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Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA (GeForce 940MX GDDR5) Notebook Review

Successful desktop replacement. Acer delivers a well-equipped, 17.3-inch all-rounder for the home desk in the form of the Aspire E5-774g. The GeForce 940MX alongside a GDDR5 memory renders many games smoothly on the matte Full HD screen. However, the buyer has to fork up almost 1000 Euros (~$1122) for the total package.

For the original German review, see here.

With its Aspire E5-774G, Acer launches the newest iteration of a 17.3-inch all-rounder for the consumer sector on the market. In contrast to its predecessors (E5-772G and E5-773G), some things have been modified: Acer now relies on a DDR4 working memory, a Type-C USB port is present, and stronger GeForce graphics cards are available. Our review sample is particularly interesting since a GeForce 940MX graphics unit is paired with a GDDR5 video memory. This combination is rare; a cheaper DDR3 memory is normally used. Devices like HP's Pavilion 17, Lenovo's Ideapad 300-17ISK, Toshiba's Satellite C70-C, and Asus' F756 are some rivals of the Aspire.

Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA (Aspire E5 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-6500U 2 x 2.5 - 3.1 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 861 MHz, Memory: 1253 MHz, GDDR5, 64-bit connection, ForceWare 372.70, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2132, dual-channel, two memory banks (both filled)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 127 PPI, AU Optronics B173HTN01.1, TN LED, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Skylake-U Premium PCH
Storage
Lite-On CV1-8B256, 256 GB 
, + WDC WD10JPVX (1TB, 5400 rpm), 1131 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek ALC255 @ Intel Sunrise Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: combo audio, Card Reader: SD, TPM 2.0
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GUE1N
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 33.1 x 423.32 x 281.9 ( = 1.3 x 16.67 x 11.1 in)
Battery
41 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, McAfee LiveSafe-Internet Security (trial), MS Office (trial), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
3 kg ( = 105.82 oz / 6.61 pounds), Power Supply: 340 g ( = 11.99 oz / 0.75 pounds)
Price
999 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The Aspire's casing is largely black plastic. Only the base unit's upper side is made of one piece of metal (brushed surface). It is also black. The lid's back and the base tray are also textured. Acer uses a line pattern here. A maintenance hatch that allows accessing the HDD, SSD and working memory is present on the laptop's underside. The battery is non-removable.

In terms of build, the laptop mostly does not present any flaws. Only the display's lower corners could have been polished a bit more: They are very pointy and a bit sharp, and they might lead to injuries. Admittedly, a very unlikely scenario. Nevertheless, a laptop should not have any pointed corners or sharp edges. The base unit does not exhibit any real weaknesses regarding its stiffness. Only minor image deviations develop when we try to twist the lid. Pressure on the lid's back only produces image deviations in a few places. The hinges keep the lid firmly in position, but they rock a bit. Opening the lid with one hand is only possible with finger-hand-arm acrobatics.

The Aspire's weight of approximately 3 kg is on par with most rivals. The rivals by HP and Asus are somewhat lighter.

Size Comparison

423.32 mm / 16.7 inch 281.9 mm / 11.1 inch 33.1 mm / 1.303 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs423 mm / 16.7 inch 282 mm / 11.1 inch 27.5 mm / 1.083 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs415 mm / 16.3 inch 272 mm / 10.7 inch 35.5 mm / 1.398 inch 2.7 kg5.95 lbs418.8 mm / 16.5 inch 286.8 mm / 11.3 inch 27.1 mm / 1.067 inch 2.7 kg5.92 lbs418 mm / 16.5 inch 292.6 mm / 11.5 inch 25.1 mm / 0.988 inch 3 kg6.61 lbs410 mm / 16.1 inch 280 mm / 11 inch 20 mm / 0.787 inch 3.6 kg7.85 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity

The interfaces in the Aspire are largely identical with those of the former Aspire E5-772G. The laptop sports four Type-A USB ports, two of which operate in the USB 3.0 standard. A Type-C USB (USB 3.1 gen. 1) is new. It does not support the fast USB 3.1 standard (USB 3.1 gen.2). The interface positioning could be improved. They are level with the wrist rest, and thus it will not remain free from cables.

