working on this device is a lot of fun and that the loading times are barely noticeable.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3910 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 5055 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 5193 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 3916 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
The Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G, in our review configuration, comes equipped with an M.2 SSD, on which the operating system is located. A conventional 2.5-inch HDD serves as an additional storage device to provide enough space for multimedia content. The SSD from Micron offers SATA speeds, which is substantiated by our test results. The SSD achieves a sequential read speed of 494 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 404 MB/s. The 4K read speed of 25 MB/s is in good order, as well (which makes small files load faster). The 5400 RPM hard drive comes from Western Digital. HD Tune handed in an average transfer rate of some 92 MB/s. Not an entirely perfect result, given that comparable hard drives achieve somewhat better transfer rates.
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035 | HP Omen 17-w206ng Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD Toshiba MQ01ABD100 | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -87% | 156% | -91% | 3% | 48% | |
| Read Seq | 480.1 | 117.6 -76% | 1606 235% | 107.1 -78% | 493.1 3% | 1076 124% |
| Write Seq | 385.6 | 109.1 -72% | 1176 205% | 103.1 -73% | 270.2 -30% | 263.2 -32% |
| Read 512 | 295.6 | 39.93 -86% | 846 186% | 28.89 -90% | 325.8 10% | 695 135% |
| Write 512 | 302.5 | 98.6 -67% | 805 166% | 27.34 -91% | 267.8 -11% | 472.3 56% |
| Read 4k | 27.58 | 0.435 -98% | 59.9 117% | 0.331 -99% | 28.4 3% | 20.09 -27% |
| Write 4k | 81.4 | 3.152 -96% | 155.6 91% | 0.831 -99% | 76.2 -6% | 116.2 43% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 247.4 | 1.008 -100% | 588 138% | 0.666 -100% | 344.6 39% | 282.7 14% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 237.7 | 4.705 -98% | 505 112% | 0.828 -100% | 267 12% | 405.2 70% |
Graphics Card
The Intel UHD Graphics 620 and the Nvidia GeForce MX150 are responsible for image rendering, whereby the Intel UHD Graphics 620 deals with the 2D applications and the Nvidia GeForce MX150 takes care of the 3D applications. The appropriate graphics adapter is selected automatically, depending on the type of activity (the user does not have to do anything). The Nvidia GeForce MX150 has 2 GB of GDDR5 video memory at its disposal. In terms of performance, it is significantly slower than the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and is on the same level as the somewhat older Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M. As the new component of the refreshed Kaby Lake processors, the Intel UHD Graphics 620 relieves the processor during video playback and thus insures longer battery life in 2D applications.
You can find more benchmarks for the Nvidia GeForce MX150 and the Intel UHD Graphics 620, here.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 17583 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 4732 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 44475 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 13140 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 3207 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 1668 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is fit for occasional gaming, however, in recently released titles, one will have to make certain concessions in terms of the graphical settings in order to deal with frequent performance drops. The Nvidia GeForce MX150 is the only available dedicated graphics solution for the Acer Aspire 5. The lower-priced entry-level devices without a dedicated graphics card fall hopelessly behind in terms of 3D performance. The performance of the Nvidia GeForce MX150 is roughly equivalent to that of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 162.1 | 93.3 | 78.9 | 31 |
| Battlefield 4 (2013) | 121 | 88.4 | 63.6 | 28.6 |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 67.1 | 37.2 | 20.6 | 17.4 |
Emissions
System Noise
In terms of noise emissions, Acer did a great job with the Aspire 5 A517-51G. In our comparison chart, our test device is the quietest. At idle, the device operates almost silently. The small fan only begins to spin up when the device has to carry out demanding tasks. Our review sample handed in a maximum noise level of 34.4 dB(A). With the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G, we observed no unnecessary spinning-up of the fan or any high-frequency fan noise.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 30.1 / 30.1 / 29.7 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 29.7 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 34.2 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 34.4 / 34.4 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 29.4 dB(A) | ||
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035 | HP Omen 17-w206ng GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100 | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i5-7300HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -4% | -23% | -2% | -5% | -24% | |
