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Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 Notebook Review

Inexpensive multimedia talent. In the Aspire F15, Acer combines a ULV processor with enough RAM and a dedicated GPU. These specifications appear good on paper and the price is significantly under 1000 Euros ($1104). We will reveal the weaknesses of the Acer Aspire F15 in our in-depth review.

For the original German review, see here.

The current Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 provides slightly better performance than its predecessor. The Broadwell CPU and the Nvidia GeForce 940M of the Acer Aspire F15-571G-51G9 have been replaced by a Skylake CPU and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M. With this hardware, Acer has launched a good multimedia notebook for a very appealing price. Thanks to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M, the Acer can cope with demanding games. Our test model comes with an Intel Core i5-6200U and 8 GB DDR4-RAM. The 1 TB HDD brings abundant space for storing large volumes of data. The matte 1080p display prevents annoying reflections. The device itself costs 700 Euros ($773). A Windows license is not included and has to be bought separately.

There are many multimedia devices on the market. Thus, we have only selected a few of them for comparison. All devices in our comparison field use a current CPU and a dedicated GeForce GPU and they are significantly more expensive than the Acer Aspire F15. The test results will show whether our test model prevails anyway.

Overview of the devices used for comparison:

Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 (Aspire F5 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-6200U 2 x 2.3 - 2.8 GHz, Skylake
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M - 4 GB VRAM, Core: 928 MHz, Memory: 1253 MHz, GDDR5 (Micron), ForceWare 362.03, Nvidia Optimus, HD Graphics 520
Memory
8 GB 
, 2133 MHz, DDR4, 2 of 2 used, Dual Channel
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Innolux N156HGE-EAL, TN WLED, 262K (6bit), CIE 1931 94 %, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Skylake-U Premium PCH
Storage
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0, 1024 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 900 GB free
Soundcard
Realtek High Definition Audio
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 0 USB 3.1 Gen2, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Combo, Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC
Networking
Realtek USB GBE Familiy Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.1
Optical drive
SlimtypeDVD A DA8A6SH
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 28.45 x 381.6 x 259 ( = 1.12 x 15.02 x 10.2 in)
Battery
62 Wh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
FreeDos
Camera
Webcam: HD
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, power adapter, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.412 kg ( = 85.08 oz / 5.32 pounds), Power Supply: 458 g ( = 16.16 oz / 1.01 pounds)
Price
699 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The Acer Aspire F15 is primarily made of aluminum and plastic. Its color is plain black with a silver Acer logo on the lid. The design looks good and feels good to the touch. The aluminum finish on the lid and the top side of the base unit makes for good stability. The base unit is resistant against pressure and torsion. The device twists only slightly when considerable force is applied. In addition, the use of aluminum makes the lid stiff. It is still possible to slightly twist it when strong force is applied. Lids which are entirely plastic twist much easier. The stable construction makes it difficult, yet not impossible, to cause image distortions by pressing against the lid with a finger.

The underside and the sides of the base unit are plastic. The surfaces are slightly roughened and provide grip. There is a small maintenance hatch on the underside, which can be easily removed. It is a disadvantage that it is still not possible to clean the fan. The weight of 2.4 kg (~5.3 lb) is average. All other devices in the comparison field are similarly heavy.

While the aluminum finish is advantageous, it is a fingerprint magnet and does not look too good when frequently used.

Connectivity

The interface layout is not ideal. Most of the ports are on the left side, which also houses the fan grille, therefore, the interfaces sit close to each other. The two USB-3.0 ports are very close to the HDMI port. This can lead to problems with broad cables or big USB sticks. The number of interfaces is alright for a multimedia device of this price range. Even USB Type-C is included.

The memory card reader, which is placed on the front beside the indicator LEDs, supports all usual formats (MMC, SD, SDHC, SDXC). We have tested its performance with our reference card (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II). Copying 250 identical JPG files from the memory card to the hard drive is done at 57.36 MB/s. Therewith, the Acer Aspire F15 is mid-table.

left: Kensington lock, fan grille, USB Type-C, Gbit-Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0
left: Kensington lock, fan grille, USB Type-C, Gbit-Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, 2x USB 3.0
right: 3.5 mm combo port, USB 2.0, DVD RW drive, power-in
right: 3.5 mm combo port, USB 2.0, DVD RW drive, power-in
front: SD card reader, indicator LEDs
front: SD card reader, indicator LEDs
rear: no interfaces
rear: no interfaces

Communication

The Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wi-Fi adapter makes for wireless connections. In addition, it supports Bluetooth 4.1. During our time with the test model, the Wi-Fi module always worked reliably and no unintended connection losses occurred. Those who prefer wired connections can use the Gbit Ethernet port from Realtek, which worked reliably, too. Big volumes of data could be transferred from a NAS at full speed without problems.