Left: cable lock slot, Type-C-USB (USB 3.1 gen 1), Gigabit-Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0
Left: cable lock slot, Type-C-USB (USB 3.1 gen 1), Gigabit-Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0
Right: combo audio, 2x USB 2.0, DVD burner, power-in
Right: combo audio, 2x USB 2.0, DVD burner, power-in

SD-Card Reader

The installed memory-card reader places itself in the upper midfield. A maximum transfer rate of 80.3 MB/s is achieved when copying large data blocks. Transferring 250 JPG image files (approx. 5 MB each) is performed at a speed of 40.3 MB/s. We test the memory-card reader via our Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II reference card.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
 
40.3 MB/s
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
 
35.1 MB/s -13%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
 
27.2 MB/s -33%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
 
14.3 MB/s -65%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
 
84.3 MB/s +5%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
 
80.5 MB/s
Asus F756UX-T7013T
 
38.6 MB/s -52%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
 
26.7 MB/s -67%

Communication

The incorporated Qualcomm Wi-Fi module supports the fast ac standard in addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/n standards. The transmission rates that we determined in ideal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity, short distance between laptop and server PC) are good. The rates will likely be a bit lower in routine use. Connection issues did not develop between the laptop and our router. The connection was always stable. An old acquaintance takes care of cabled network connections: a Gigabit Ethernet chip from Realtek's RTL8168/8111 family. The chip did an impeccable job as always.

Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (seb)
331 MBit/s
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (seb)
327 MBit/s

Webcam

The installed webcam produces weak pictures at a maximum resolution of 1280x720 pixels.

Maintenance

Praiseworthy: Acer again treats the Aspire to a maintenance hatch. The predecessor did not have one. The SSD, HDD, and working memory banks are found behind it. The casing has to be opened to access the other hardware.

Maintenance compartment
Maintenance compartment

Warranty

The Aspire is shipped with a two-year warranty. The services and period can be extended. A three-year on-site warranty, for example, costs approximately 70 Euros (~$78).

Input Devices

Keyboard

Acer furnishes the Aspire with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The same model is installed as already found in the predecessor. All keys have a roughened surface. The letter and number keys are concave. All other keys, including the numpad, are even. The keys have a medium drop and clear pressure point. Their resistance could be a bit crisper - but that is a matter of taste. The keyboard yields marginally at most when typing on it. We did not find that distracting. In total, Acer delivers a very decent keyboard.

Touchpad

The multitouch ClickPad has a surface area of approximately 10.6 x 7.8 cm. Thus, it provides enough room for gesture control. The diverse gestures can be turned on and off individually in the pad's configuration menu. The pad's sleek surface does not stop the fingers from gliding, and it also responds to inputs in its corners. It has a short drop and clear pressure point.

Input devices
Input devices

Display

Pixel grid
Pixel grid

The Aspire comes with a matte, 17.3-inch screen that has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The brightness (301.9 cd/m²) and contrast (800:1) are appealing. The screen exhibits PWM flickering in brightness levels of 90% and less at a frequency of 1000 Hz. These high frequencies should not lead to problems even in sensitive users.