| off / environment * | 29.4 | 29.7 -1% | 30 -2% | 30 -2% | 30.7 -4% | 29.6 -1% |
| Idle Minimum * | 30.1 | 30.2 -0% | 34 -13% | 31.5 -5% | 30.7 -2% | 34.5 -15% |
| Idle Average * | 30.1 | 30.2 -0% | 35 -16% | 31.5 -5% | 30.7 -2% | 34.5 -15% |
| Idle Maximum * | 29.7 | 30.6 -3% | 36 -21% | 31.6 -6% | 31.4 -6% | 36.6 -23% |
| Load Average * | 34.4 | 33.8 2% | 47 -37% | 31.7 8% | 32.1 7% | 46.6 -35% |
| Load Maximum * | 34.4 | 42.6 -24% | 52 -51% | 34.5 -0% | 42.8 -24% | 52.3 -52% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 39.5 | 48 | 31.4 | 42.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
The heat pipe and the fan work very well together, as a result of that, the heat dissipates very well from the device. As the image below shows, the hottest spot is located on the upper side of the chassis atop the keyboard. With 40.4 ° C (104.72 ° F), the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is considerably cooler than all the other devices in our comparison chart. During the stress test, we stress the system for at least one hour with Furmark and Prime95. In the process, the Nvidia GeForce MX150 reached a maximum temperature of 88 °C (190.4 °F) and the Intel Core i7-8550U’s temperature peaked at 90 °C (194 °F). Despite the relatively high temperature, the graphics card operated with a stable core clock of 1600 MHz. The CPU also maintained a stable clock rate of 1.8 GHz. A subsequent 3D benchmark run showed that the continuous load had almost no effect on the results of the 3DMark 11 benchmark. Following the stress test, the result remained almost identical to what we saw during a cold start.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 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 37 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.5 °C / 74 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 25.5 °C / 77.9 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.9 °C / 84 F (+3.4 °C / 6.1 F).
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i5-7300HQ, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035 | HP Omen 17-w206ng GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD GeForce GTX 950M, i5-7200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100 | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i5-7300HQ, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-7700HQ, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat | -17% | -33% | -22% | -11% | -3% | |
| Maximum Upper Side * | 40.4 | 48 -19% | 55.6 -38% | 41.9 -4% | 48.4 -20% | 48.8 -21% |
| Maximum Bottom * | 37 | 40.8 -10% | 57.7 -56% | 55.8 -51% | 44.2 -19% | 38.4 -4% |
| Idle Upper Side * | 25.3 | 29.9 -18% | 32.2 -27% | 33.4 -32% | 25.8 -2% | 24.2 4% |
| Idle Bottom * | 24.7 | 29.8 -21% | 27.2 -10% | 25.1 -2% | 25.5 -3% | 22.8 8% |
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The stereo speaks find their place at the edges of the wrist rest. Due to the downward-facing openings, the sound is reflected off of the tabletop. If the device is located on a soft surface, the sound becomes somewhat dulled. Because of the small membranes, which do not have a large air volume, the mids and the highs prevail. The lows are not entirely lost and make themselves known. The maximum volume comes in at 72 dB(A), which is a decent result. However, the small membranes pop and crackle, which makes listening to the device unpleasant. One can connect external sound systems to the device via the 3.5-mm headphone/microphone jack.
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (71.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 30% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 61% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 21% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 74% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
HP Omen 17-w206ng audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 14.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 53% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 38% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 54% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 26%, worst was 134%
frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked!)
Energy Management
Energy Consumption
The power consumption of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is very modest, when compared to the devices that we have used in this review. The processor and the graphics card are primarily responsible for most of the energy consumption. Whiling idling, our test device consumes 4.1 to 9.8 watts. Under load, the power consumption peaks at 66.4 watts. However, we recorded an average of 64 watts under full load. Under load, the devices with significantly faster graphics cards consume considerably more power, which is what we would expect to see. Nevertheless, the devices included in this review for comparison purposes should not be judged too harshly. The fact that the battery of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G did not hold at 100 % under full load is quite striking. This means that the battery was discharging, despite the fact that the device was plugged in. With 65 watts, the AC adapter falls short of properly supplying the device with energy, when it comes to the maximum performance. Here a more powerful AC adapter can be of help.