Security

The Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 only provides standard security features. There are only a Kensington Lock port and a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM).

Accessories

The Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 only includes a few accessories: a 90-watt power adapter, a driver DVD, a quick guide, and a warranty card. Acer does not offer proprietary accessories for this model.

Operating System

Our test model carries the model name Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 and does not include an operating system. The Acer Aspire F15-573G-59U6 variant with identical hardware comes with Windows 10 Home 64-bit preinstalled. The latter was priced at 799 Euros ($882) at the time of testing (+100 Euros/+110$).

Maintenance

The Aspire F15's small maintenance hatch is only fixed to the underside with three small screws. Once these are removed, the plastic cover is held by a few hooks and can be easily taken off. There are slots for a 2.5-inch hard drive, RAM, and a M.2-2280 beneath the maintenance hatch. The M.2 slot is free in our test model. Thus, you can easily add a compatible SSD. However, it is a disadvantage that you cannot reach the battery and the fan after removing the maintenance hatch. The device needs to be further disassembled for cleaning the fan.

Warranty

Acer includes a 24-month warranty (pick-up and return). Several shops offer warranty extensions. For example Notebooksbilliger.de offers a warranty extension to 48 months for 40 Euros ($44).

Input Devices

Keyboard

Keyboard
Keyboard
Keyboard light
Keyboard light

The Chiclet keys are evenly incorporated onto the aluminum finish of the base. All keys sit tightly in their position and do not wobble or rattle. It is noteworthy that Acer has implemented a fully-fledged number block. The letter keys are sufficiently sized (15 x 15 mm). However, several other keys including the arrow-up and arrow-down keys are slightly shrunk. Since there is not much room between these, typing mistakes are likely. The typing experience is high-end. The key travel is relatively short and the stroke is clearly noticeable. The typing noise is very quiet and other office devices should follow this example. The delicate labels are slightly hard to read. However, the white backlight is a pro. It improves the legibility in dark environments.

Touchpad

Touchpad
Touchpad

The touchpad is surrounded by a chrome frame and supports multi-touch input. The ClickPad sits in front of the spacebar and has a size of 10.3 x 7.9 cm (~4 x 3.1 in), which is sufficiently big. The fingers glide easily over the smooth surface. However, inputs might be sluggish with sweaty hands. Other manufacturers face the same problems with smooth touchpad surfaces and, thus, this problem should not be considered too important. The integrated buttons work well. They do not move too easily and will not be triggered accidentally. The clicking noise is very quiet and not disturbing. Overall, the input devices appear to be good.

Display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid
No disturbing background bleeding
No disturbing background bleeding

The Acer Aspire F15 comes with a matte Full HD display. The 15.6-inch TN panel stems from Innolux and features a pixel density of 141 dpi and a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The TN panel of our test model performs significantly worse than IPS panels. The MSI GP62 2QE also comes with a Full HD TN display and achieves a similar result. The Asus F756UX-T7013T shows that TN panels need not fall behind IPS panels in all aspects. An average brightness of 219 cd/m² makes using the Acer Aspire F15 outdoors difficult. But, the matte display surface is advantageous since it almost entirely prevents disturbing reflections. The brightness distribution of the Innolux panel is rather subpar with only 80%.

It has been the right choice to use a Full HD display. The performance of the dedicated GPU is sufficient for running demanding applications in native resolution. However, the TN panel cannot keep up with high-end IPS panels overall. In return, the price of the Acer is much more attractive than the competitions.

