Acer Aspire ES1-731-P4A6 Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
In the Aspire ES1 series, Acer offers budget notebooks in all the usual notebook sizes. We have already reviewed several representatives of this series with the Aspire ES1-331 (13.3-inch) and the Aspire ES1-512 (15.6-inch). Now, we have a 17.3-inch model under review with the ES1-731. The notebook is powered by a Braswell processor. Our review will reveal whether the computer has left a good impression. Devices like the Lenovo G70-80, the Toshiba Satellite C70D-B, and the Asus X751 are among the rivals of our Aspire.
Case & Connectivity
Our test model uses the same design that we are already familiar with from Aspire ES1 models - for example the Aspire ES1-331 and the Aspire ES1-512. The case is made entirely of matte, black plastic. The palm rests and the lid are textured. The case does not show any particular weaknesses in terms of stability. The build quality is more than adequate for the price. Unfortunately, the computer does not have a maintenance hatch. Furthermore, the battery is fixed.
The Aspire delivers the most necessary interfaces. One of its three USB ports supports USB 3.0. Unlike the smaller Aspire ES1 models, the interfaces are on the left side of the 17.3-inch model. Windows 10 Home is used as the operating system. A recovery DVD is not included.
The memory card reader is not one of the fastest of its kind. It achieves a maximum transfer rate of 30.7 MB/s when copying large data blocks. Moving 250 JPG files (5 MB each) is done at 15.9 MB/s. We always test memory card readers with our reference card (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II).
Input Devices
The Aspire comes with an unlit Chiclet keyboard with number block. The flat, roughened keys feature a medium stroke and a clear pressure point. If at all, the keyboard minimally springs at the right segment during typing. However, this does not have a negative impact. Acer actually delivers a very decent keyboard, which is suitable for frequent typing. The multi-touch capable ClickPad has a size of about 10.6 x 7.8 cm (~4.17 x 3.1 in). Fingers glide easily over its smooth surface. The touchpad features a short travel and a clear pressure point.
Display
The Aspire comes with a glossy 17.3-inch display with a native resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The display has surprised us with an almost good contrast of 706:1. However, the brightness of 223.7 cd/m² could be higher. The display shows PWM flickering at a frequency of 199 Hz at 10% brightness level and below. This could cause eye problems and headache in sensitive people.
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Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 177 cd/m²
Contrast: 706:1 (Black: 0.31 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.31 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 10.87 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
80% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
52% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
57.3% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
80.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
55.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.9
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 199 Hz | ≤ 10 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 199 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 199 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 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Out-of-the-box, the colors correspond to the computer's price range. The DeltaE 2000 deviation is about 9.31. A value below 3 would be desirable. Moreover, the display is bluish.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 28 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 9 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 19 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 68 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 41 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 19 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 61 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Acer has incorporated a viewing-angle-unstable TN panel. Thus, you cannot read from the screen from every position. The notebook can be used outdoors if the sun is not too bright or the sky is overcast. Otherwise, the glossy surface and the low brightness make outdoor use difficult if not impossible. The brightness drops significantly on battery.
Performance
The Aspire ES1-731 is a simple 17.3-inch office notebook. It delivers sufficient performance for office and Internet applications. Our test model is priced at just under 420 Euros (~$472). Currently the cheapest representative (ES1-731-C2S6; Celeron N3050, 4 GB of RAM, 1 TB HDD, no Windows OS) of the series is available for 330 Euros (~$371). In addition, Acer offers models with dedicated GeForce 910M graphic.
Processor
The Aspire is powered by an Intel Pentium N3700 (Braswell) quad-core processor. This low-end CPU is suitable for office and Internet applications. It works at a base clock of 1.6 GHz. Thanks to Turbo, the clock rate can increase to 2.4 GHz. The performance gain is only marginal compared to similar processors from the Bay Trail predecessor generation with the same clock rate, since the architectures are hardly different. In our CPU tests, the processor always clocked at full speed in mains operation as well as on battery. Competitors of the Pentium are the E2 and A4 APUs from AMD.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Acer Aspire ES1-731-P4A6 | |
| Lenovo G70-80 80FF00H0GE | |
| Acer Aspire E5-722-2611 | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system runs smoothly. We did not face any problems. The results of the PCMark benchmarks correspond to the performance of the built-in processor. Our comparison table shows that the recently reviewed Lenovo G70-80 performs significantly better, although it is also equipped with a Pentium. However, its Pentium 3825U processor is based on Intel's Core architecture of the Broadwell generation, which is significantly more powerful than the Braswell architecture of the Pentium N3700. In particular, the Broadwell Pentium performs significantly better in single thread tasks, which is important for everyday use. It is possible to improve the system performance of the Aspire by replacing its HDD with an SSD. This will make the system more responsive and reduce loading times.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1714 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 1953 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 1357 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Device
A 2.5-inch hard drive from Seagate is used as a system drive. It works at 5400 RPM and features a capacity of 500 GB. Its transfer rates are normal for 5400 RPM models.