| Off / Standby | 0.2 / 0.38 Watt |
| Idle | 4.1 / 9.3 / 9.8 Watt |
| Load |
64 / 66.4 Watt |
   
| |
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN, aSi TFT, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30 | HP Omen 17-w206ng i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP, IPS, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD i5-7200U, GeForce GTX 950M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100, TN, 1920x1080, 17.30 | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, a-Si TFT-LCD, WLED, 1920x1080, 17.30 | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, Intel SSD 600p SSDPEKKW256G7, IPS, 3840x2160, 17.30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -62% | -112% | -28% | -65% | -102% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 4.1 | 8.7 -112% | 11 -168% | 6.9 -68% | 7.8 -90% | 13.3 -224% |
| Idle Average * | 9.3 | 12.4 -33% | 18 -94% | 13.6 -46% | 13.3 -43% | 18.5 -99% |
| Idle Maximum * | 9.8 | 15.4 -57% | 24 -145% | 14.8 -51% | 16.6 -69% | 19 -94% |
| Load Average * | 64 | 73 -14% | 84 -31% | 41 36% | 73 -14% | 78 -22% |
| Load Maximum * | 66.4 | 130 -96% | 146 -120% | 75 -13% | 140 -111% | 113.4 -71% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 98 | 101 | 33 | 118 |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
Thanks to the relatively low energy consumption, the battery life of the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is in good order. With 48 Wh, the built-in battery is not very large. In our view, a somewhat larger battery, at the expense of the optical disc drive, would be a sensible option. According to the manufacturer, a single charge should ensure up to 7 hours of operation. This claim proved true, but only during idle operation (9 hours 20 minutes). In our practically-oriented Wi-Fi test, the battery held for 6 hours and 19 minutes, before the device needed to be plugged in. To ensure the consistent conditions, we had to reduce the brightness of the display by 6 levels. This corresponds to a display brightness of 150 cd/m². A complete charge takes about two hours (not excessively long). When running on battery power, the 3D performance is not affected drastically, as a result we achieved 4158 points in 3DMark 11.
| Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, 48 Wh | Acer Aspire Nitro BE VN7-793G-5811 i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 52.5 Wh | HP Omen 17-w206ng i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile, 62 Wh | Acer Aspire F5-771G-50RD i5-7200U, GeForce GTX 950M, 40 Wh | Acer Aspire V17 Nitro BE VN7-793G-52XN i5-7300HQ, GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, 69 Wh | HP Pavilion 17t-ab200 UHD i7-7700HQ, GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, 63 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -26% | 17% | -18% | 13% | -12% | |
| Reader / Idle | 560 | 795 42% | 429 -23% | 618 10% | 533 -5% | |
| H.264 | 321 | 315 -2% | ||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 377 | 278 -26% | 380 1% | 268 -29% | 374 -1% | 286 -24% |
| Load | 89 | 96 8% | 87 -2% | 130 46% | 82 -8% |
Verdict
Pros
Cons
The Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G is a multimedia notebook, which is fit for everyday tasks quite well. With the arrival of the 8th generation of Intel’s Core series, the CPU performance was significantly increased. The Intel Core i7-8550U has enough performance reserves so as not to become a piece of obsolete hardware in the near future. 8 GB of RAM is sufficient for most usage scenarios, plus upgrading to 20 GB should not present any trouble. A combination of an SSD and an HDD makes for a very responsive system. For 1089 Euros, consumers get a chic, elegant 17-inch notebook, which weighs just below 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs).
Above all, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G wins one over with very good CPU performance while consuming (relatively) little energy. Furthermore, with the Nvidia GeForce MX150, the Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G offers an entry-level graphics card, which can run a wide range of games quite well.
The IPS display rounds the relatively good package off and wins over with its high brightness. One can describe the AC adapter as somewhat undersized, because the battery should not be discharging under full load. The input devices, likewise, leave a rather ambivalent impression. However, the touchpad does a great job, whereas the typing comfort of the keyboard suffers a little.
Acer Aspire 5 A517-51G-80L
-
10/26/2017 v6(old)
Sebastian Bade
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