295
cd/m²
312
cd/m²
310
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
320
cd/m²
290
cd/m²
294
cd/m²
327
cd/m²
287
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B173HTN01.1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 327 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 301.9 cd/m² Minimum: 23 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 320 cd/m²
Contrast: 800:1 (Black: 0.4 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.78 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 8.87 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
95% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
69.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
94.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
72.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.27
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
TN LED, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
TN LED, 1920x1080
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
IPS, 1920x1080
Asus F756UX-T7013T
TN LED, 1920x1080
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
TN LED, 1600x900
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
TN LED, 1600x900
Display
-3%
-3%
-7%
-26%
-23%
Display P3 Coverage
72.3
69.4
-4%
65.7
-9%
63.9
-12%
52.4
-28%
52.4
-28%
sRGB Coverage
94.8
91.9
-3%
97.6
3%
93.7
-1%
70.9
-25%
76.1
-20%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
69.3
67.3
-3%
67.7
-2%
64.6
-7%
52
-25%
54.2
-22%
Response Times
-84%
2%
7%
-4%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
43 ?(23, 20)
70 ?(32, 38)
-63%
42 ?(20, 22)
2%
17 ?(7, 10)
60%
42 ?(22, 30)
2%
Response Time Black / White *
22 ?(5, 17)
46 ?(16, 30)
-109%
21 ?(6, 15)
5%
10 ?(5, 5)
55%
24 ?(7, 17)
-9%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(90)
200 ?(50)
-80%
1000 ?(90)
0%
50 ?(90)
-95%
Screen
-21%
17%
14%
-52%
-26%
Brightness middle
320
243
-24%
309
-3%
268
-16%
263
-18%
205
-36%
Brightness
302
284
-6%
292
-3%
255
-16%
257
-15%
182
-40%
Brightness Distribution
86
79
-8%
86
0%
83
-3%
86
0%
77
-10%
Black Level *
0.4
0.45
-13%
0.27
32%
0.17
57%
1
-150%
0.43
-8%
Contrast
800
540
-32%
1144
43%
1576
97%
263
-67%
477
-40%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
7.78
12.04
-55%
4.53
42%
7.18
8%
13.6
-75%
9.75
-25%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
12.74
11.67
8%
22.06
-73%
16.02
-26%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
8.87
13.25
-49%
5.66
36%
7.97
10%
15.27
-72%
12.09
-36%
Gamma
2.27 97%
2.6 85%
2.62 84%
2.34 94%
1.94 113%
2.62 84%
CCT
8979 72%
14950 43%
7893 82%
8541 76%
16460 39%
12875 50%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
62
60
-3%
62
0%
59
-5%
46
-26%
49
-21%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
95
92
-3%
98
3%
94
-1%
71
-25%
76
-20%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-12% / -17%
-23% / -7%
3% / 8%
-24% / -36%
-18% / -23%

* ... smaller is better

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 1000 Hz ≤ 90 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1000 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 1000 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Aspire vs. sRGB
Aspire vs. sRGB
Aspire vs. AdobeRGB
Aspire vs. AdobeRGB

The screen has a DeltaE 2000 color shift of 7.78 in delivery state. The target range (DeltaE less than 3) is thus clearly missed. Beyond that, the screen has a minor bluish tint. The color-space coverage looks better: the sRGB color space is covered by 95%, and the AdobeRGB color space by 62%.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

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
22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 5 ms rise
↘ 17 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 42 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
43 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23 ms rise
↘ 20 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 67 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Acer furnishes the Aspire with a viewing-angle dependent TN panel. Thus, the screen is not legible from every position. However, it is a superior TN model. The viewing angles are larger than is known from models from the low-cost sector. It nevertheless cannot compete with an IPS panel. It would be quite possible to use the Aspire outdoors as long as very bright sunlight is avoided.

Direct sunlight
Direct sunlight
Sun behind the display
Sun behind the display
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

Acer's Aspire E5-774G is a 17.3-inch multimedia all-rounder. The device has enough computing power for all common application scenarios, and it can render games smoothly. Our review sample is priced at just below 1000 Euros (~$1122). Other configurations - with and without a dedicated graphics unit - exist. The presently lowest-priced member of the series costs approximately 600 Euros (~$673).

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
LatencyMon
 

Processor

With the Core i7-6500U dual-core processor, one of the strongest Skylake ULV processors that Intel offers is inside the laptop. Users who do not need as much power as possible should opt for a Core i5 model of the Aspire. Corresponding models cost roughly 100 Euros (~$112) less, and their lower performance is not noticed in routine use. The Core i7 is one of the most efficient members of its kind with a TDP of 15 watts. The CPU clocks at a base speed of 2.5 GHz, which can be boosted to 3 GHz (two cores) and 3.1 GHz (one core) via Turbo. Turbo is utilized in both AC and battery modes.

The successor of the processor installed here - the Core i7-7500U - has been available for a short time. We have already tested correspondingly furnished laptops. The Kaby Lake model achieves 10 to 15% better results (depending on the test) than the Skylake model in the CPU tests that we performed.