217
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
235
cd/m²
192
cd/m²
234
cd/m²
216
cd/m²
204
cd/m²
215
cd/m²
219
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Innolux N156HGE-EAL tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 240 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 219.1 cd/m² Minimum: 22 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Center on Battery: 234 cd/m²
Contrast: 488:1 (Black: 0.48 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 11.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 13.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
7429% sRGB (Calman 2D)
100% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
74% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
82.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.7% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
84.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.47
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
TN WLED, 1920x1080
Asus F756UX-T7013T
TN LED, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
IPS-Panel, 1920x1080
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
IPS, 1920x1080
Asus N552VX-FY103T
AH-IPS, 1920x1080
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
IPS, 1920x1080
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
TN, 1920x1080
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
TN, 1366x768
Display
-17%
-14%
-21%
-18%
-49%
-34%
-52%
Display P3 Coverage
84.2
63.9
-24%
68
-19%
65.4
-22%
67.9
-19%
38.55
-54%
50.8
-40%
37.29
-56%
sRGB Coverage
99.7
93.7
-6%
94.6
-5%
84.5
-15%
87.7
-12%
57.6
-42%
73.6
-26%
53.5
-46%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
82.7
64.6
-22%
68.6
-17%
61.8
-25%
64
-23%
39.86
-52%
52.4
-37%
38.79
-53%
Response Times
5%
24%
-3%
-4%
-30%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
44 ?(24, 20, starke Schwankungen mit/ohne PSU)
42 ?(20, 22)
5%
36 ?(12.4, 24)
18%
39 ?(16, 23)
11%
42 ?(18, 24)
5%
40.8 ?(16.4, 24.4)
7%
Response Time Black / White *
23 ?(7, 16, Plateau)
21 ?(6, 15)
9%
16 ?(4.4, 11.6)
30%
27 ?(6, 21)
-17%
26 ?(5, 21)
-13%
24 ?(4, 20)
-4%
PWM Frequency
1000 ?(80)
1000 ?(90)
0%
58.1
-94%
Screen
42%
37%
37%
36%
16%
-11%
-31%
Brightness middle
234
268
15%
277
18%
349
49%
336
44%
258.6
11%
274.8
17%
233.2
0%
Brightness
219
255
16%
261
19%
316
44%
304
39%
242
11%
265
21%
219
0%
Brightness Distribution
80
83
4%
88
10%
85
6%
85
6%
88
10%
74
-7%
83
4%
Black Level *
0.48
0.17
65%
0.26
46%
0.34
29%
0.34
29%
0.277
42%
0.69
-44%
1
-108%
Contrast
488
1576
223%
1065
118%
1026
110%
988
102%
934
91%
398
-18%
233
-52%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
11.8
7.18
39%
3.49
70%
5.55
53%
5.26
55%
8.1
31%
11.78
-0%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
20.69
11.67
44%
9.39
55%
10.49
49%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
13.3
7.97
40%
3.27
75%
4.77
64%
4.26
68%
7.23
46%
13.81
-4%
Gamma
2.47 89%
2.34 94%
2.35 94%
2.51 88%
2.35 94%
1.99 111%
2.19 100%
CCT
17098 38%
8541 76%
6801 96%
6970 93%
6758 96%
6567 99%
15314 42%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
74
59
-20%
61.5
-17%
55
-26%
57
-23%
36.5
-51%
47.8
-35%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
100
94
-6%
94.6
-5%
84
-16%
88
-12%
57.2
-43%
73.5
-26%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
10% / 24%
16% / 24%
4% / 20%
5% / 20%
-21% / -6%
-23% / -17%
-42% / -39%

* ... smaller is better

74% AdobeRGB coverage
74% AdobeRGB coverage
100% sRGB coverage
100% sRGB coverage

The matte TN panel from Innolux delivers quite a good image quality. Black value (0.4 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (488:1) are typical for TN panels. Despite these values, the image looks quite good and so do multimedia applications such as videos or games. High DeltaE 2000 values show that the Acer Aspire F15 performs poorly in color and grayscale output. Calibration helps here and reduces the blue tint. The Acer Aspire F15 performs well in color coverage. sRGB is covered to 100% and Adobe RGB to 74%. Acer does not offer other display variants for the Aspire F15.

Grayscale
Grayscale
Color fidelity
Color fidelity
Color saturation
Color saturation

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
23 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 16 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. » 45 % 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
44 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 24 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. » 69 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 1000 Hz ≤ 80 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 1000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 80 % 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 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Viewing angles of the Acer Aspire F15
Viewing angles of the Acer Aspire F15

During outdoor use, the matte Innolux panel can slightly compensate the low brightness. Thus, the laptop is suitable for outdoor use - albeit only in the shade because of the low display brightness. Despite the matte surface, it is hardly possible to work in the sun. The Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 is 44% brighter and, so, it performs significantly better in bright environments. TN panels particularly perform mediocre in viewing angles. Color and contrast shifts, which are typical for TN panels, can only be observed at very acute angles. Nevertheless, the Acer Aspire F15 cannot fully keep up with high-end, viewing-angle-stable IPS panels.