Graphics Card
Intel's HD Graphics (Braswell) GPU is responsible for the graphics. It supports DirectX 12 and works at up to 700 MHz. Thanks to the new architecture, our model is significantly more powerful than its Bay Trail predecessors. The Braswell graphic core's direct competitors from AMD are Radeon R2 (Mullins/Beema) and Radeon R3 (Mullins/Beema), respectively.
The decoder integrated into the GPU reduces the CPU load when playing standard video formats including H.265. The latter is the successor of the widespread H.264 format and allows smaller files at the same image quality. Hardware accelerated playback of H.265 content is supported by the Windows 10 App "Movies & TV". The CPU load remained below 10% while we played our test video (4k, H.265, 60 fps).
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 494 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 23462 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 2078 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 250 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The SoC has not been designed for playing computer games. Only a few games such as “Sims 4” can reach sufficiently high frame rates. Basically, playable games can be found in the Windows Store under Casual Games.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 23.7 | 12.2 | 8.2 |
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
Regardless of the system load, the Aspire works quietly. Usually, the fan stands still while idling and only the HDD noise is audible. If the HDD is replaced by an SSD, the system will fall silent. The fan hardly accelerates under load. We measured a noise level of 33 dB(A) during our stress test. It does not have to rev up anyway, since CPU and GPU throttle.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 31.8 / 31.8 / 31.8 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 32 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 36.2 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 32.9 / 33 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Audix TM1 Arta (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
Our Aspire behaves the same way in our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark run for at least one hour) regardless of whether on mains operation or on battery. CPU and GPU already throttle at 800 MHz and 500 MHz respectively, within the first few minutes. The CPU clock slightly increases and decreases sporadically. The low clock rates and the running fan ensure that the computer hardly gets warm. The maximum temperature measured by us is about 31°C (~88 °F).
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 28 °C / 82 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 31 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.7 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.5 °C / 81.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (+0.1 °C / 0.2 F).
Speakers
The stereo speakers sit at the front edge of the device's underside. Their sound does not surprise in a positive or a negative way. They generate a decent sound, which will not cause ear pain in the listener. However, external speakers or headphones are required for high quality sound.
Power Consumption
While idling, the power consumption of the Aspire increases to up to 12.6 watts. This is rather high for a device with a frugal CPU. During our stress test, the power consumption was only 19 watts, since CPU and GPU throttled heavily. The power adapter is rated at 45 watts.
| Off / Standby | 0.36 / 0.44 Watt |
| Idle | 7.2 / 11.2 / 12.6 Watt |
| Load |
18.3 / 19 Watt |
   
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Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
Battery Life
In our realistic Wi-Fi test, we simulate the load during web surfing. The "Balanced" profile is active and the display brightness is about 150 cd/m². The Aspire lasts 4:02 hours on a single charge.
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The Aspire ES1-731 delivers sufficient performance for office and Internet applications. The integrated decoder allows playing standard video formats. The notebook does not get warm and always works quietly. Replacing the HDD with an SSD would make it even quieter. However, you need to open the case for this, since there is no maintenance hatch. The keyboard provides a pleasant typing experience and allows frequent typing. A 2-year warranty completes the bundle.
The Aspire ES1-731 is suitable for all users who are looking for a simple office notebook for their desk. It does not get loud and requires very little energy.
However, Acer should have been more logical in this approach and equipped the device with a matte display. A glossy display is not suitable for a computer like the Aspire. At least, the display delivers an almost good contrast. However, it should have been brighter.
Acer Aspire ES1-731-P4A6
- 03/03/2016 v5 (old)
Sascha Mölck
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