Users who work with many CPU-driven applications will not be happy with a ULV dual-core processor. In this case, a laptop with a quad-core processor should be taken. The Aspire E5-774G series does not offer such models. An alternative would be, for example, the Aspire V17 Nitro lineup. However, buyers should be aware that a quad-core processor barely has advantages in routine use. It is first clearly noticed in applications optimized for multi-core processors. In routine use, it involves a higher temperature development, higher power consumption, and shorter battery life.

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6305
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
11143
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4944
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
44.48 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.64 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.49 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
56.3 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
330 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
131 Points
Help
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
145 Points +11%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
131 Points
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Intel Core i7-6500U
123 Points -6%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
121 Points -8%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
118 Points -10%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
Intel Core i5-6200U
116 Points -11%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U
116 Points -11%
CPU Multi 64Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
363 Points +10%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
330 Points
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Intel Core i7-6500U
316 Points -4%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
293 Points -11%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
292 Points -12%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U
289 Points -12%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
Intel Core i5-6200U
288 Points -13%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
12824 Points +15%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
11143 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
9971 Points -11%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
9942 Points -11%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U
9881 Points -11%
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Intel Core i7-6500U
8454 Points -24%
Rendering Single 32Bit
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
5666 Points +15%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
4944 Points
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
4589 Points -7%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
4412 Points -11%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U
4357 Points -12%
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Intel Core i7-6500U
3295 Points -33%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
3706 Points +13%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
3266 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
2396 Points -27%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
7835 Points +14%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
6847 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
5569 Points -19%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
248.2 Points +14%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
216.8 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
192.6 Points -11%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
2900 ms * -153%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
1280 ms * -11%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
1148 ms *
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
962 ms * +16%
Octane V2 - Total Score
MSI CX72-7QL
Intel Core i7-7500U
37473 Points +17%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Intel Core i7-6500U
32108 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Intel Core i5-6200U
28189 Points -12%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Intel Core i7-5500U
10846 Points -66%

* ... smaller is better

System Performance

PC Mark 7
PC Mark 7

A strong processor and fast solid state drive ensure a smoothly running system. Problems did not occur. The PCMark benchmark scores are very good. Increasing the system performance is not possible. Acer has already exhausted all options.

PCMark 7 Score
5479 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3734 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4350 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4545 points
Help
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
3734 Points
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
GeForce 940M, 5500U, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
3429 Points -8%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Radeon R5 M330, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3184 Points -15%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3162 Points -15%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
GeForce 930M, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2906 Points -22%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
4545 Points
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
GeForce 940M, 5500U, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
4444 Points -2%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Radeon R5 M330, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
4206 Points -7%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3969 Points -13%

Storage Devices

A solid state drive by Lite On is installed as the system drive. It is an M.2 model (2280) that has a capacity of 256 GB. Its transfer rates are good. In addition to the SSD, a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive is inside the laptop. It spins at 5400 revolutions per minute and has a capacity of 1 TB. Both storage devices could be replaced easily thanks to the maintenance hatch.

AS SSD
AS SSD
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark
Lite-On CV1-8B256
Sequential Read: 520 MB/s
Sequential Write: 332.8 MB/s
512K Read: 382.8 MB/s
512K Write: 357.7 MB/s
4K Read: 32.31 MB/s
4K Write: 85.1 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 277.7 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 269.8 MB/s
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
Lite-On CV1-8B256
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus F756UX-T7013T
HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Toshiba MQ01ABD100
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
-8%
-91%
-91%
-91%
-91%
Read Seq
520
515
-1%
104.6
-80%
105.8
-80%
107.4
-79%
100.6
-81%
Write Seq
332.8
343.2
3%
96.3
-71%
105
-68%
106.7
-68%
96.3
-71%
Read 512
382.8
341.1
-11%
30.33
-92%
33.33
-91%
30.73
-92%
28.15
-93%
Write 512
357.7
337.2
-6%
36.95
-90%
39.12
-89%
24.93
-93%
43.34
-88%
Read 4k
32.31
31.24
-3%
0.358
-99%
0.413
-99%
0.386
-99%
0.312
-99%
Write 4k
85.1
86.6
2%
0.815
-99%
0.947
-99%
0.809
-99%
0.792
-99%
Read 4k QD32
277.7
178.5
-36%
0.679
-100%
0.812
-100%
0.773
-100%
0.708
-100%
Write 4k QD32
269.8
242.4
-10%
0.79
-100%
0.968
-100%
0.807
-100%
0.764
-100%

Graphics Card

The Aspire sports a GeForce 940MX graphics unit. It is a slightly improved version of the known GeForce 940M graphics unit. The biggest innovation of the X model: It supports the faster GDDR5 graphics memory. The 940M GPU only supports DDR3 memory. The Aspire is one of the few laptops that support the 940MX graphics unit with GDDR5 memory. A look at our comparison chart illustrates that the 3DMark benchmark scores have clearly increased compared with DDR3 models. We could ascertain improvements of up to 50%.