Outdoor use on a sunny day
Outdoor use on a sunny day
Outdoor use in direct sun
Outdoor use in direct sun
Outdoor use in the shade
Outdoor use in the shade

Performance

The Acer Aspire F15 is a multimedia device with sufficient performance for running many games smoothly. The 15.6-inch device features a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and can be a good all-rounder in the office. An Intel Core i5-6200U is used as CPU in our test model. 8 GB DDR4 RAM work in dual-channel mode and are sufficient for demanding applications. As the RAM modules are not soldered, both 4 GB RAM modules can be replaced if a higher RAM capacity is required. Our test sample uses a conventional 1 TB hard drive from Western Digital as the system drive. A free M.2 slot is beneath the maintenance hatch. Thus, it is easy to add a fast M.2-2880 SSD.

Currently, Notebooksbilliger.de offers variants with Intel-Core-i7-6500U and several storage combinations from SSD and HDD in addition to our test configuration. Moreover, there are two GPU variants. Apart from the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M variant, which we had under review, models with Nvidia GeForce 940MX are offered.

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWiNFO
DPC latencies
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility

Processor

The Intel Core i5-6200U is a ULV processor. The performance of the small dual-core processor is sufficient and does not feel sluggish even in demanding applications. The processor combines two physical cores on a single die, which can process up to 4 simultaneous threads thanks to the Hyperthreading technology. The battery life benefits from the frugal Skylake model with a TDP of only 15 watts. The base clock of the processor is 2.3 GHz. Thanks to the Turbo, the clock rate can increase to 2.8 GHz (1 core) or 2.7 GHz (2 cores). The performance of the Intel Core i5-6200U is good, which is proven by the Cinebench results. Our test model performs 4% better than the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188, which also comes with an Intel Core i5-6200U processor. The small Intel Core i5-6200U significantly falls behind the powerful Intel Core i7-6700HQ CPU. In particular, the native quad-core CPU performs much better in the multi CPU benchmarks. Finally, we can confirm that our test model is able to use the potential of the Intel Core i5-6200U very well.

Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R11.5
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15
Jetstream 1.1
Jetstream 1.1
Octane V2
Octane V2
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
119 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
116 Points -3%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
136 Points +14%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
115 Points -3%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
146 Points +23%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
129 Points +8%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
143 Points +20%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
136 Points +14%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
295 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
289 Points -2%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
468 Points +59%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
283 Points -4%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
673 Points +128%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
676 Points +129%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
682 Points +131%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
465 Points +58%
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
1.35 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
1.33 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
1.49 Points +10%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
1.32 Points -2%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
1.68 Points +24%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
1.48 Points +10%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
1.66 Points +23%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
1.46 Points +8%
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
3.24 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
3.2 Points -1%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
5.42 Points +67%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
3.18 Points -2%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
7.42 Points +129%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
7.46 Points +130%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
7.53 Points +132%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
5.36 Points +65%
Cinebench R10
Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
5829 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
6616 Points +14%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
6920 Points +19%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
7216 Points +24%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
6331 Points +9%
Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
13058 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
20584 Points +58%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
26471 Points +103%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz
26738 Points +105%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
21359 Points +64%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
201.5 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
196.1 Points -3%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
187.3 Points -7%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
244 Points +21%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
30546 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
31710 Points +4%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
27142 Points -11%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
31345 Points +3%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
1216 ms *
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz
1130 ms * +7%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz
1317 ms * -8%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz
1040 ms * +14%

* ... smaller is better

Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
5094
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
9995
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4454
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5110 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
13058 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
5829 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
3.24 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
54 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.35 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
295 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
119 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
76.2 fps
Help

System Performance

The good performance of the Intel Core i5-6200U in our test model is also reflected by the PCMark 8 results. As in the Cinebench R15 benchmark, the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 performs worse again. Our test model is about 11% better on average. However, the Acer Aspire F15 is not the best model in our comparison group. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 15ISK 80NW is leading in PCMark 8. Because of a weaker CPU, our test sample only got the second to last place. This is not a poor result, since many competitors come with significantly more powerful processors.

Subjectively, a fast SSD would make for a significantly more responsive system. The built-in hard drive causes the one or other delay in everyday tasks. Especially, booting would profit from an SSD. However, the RAM capacity is a positive aspect. 8 GB are definitely sufficient for most applications.

PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Home
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Creative
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Work
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 8 Storage
PCMark 7
PCMark 7
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
3390 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3162 Points -7%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3524 Points +4%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2847 Points -16%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3452 Points +2%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
3845 Points +13%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
3920 Points +16%
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
3872 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3993 Points +3%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3362 Points -13%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
4790 Points +24%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
4870 Points +26%
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
3970 Points
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
3969 Points 0%
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4483 Points +13%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3783 Points -5%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4503 Points +13%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
5011 Points +26%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
4999 Points +26%
PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
3021 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4633 Points +53%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2686 Points -11%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
4714 Points +56%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
5918 Points +96%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
6411 Points +112%
Productivity (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
1591 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3342 Points +110%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, 2300 MHz, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1516 Points -5%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
3507 Points +120%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, 2600 MHz, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
5008 Points +215%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, 2700 MHz, Micron M600 MTFDDAV512MBF M.2
5727 Points +260%
PCMark 7 Score
3021 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3390 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
3872 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
3970 points
Help

Storage Device

Western Digital HDD
Western Digital HDD

A conventional hard drive is used for storing data. Our test model comes with a model from Western Digital. It rotates at 7200 rpm. We measured the performance of the storage device with CrystalDiskMark: The sequential transfer rates are 108.1 MB/s in reading and 105.6 MB/s in writing. These values reflect the performance of a 7200 rpm drive. It is possible to add an SSD in the Acer Aspire F15. A combination from SSD and HDD would have been desirable. It would have significantly improved the subjective system performance.

CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark
HD Tune
HD Tune
free M.2-2280 slot
free M.2-2280 slot
WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Transfer Rate Minimum: 45.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 116.5 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 83.7 MB/s
Access Time: 16.8 ms
Burst Rate: 147.3 MB/s
CPU Usage: 6.2 %

Graphics Card

Our Acer Aspire F15 test model comes with a combination from Intel HD Graphics 520 and Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 is responsible for 2D images in desktop mode. It offers hardware support for DirectX 12 and takes load from the CPU when decoding modern videos which use the H.265 / HEVC codec. When demanding 3D applications are executed, the system automatically switches to the dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M. The user will not notice this since this is done automatically in the background. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M supports DirectX 11 and is based on the Maxwell architecture. The incorporated graphics card is supported by 4 GB GDDR5 RAM. Several other variants only come with DDR3 RAM, which should be considered when interpreting the results. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M clocks at 915–928 MHz in our test model. The GDDR5 RAM from Micron clocks at 1253 MHz. However, these are not the maximum clock rates possible for an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M. Probably, Acer might have limited the clock rates because of the waste heat. In the 3DMark benchmarks, the Acer Aspire F15 is on par with the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 15ISK 80NW with a Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M performs significantly better and proves that there is a big performance gain between the two graphics cards.

3DMark Ice Storm
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme
3DMark Cloud Gate
3DMark Sky Diver
3DMark Fire Strike
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
3DMark 11
3DMark Vantage
3DMark 06
3DMark 05
3DMark 03
 
3DMark
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
41669 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
87210 Points +109%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
45302 Points +9%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
58288 Points +40%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
84067 Points +102%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
105776 Points +154%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
86933 Points +109%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
8942 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
11373 Points +27%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
8906 Points 0%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
8949 Points 0%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
14578 Points +63%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
17554 Points +96%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
16297 Points +82%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
11761 Points +32%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
3181 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
2575 Points -19%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
2541 Points -20%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
2719 Points -15%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
2917 Points -8%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
4036 Points +27%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
3026 Points -5%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
2907 Points -9%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
4154 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
4025 Points -3%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
3846 Points -7%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
4108 Points -1%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4579 Points +10%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
5678 Points +37%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4892 Points +18%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4717 Points +14%
1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
4239 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
3860 Points -9%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
4083 Points -4%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
4306 Points +2%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4416 Points +4%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
5322 Points +26%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4624 Points +9%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
4678 Points +10%
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
16216 Points
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
20209 Points +25%
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
16739 Points +3%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
24148 Points +49%
3DMark 03 Standard
43262 points
3DMark 05 Standard
19685 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
16216 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
13386 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4154 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
41669 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
8942 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
3181 points
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score
1609 points
Help

Gaming Performance

As expected from a multimedia notebook, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M can run several games smoothly. The performance of the GPU is even sufficient for running many games from 2015 smoothly in native display resolution and with high preset. The performance is only sufficient for current titles such as Far Cry Primal or Rise of the Tomb Raider to some extent. The Acer Aspire F15 performs about 20% better than the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188. However, the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 has to do with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M with DDR3 VRAM. The performance is about on par with the Asus N552VX-FY103T in the gaming benchmarks. The Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 15ISK 80NW performs significantly better than our test model thanks to an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M. Nevertheless, the performance is good in view of the price point. The Acer can keep up with significantly more expensive competitors in certain cases. The Acer Aspire F15 can run the latest games smoothly with lower details and HD resolution.