Nvidia launched two versions of the GDDR5-940MX graphics unit onto the market. The chip inside the Aspire is called GM107-B, which is based on the chip that Nvidia uses for the GTX 850M and GTX 860M. The second version of the GDDR5 graphics unit (see Dell Inspiron 17 7778) is called GM108, and it is thus based on the 940M graphics unit. A look at the 3DMark benchmark chart and gaming tests shows that the GM107-B model achieves somewhat better outcomes in total. A higher shader count and the video memory's higher speed more than compensate for the GPU's lower clock.

GeForce 940MX GDDR5 - Version 1GeForce 940MX GDDR5 - Version 2
GPU clock795-861 MHz1083-1189 MHz
Shader count512384
CodenameGM107-BGM108
Version 1 (Aspire E5-774G)
Version 1 (Aspire E5-774G)
Version 2 (Dell Inspiron 17 7778)
Version 2 (Dell Inspiron 17 7778)
3DMark 05 Standard
21714 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
15623 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
9862 points
3DMark 11 Performance
3008 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
43456 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
7667 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2049 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
979 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
710 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Asus F756UX-T7013T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, Intel Core i5-6200U
4083 Points +45%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
2813 Points
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
2734 Points -3%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-5500U
2427 Points -14%
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-6500U
2389 Points -15%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
2343 Points -17%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
2273 Points -19%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
NVIDIA GeForce 930M, Intel Core i5-6200U
2161 Points -23%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
AMD Radeon R5 M330, Intel Core i5-6200U
1518 Points -46%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Asus F756UX-T7013T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, Intel Core i5-6200U
18547 Points +43%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
12934 Points
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
11713 Points -9%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-5500U
8854 Points -32%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
8541 Points -34%
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-6500U
8516 Points -34%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
8310 Points -36%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
AMD Radeon R5 M330, Intel Core i5-6200U
4897 Points -62%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Asus F756UX-T7013T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, Intel Core i5-6200U
2943 Points +32%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
2231 Points
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i7-6500U
1889 Points -15%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-5500U
1633 Points -27%
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940M, Intel Core i7-6500U
1583 Points -29%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
1580 Points -29%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-6200U
1561 Points -30%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
AMD Radeon R5 M330, Intel Core i5-6200U
874 Points -61%

Gaming Performance

The Aspire can render most computer games in the HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) using medium to sometimes high quality settings smoothly. Only games with low hardware requirements allow for more. The fast GDDR5 graphics memory leads to a very clear increase in frame rates. Consequently, even a performance-driven game, such as Assassin's Creed Syndicate, is still playable (in a low resolution and low quality level). The DDR3 models of the 940MX cores do not allow this. The present version also scores better in total than the second GDDR5 version of the 940MX unit. Again, the higher shader count and faster video memory become evident here. With the same CPU configuration, the 940MX comes close to the outcomes of the GeForce GTX 950M GPU (DDR3 model). More gaming power can be found in an Aspire model furnished with a GTX 950MX graphics card (GDDR5 model).