During Windows use, the integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 is used. This saves energy and increases battery life. In addition, the device remains quieter thanks to lower waste heat. The user will not notice the graphics switch since it is done automatically in the background and works without problems.

low med. high ultra
Hitman: Absolution (2012) 57.7 55.7 52.3 36.3
BioShock Infinite (2013) 146.1 93.3 85.3 35.7
Battlefield 4 (2013) 110.8 81.4 63.1 28.5
Thief (2014) 49.4 36.8 32.8 19.5
GRID: Autosport (2014) 153.2 93.4 68.1 36.6
F1 2014 (2014) 116 95 87 68
GTA V (2015) 84.7 79.6 33.6 19.8
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) 55 48 26 26
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 58.4 35.8 21.1 17.6
Far Cry Primal (2016) 56 26 23 17
BioShock Infinite
1280x720 Very Low Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
146.1 (18.5min - 364.11max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
148.5 fps +2%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
122 fps -16%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
93.3 (18.33min - 156.07max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
92.9 fps 0%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
82.8 fps -11%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
101.5 fps +9%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
137.3 fps +47%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
110.1 fps +18%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
104.5 fps +12%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
85.3 (14.66min - 145.45max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
78.7 fps -8%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
69.7 fps -18%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
84.3 fps -1%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
122.5 fps +44%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
89.8 fps +5%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
87.6 fps +3%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF) (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
35.7 (8.8min - 109.06max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
26.4 fps -26%
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
24.9 fps -30%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
27.7 fps -22%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
46.5 fps +30%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
29.6 fps -17%
Battlefield 4
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
110.8 fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
111.9 fps +1%
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
81.4 fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
78.3 fps -4%
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
63.1 fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
54.4 fps -14%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
28.5 fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
21.6 fps -24%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1024x768 Lowest Preset (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
58.4 fps
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
42.6 fps -27%
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
35.8 fps
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
28.8 fps -20%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
35 fps -2%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
21.1 fps
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
16.9 fps -20%
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
21 fps 0%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
17.6 fps
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
14.8 fps -16%
Batman: Arkham Knight
1280x720 Low / Off AF:Trilinear (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
55 (41min - 70max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
47 fps -15%
1366x768 Normal / Off AF:4x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
48 (38min - 63max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
39 fps -19%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
62 fps +29%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
43 fps -10%
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
46 fps -4%
1920x1080 High / On (Interactive Smoke & Paper Debris Off) AA:SM AF:8x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
26 (11min - 36max) fps
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
18 fps -31%
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
34 fps +31%
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
22 fps -15%
1920x1080 High / On AA:SM AF:16x (sort by value)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
26 (19min - 36max) fps
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
24 fps -8%

Emissions

System Noise

Noise characteristic
Noise characteristic

The small fan of the Acer Aspire F15 also runs while the system is idle. The noise is not too loud and not disruptive. Apart from the fan, the HDD is audible. Other devices with conventional HDD are not different in this regard. The noise could be improved by replacing the HDD by an SSD. The maximum noise level of 38.7 dB(A) is reached when Prime95 and FurMark are running simultaneously. The system gets only that loud under very high load. On average the noise level is about 35.2 dB(A) during load. The comparison table shows that other devices in our comparison field sometimes get significantly louder.

Noise Level

Idle
32.4 / 33.5 / 33.5 dB(A)
HDD
33.2 dB(A)
DVD
35.8 / dB(A)
Load
35.2 / 38.7 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 31.2 dB(A)
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Asus F756UX-T7013T
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce 945M
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
Intel Core i5-6200U, GeForce GTX 950M
Asus N552VX-FY103T
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
Intel Core i7-6700HQ, GeForce GTX 960M
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
Intel Core i7-5700HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
Intel Core i5-6300HQ, GeForce GTX 950M
Noise
-5%
6%
-7%
-3%
-5%
-13%
-0%
off / environment *
31.2
31.2
-0%
31.3
-0%
31.3
-0%
Idle Minimum *
32.4
32.4
-0%
30.1
7%
33.8
-4%
33.1
-2%
30.4
6%
33.3
-3%
30
7%
Idle Average *
33.5
32.6
3%
30.1
10%
34
-1%
33.2
1%
30.5
9%
33.4
-0%
30.8
8%
Idle Maximum *
33.5
32.6
3%
30.9
8%
34
-1%
33.2
1%
33.3
1%
37
-10%
30.8
8%
Load Average *
35.2
42
-19%
33.6
5%
43
-22%
37.7
-7%
41.4
-18%
40.7
-16%
39.1
-11%
Load Maximum *
38.7
45.2
-17%
38.6
-0%
43
-11%
43.4
-12%
47
-21%
52.5
-36%
43.8
-13%

* ... smaller is better

Stress test Prime95 + Furmark
Stress test Prime95 + Furmark
Stress test Furmark only
Stress test Furmark only
Stress test Prime95 only
Stress test Prime95 only

Temperature

3DMark 11 after the stress test
3DMark 11 after the stress test

The case temperature of the Acer Aspire F15 remains below 30 °C (86 °F) in all measurement segments when the system is idling. In our stress test with Prime95 and FurMark running simultaneously for at least one hour, things are different: We measured a maximum case temperature of 65.4 °C (149.7 °F). This hotspot is on the underside near the fan grille. During this test, the CPU temperature increases to a very high 98 °C (208.4 °F), which has a negative impact on the clock rate. However, this extreme scenario will seldom occur in practice. The CPU cannot permanently keep its maximum clock rate in this scenario. The CPU clock fell to 2.2 GHz due to thermal throttling. During the stress test, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M reached 92 °C (197.6 °F). It worked at 915 MHz throughout the test without decreasing the clock rate. We reran the 3DMark 11 benchmark directly after the stress test and recorded a result of 4043 points. This is only marginally worse than the cold run's and, so, the difference can be ignored since it is within normal variance. Thus, there is no noteworthy performance loss despite high temperatures. In order to simulate the temperature increase in realistic scenarios, we ran the Unigine Heaven benchmark repeatedly. During this test, the CPU temperature increased to up to 94 °C (201.2 °F) and the GPU reached a maximum of 85 °C (185 °F). Thus, temperatures also get high during gaming. However, we could not detect thermal throttling here. However, it is very close to throttling since it plateaus near 100 °C (42.8 °F). Thus, throttling might occur if gaming on a very warm day.

Max. Load
 46.2 °C
115 F
41.6 °C
107 F
34 °C
93 F
 
 46.6 °C
116 F
46.6 °C
116 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 40.6 °C
105 F
42 °C
108 F
34.3 °C
94 F
 
Maximum: 46.6 °C = 116 F
Average: 40.4 °C = 105 F
29.6 °C
85 F
37.8 °C
100 F
65.4 °C
150 F
30.5 °C
87 F
44.1 °C
111 F
55.8 °C
132 F
32 °C
90 F
35.5 °C
96 F
37 °C
99 F
Maximum: 65.4 °C = 150 F
Average: 40.9 °C = 106 F
Power Supply (max.)  59 °C = 138 F | Room Temperature 22.3 °C = 72 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 40.4 °C / 105 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 46.6 °C / 116 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 65.4 °C / 150 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.8 °C / 82 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 42 °C / 107.6 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-13.2 °C / -23.8 F).

Speakers

Lautsprecher-Charakteristik
Lautsprecher-Charakteristik
HD Audio Manager
HD Audio Manager

 Acer has equipped the Aspire F15 with two small stereo speakers. They sit on the underside towards the front. The quality is quite average. Mid-range and highs are dominating and bass is often entirely lacking. The maximum system noise is alright for a multimedia device. Even at maximum load, there are no distortions or creaking. The speakers are sufficient for short gaming sessions. However, we would recommend a headset or an external sound system for frequent multimedia playback and games. The HD Audio Manager allows selecting pre-defined sound profiles in order to adjust the sound output to your liking.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

90-watt power adapter
90-watt power adapter

While idle, the power consumption is 12.1 watts. During the stress test, it increases to up to 70 watts, which is 10 watts higher than in the Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188's. All other devices in our comparison field require much more energy under load due to more powerful CPUs. When the Aspire F15 is turned off and connected to the mains, the power consumption is 0.25 watts - quite a good value compared to the competition.

The power adapter is rated at 90 watts. This is sufficient for charging the battery even under full load.

Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Asus F756UX-T7013T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
GeForce 945M, 6300HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
GeForce GTX 950M, 6200U, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Asus N552VX-FY103T
GeForce GTX 950M, 6700HQ, Toshiba MQ02ABD100H
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
GeForce GTX 950M, 6300HQ, Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB
Power Consumption
9%
0%
16%
-9%
-12%
Idle Minimum *
8.3
5.8
30%
6.4
23%
5.6
33%
7
16%
6
28%
Idle Average *
12.1
11.2
7%
10.9
10%
10.9
10%
10.9
10%
11.5
5%
Idle Maximum *
15.4
11.9
23%
14.1
8%
10.6
31%
12.9
16%
14
9%
Load Average *
56
54
4%
67.1
-20%
61
-9%
72
-29%
83.8
-50%
Load Maximum *
70
84
-20%
84.9
-21%
60
14%
109
-56%
106.6
-52%

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.25 / 1.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 8.3 / 12.1 / 15.4 Watt
Load midlight 56 / 70 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.

Battery Life

Acer has equipped the Aspire F15 with a lithium-ion battery rated at 62 Wh giving the Acer has the biggest battery capacity in our comparison group. In particular ULV processors make for a good battery life. None of the competitors is able to push Acer from first place. The battery lasts 2:32 h under load. Our realistic Wi-Fi test opens several web sites in 40-second intervals. The energy profile "balanced" is active and the brightness of the display is set to about 150 cd/m² (-4 brightness levels in our test model). The battery is empty after 6:26 h and the Acer Aspire F15 has to be recharged. With these good battery runtimes you can easily watch two long videos on battery.

maximum battery life
maximum battery life
minimum battery life
minimum battery life
Wi-Fi battery life
Wi-Fi battery life
H.264 battery life
H.264 battery life
Charging time
Charging time
Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1
62 Wh
Asus F756UX-T7013T
38 Wh
Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7-792G-55SF
52 Wh
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188
45 Wh
Asus N552VX-FY103T
44 Wh
Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15ISK 80NW
60 Wh
MSI GP62-2QEi781FD
42 Wh
Acer Aspire V5-591G-50NC
56 Wh
Battery Runtime
-40%
-23%
-24%
-44%
-19%
-71%
-16%
Reader / Idle
667
491
-26%
614
-8%
535
-20%
357
-46%
617
-7%
131
-80%
561
-16%
H.264
335
236
-30%
305
-9%
WiFi v1.3
386
217
-44%
273
-29%
303
-22%
268
-31%
353
-9%
96
-75%
Load
152
75
-51%
113
-26%
87
-43%
68
-55%
88
-42%
66
-57%
WiFi
291
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
11h 07min
WiFi Websurfing (EDGE: 25.10586.0.0)
6h 26min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
5h 35min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 32min

Pros

+ good input devices
+ GeForce GTX 950M with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM
+ decent battery life
+ moderate system noise
+ stable case
+ attractive pricing
+ maintenance hatch
+ high color space coverage
+ 24-month warranty

Cons

- high temperatures under load
- only installed HDD
- keyboard lettering too delicate
- Housing surfaces attract fingerprints
- no operating system

Verdict

In review: Acer Aspire F15. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de
In review: Acer Aspire F15. Test model provided by Notebooksbilliger.de

The Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V is a long-lasting 15-inch multimedia notebook with gaming abilities for an attractive price significantly under 1000 Euros ($1104). The combination of the ULV Skylake processor and dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M is convincing and sufficient for running current games. If not much GPU performance is needed, the Intel HD Graphics 520 takes over and makes for good battery runtimes. The input devices are good and suitable for office use.

With the Aspire F15, Acer has produced a device with a very interesting price-performance ratio. However, high temperatures under load could put off many prospective buyers.

The display impressed us with its high color coverage. However, its quality cannot keep up with high-end IPS panels. The use of a conventional hard drive slightly decreases the subjective performance. An SSD would make for a significantly smoother system. Nevertheless, the system performance is good overall. However, Acer should improve the temperature increase, since components should not reach almost 100 °C (212 °F). The case also shows a hotspot of just above 65 °C (149 °F), which is definitely too high.


Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 - 12/09/2016 v6(old)
Sebastian Bade

Chassis
82 / 98 → 84%
Keyboard
86%
Pointing Device
91%
Connectivity
47 / 81 → 58%
Weight
60 / 20-67 → 85%
Battery
86%
Display
77%
Games Performance
75 / 85 → 88%
Application Performance
74 / 92 → 81%
Temperature
83%
Noise
86 / 95 → 91%
Audio
59%
Camera
48 / 85 → 56%
Average
73%
81%
Multimedia - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer Aspire F15 F5-573G-53V1 Notebook Review
Sebastian Bade, 2016-06-27 (Update: 2018-05-15)