Tomb Raider can be played in the Full HD resolution (setting: default; 55 FPS).
Tomb Raider can be played in the Full HD resolution (setting: default; 55 FPS).
A lower resolution and lower quality level have to be selected for Doom.
A lower resolution and lower quality level have to be selected for Doom.
low med. high ultra
Tomb Raider (2013) 181.4 96.4 62.3 29.2
BioShock Infinite (2013) 116.4 71.4 62.1 22
Battlefield 4 (2013) 88.6 61.3 44.4 18
Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) 77.2 49.1 17.8 11.7
GTA V (2015) 91 80.2 22.3 9.8
Dirt Rally (2015) 187.2 69.4 37 16.8
The Witcher 3 (2015) 37.9 23.8 13 7.1
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 37 32 13 8
Mad Max (2015) 54 27.2 24.7
Anno 2205 (2015) 64 36 16.7 6.6
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015) 64.8 39 20.1 19.1
Fallout 4 (2015) 43.3 28.7 15.8 12.6
Star Wars Battlefront (2015) 70.8 45 20.4 17.3
Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) 34.4 26.4 15.3 5.8
Rainbow Six Siege (2015) 96.1 61.7 31.9 26.4
Just Cause 3 (2015) 48 37.5 18.2 17
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 34.7 24 14.7 12.7
XCOM 2 (2016) 45.7 16.2 10.3 4.1
Far Cry Primal (2016) 41 19 17 12
The Division (2016) 49.2 30.7 13.7 10.4
Hitman 2016 (2016) 26.7 27.9 15.2 14.7
Need for Speed 2016 (2016) 52.1 43.5 23.2 18
Ashes of the Singularity (2016) 22.6 14 12.1
Doom (2016) 49.7 38.9 15.8 12.7
Mirror's Edge Catalyst (2016) 54.1 33.8 15.8 12.8
No Man's Sky (2016) 30.5 24.3 14.3 6.2
Deus Ex Mankind Divided (2016) 24.7 18.4 10.4 4.9
BioShock Infinite - 1366x768 High Preset
HP Pavilion 17 FHD V3A33AV
GeForce GTX 960M, 6700HQ, SanDisk Z400s SD8SNAT-128G
117.9 fps +90%
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
85.3 (14.66min - 145.45max) fps +37%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
78.7 fps +27%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
69.7 fps +12%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
69.5 (11.6min - 138max) fps +12%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
62.1 fps
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Liteonit CV3-CE512
53.1 fps -14%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
GeForce 940M, 5500U, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
39.9 fps -36%
Lenovo Ideapad 510-15ISK
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
39.3 fps -37%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
39 fps -37%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
GeForce 930M, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
38.78 fps -38%
HP ProBook 470 G3 W4P78EA
Radeon R7 M340, 6200U, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB
33.5 fps -46%
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
Radeon R5 M330, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
20.5 fps -67%
Acer Aspire E17 E5-752G-T7WY
Radeon R8 M365DX, A10-8700P, WDC WD10JPVX-08JC3T5
0 fps -100%
Tomb Raider - 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
68 fps +9%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
62.3 fps
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
34.5 fps -45%
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
GeForce 930M, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
33 fps -47%
Battlefield 4 - 1366x768 High Preset
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
63.1 fps +42%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
54.4 fps +23%
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
46.2 fps +4%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
44.4 fps
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Liteonit CV3-CE512
32.4 fps -27%
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
29.3 fps -34%
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
GeForce 940M, 5500U, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
28.5 fps -36%
Star Wars Battlefront - 1024x768 Low Preset
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
70.8 fps
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
50.5 fps -29%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Liteonit CV3-CE512
40.1 fps -43%
Mirror's Edge Catalyst - 1280x720 Low Preset AF:2x
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
54.1 fps
Asus VivoBook X556UQ-XO076T
GeForce 940MX, 6200U, SK hynix SSD Canvas SC300 HFS256G32MND
47.8 fps -12%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Liteonit CV3-CE512
44 fps -19%
Dirt Rally - 1366x768 Medium Preset
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
98.5 fps +42%
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Lite-On CV1-8B256
69.4 fps
Medion Erazer P6661 MD 99873
GeForce GTX 950M, 6500U, Phison 128GB PS3109-S9
66.2 (45.7min - 86.5max) fps -5%
Dell Inspiron 17 7778
GeForce 940MX, 6500U, Liteonit CV3-CE512
52.4 fps -24%

Emissions

System Noise

The Aspire's noise development is kept within limits in total. The fan spun at a low speed in idle, which was not distracting. The 2.5-inch hard drive's noise was also audible. The fan did not speed up excessively during the stress test. We measured a noise level of 40 dB. Both the CPU and GPU ran through the stress test at high speeds.

Fan loudness
Fan loudness

Noise Level

Idle
33.2 / 33.2 / 33.7 dB(A)
HDD
33 dB(A)
DVD
36.6 / dB(A)
Load
36 / 40 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.2 dB(A)
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
6500U, GeForce 940MX
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
6500U, GeForce 940M
Asus F756UX-T7013T
6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
6200U, GeForce 930M
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
6200U, Radeon R5 M330
Noise
-2%
-9%
-4%
2%
1%
off / environment *
31.2
31.2
-0%
31.2
-0%
31.2
-0%
Idle Minimum *
33.2
32
4%
33.5
-1%
32.4
2%
32.3
3%
32.5
2%
Idle Average *
33.2
32.3
3%
33.5
-1%
32.6
2%
32.3
3%
33.4
-1%
Idle Maximum *
33.7
32.6
3%
33.5
1%
32.6
3%
33.2
1%
33.4
1%
Load Average *
36
41.2
-14%
45
-25%
42
-17%
34.9
3%
36.1
-0%
Load Maximum *
40
41.6
-4%
47
-18%
45.2
-13%
40.3
-1%
38.8
3%

* ... smaller is better

Temperature

The Aspire in the stress test
The Aspire in the stress test

The Aspire performed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in AC and battery modes in the same manner. The CPU clocked at 2.6 GHz, and the graphics unit clocked at 862 MHz. The GPU's speed settled to 837 and 862 MHz at a later point in the test. The device's temperatures did not increase excessively. 40 °C was clearly surpassed only on one measuring point in the fan's area.

Max. Load
 33.4 °C
92 F
28.7 °C
84 F
25.6 °C
78 F
 
 34.2 °C
94 F
37.1 °C
99 F
26 °C
79 F
 
 32.9 °C
91 F
36.1 °C
97 F
28.9 °C
84 F
 
Maximum: 37.1 °C = 99 F
Average: 31.4 °C = 89 F
23.6 °C
74 F
25.5 °C
78 F
34 °C
93 F
23.9 °C
75 F
27.5 °C
82 F
48 °C
118 F
28.1 °C
83 F
34.3 °C
94 F
32 °C
90 F
Maximum: 48 °C = 118 F
Average: 30.8 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  39 °C = 102 F | Room Temperature 22.6 °C = 73 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.4 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.1 °C / 99 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 48 °C / 118 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.1 °C / 97 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-7.3 °C / -13.2 F).
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development upper side (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development underside (load)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development upper side (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)
Temperature development underside (idle)
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
6500U, GeForce 940MX
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
6500U, GeForce 940M
Asus F756UX-T7013T
6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
6200U, GeForce 930M
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
6200U, Radeon R5 M330
Heat
-20%
-10%
-5%
7%
4%
Maximum Upper Side *
37.1
46.9
-26%
46
-24%
42
-13%
37.4
-1%
36.6
1%
Maximum Bottom *
48
54.7
-14%
47
2%
50.5
-5%
37.6
22%
41.4
14%
Idle Upper Side *
26.1
32.6
-25%
29.7
-14%
27.2
-4%
26.7
-2%
26.2
-0%
Idle Bottom *
27.6
31.3
-13%
29.1
-5%
27
2%
25.6
7%
28
-1%

* ... smaller is better

Speakers

The Aspire's stereo speakers are on the device's front underside. They produce a decent sound that audibly lacks bass. Using external speakers or headphones is recommended for a better sound.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2029.533.429.52533.644.933.63134.334.434.34030.630.930.65032.432.332.46328.92828.98028.429.428.410026.429.426.412526.527.426.516024.53424.520024.43924.425023.147.823.131522.650.922.640021.255.321.250020.455.720.463019.665.119.680019.468.219.410001964.919125018.555.718.5160018.252.718.2200018.658.118.6250018.561.818.5315018.667.618.6400018.871.118.8500018.869.118.8630018.868.618.8800018.968.918.91000018.871.718.81250018.772.918.71600018.677.718.6SPL31.279.531.2N1.641.91.6median 18.9median 61.8median 18.9Delta1.410.61.435.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAcer Aspire E5-774G-78NAApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (75 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (6.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 93% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 6% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 81% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

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

Frequency diagram in comparison (check boxes above can be turned on/off!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The Aspire does not stand out unfavorably in terms of power consumption. We measured a maximum idle energy requirement of 13 watts - a normal rate for a 17.3-inch laptop. The power consumption climbed up to 54.6 watts in the stress test. The requirement ranged from 40 to 50 watts in gaming routine. The power supply has a nominal output of 65 watts.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.22 / 2.66 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.2 / 12.6 / 13 Watt
Load midlight 51 / 54.6 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 E5-774G-78NA
6500U, GeForce 940MX
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
5500U, GeForce 940M
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
6500U, GeForce 940M
Asus F756UX-T7013T
6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
6200U, GeForce 930M
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
6200U, Radeon R5 M330
Power Consumption
-5%
15%
-2%
-5%
36%
Idle Minimum *
8.2
6
27%
4.8
41%
5.8
29%
10.6
-29%
4.5
45%
Idle Average *
12.6
12.2
3%
10.1
20%
11.2
11%
13.5
-7%
8.1
36%
Idle Maximum *
13
14.5
-12%
10.4
20%
11.9
8%
14
-8%
8.7
33%
Load Average *
51
54
-6%
45.4
11%
54
-6%
44
14%
29.8
42%
Load Maximum *
54.6
73.7
-35%
63
-15%
84
-54%
52
5%
42
23%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The Aspire achieved a runtime of 5:22 hours in our practical Wi-Fi test. We simulate the load need for opening websites via a script here. The "Balanced" profile is enabled, the energy-saving functions are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The laptop managed 4:59 hours in our video playback test, where we loop the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels). The wireless modules and energy-saving functions are disabled, and the screen is dimmed to 150 cd/m². Acer's laptop provides overall good battery runtimes.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
11h 42min
WiFi Websurfing (Edge 38.14393.0.0)
5h 22min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
4h 59min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 00min
Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA
41 Wh
Acer Aspire E5-772G-70VP
37 Wh
HP Pavilion 17-g120ng
41 Wh
Asus F756UX-T7013T
38 Wh
Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT
44 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 300-17ISK 80QH001EGE
41 Wh
Battery Runtime
-12%
-20%
-13%
-22%
26%
Reader / Idle
702
454
-35%
491
-30%
H.264
299
WiFi v1.3
322
259
-20%
256
-20%
217
-33%
252
-22%
406
26%
Load
60
72
20%
75
25%

Pros

+ matte screen
+ Full HD resolution
+ plenty of computing power
+ SSD + HDD
+ maintenance hatch
+ ac Wi-Fi

Cons

- interface positioning

Verdict

In review: Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.de

Acer's 17.3-inch laptop can offer a decent amount of application performance. Furthermore, the laptop renders many up-to-date and most older computer games smoothly without getting exceedingly loud. The noise development is kept within limits over the entire load range. The same is true for the temperatures. A quick solid state drive ensures a fast-running system, and a 2.5-inch hard drive provides plenty of storage. Both storage devices could be replaced easily since Acer has treated the laptop to a maintenance hatch. The installed keyboard is not a top model, but it appealed to us in total. The battery life is on a good level for a 17.3-inch laptop.

Acer delivers a successful all-rounder for the home desk with its Aspire E5-774G.

The laptop's screen does not give any big reasons for complaint. It is bright, high-contrast, and its color-space coverage is good. The only drawback: Acer installs a viewing-angle dependent TN panel. Although it is a superior model, an IPS screen would have rounded off the laptop. This is, however, tolerable in a laptop that serves as a desktop replacement.

Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA - 09/16/2016 v5.1(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
79 / 98 → 80%
Keyboard
74%
Pointing Device
84%
Connectivity
48 / 81 → 60%
Weight
57 / 20-67 → 79%
Battery
82%
Display
82%
Games Performance
67 / 85 → 79%
Application Performance
87 / 92 → 94%
Temperature
92%
Noise
84 / 95 → 88%
Audio
54%
Camera
25 / 85 → 29%
Average
70%
78%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Aspire E5-774G-78NA (GeForce 940MX GDDR5) Notebook Review
Sascha Mölck, 2016-09-19 (Update: 2018-05-15)