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MagyarAcer Aspire V3-371-36M2 Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
Acer's Aspire V3-371 is a flat, handy 13.3-inch subnotebook. Theoretically, everything needed to make the device a great home surf station is on board. But does the theory work in practice? Read on to find out.
Just recently, we reviewed one of the Aspire's competitors, the Lenovo M30-70 (Core i3-4010U, HD Graphics 4400). The two computers are based on a similar concept and lie in the same price range.
Case & Connectivity
The Aspire immediately draws attention with its completely white case. However, those who shrink from the idea of owning a bright white notebook can take a deep breath: The device is also available in black. Most of the case is constructed out of plastic; only the backside of the lid is made of aluminum. The case's stability is reasonably good. The base unit proves to have a weakness we see on many notebooks: Under pressure, the edges bend a little bit. The base unit can be twisted only ever so slightly. The lid gains stability from its aluminum backside, but it too can still be twisted. We are fans of the hinges: They hold the lid tightly in position and hardly bounce at all. The Aspire does not have a maintenance hatch.
The Aspire does not offer a plethora of connectivity options: Acer selected only the most important connections. Unfortunately, the computer's weak WLAN connection stands out. Even in the direct vicinity of the router (about 3 meters away), Windows never showed more than 2 to 3 bars. However, we did not experience any decrease in the data transfer rates.
Input Devices
Acer outfitted their Aspire with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The flat, roughened keys offer a short travel distance and a clear click point. The keyboard bends a little during typing, but this does not have a negative effect on the overall typing experience. All in all, Acer provided their notebook with a reasonably good keyboard that should be comfortable even for those who type a lot. A multitouch-capable ClickPad serves as the device's mouse replacement. The pad measures 10.5 x 6 cm (~4.1 x 2.4 inches), and its smooth texture helps fingers glide across the surface easily. The pad has a short travel length and a clearly audible and tangible click point.
Display
Acer equipped their Aspire with a matte 13.3-inch display. The panel has a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and offers a maximum brightness level of 200.2 cd/m². This number is typical for a notebook in this price class and therefore not particularly impressive. The display's contrast (406:1) and black value (0.5 cd/m²) are on a similar plane -- not good, but certainly respectable.
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Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 203 cd/m²
Contrast: 406:1 (Black: 0.5 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 9.73 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 11.76 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
38% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
41.14% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
59.1% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
40.11% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.23
Out of the factory, the panel's average DeltaE 2000 deviation came to 9.73. This number is normal for the notebook's price class as well. A DeltaE 2000 deviation of less than 3 would be ideal. The display has a noticeable blue cast.
The Aspire houses a TN panel, which means the display content is only visible from a limited range of angles. Thanks to the matte display surface, outdoor use is certainly possible, though it would be best to avoid extremely bright environments.
Performance
The Acer Aspire V3-371 is a simple 13.3-inch office notebook. The device's performance is more than sufficient for everyday tasks. Our test device is currently for sale for about 500 Euros (~$670). Those who can make do without a Windows operating system can purchase the device for just 450 Euros (~$605). Alternative configurations do exist; the notebook is also available with a Full HD display and/or a Solid State Drive.
Processor
A Core i3-4030U takes on the role of processor in the Aspire. This Haswell generation dual-core CPU runs at a speed of 1.9 GHz. There is no turbo. The processor supports Hyper-Threading (each core can process up to two threads simultaneously). The CPU's full performance is available in both AC power and battery mode. The system completed the Cinebench benchmark's CPU tests at 1.9 GHz in both modes.
System Performance
The system runs robustly and fluidly; we did not run into any problems. In keeping with our subjective experience, the results from the PCMark benchmark are good. The hybrid hard drive (hard drive with built-in SSD cache) is to thank for this, as the device profits greatly from its SSD cache in this benchmark.
| PCMark 7 Score | 3314 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2158 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 2243 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3160 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
| Acer Aspire V3-371-36M2 | |
| Dell Latitude 13 3340 Education Series | |
| Lenovo M30-70 | |
| Asus ASUSPRO Essential PU301LA-RO064G | |
Storage Devices
A hybrid hard drive from Seagate serves as the system's mass-storage device. The drive offers a capacity of 500 GB and runs at 5400 rpm. Seagate outfitted the storage medium with an SSD cache (8 GB). This cache helps frequently used applications to start up quickly. Overall, the drive achieves good transfer rates. The 4k-read/write rates prove to be above average, thanks to the cache.
Graphics Card
An HD Graphics 4400 graphics core also makes its home in the Aspire. The GPU supports DirectX 11.1 and runs at speeds of between 200 and 1000 MHz. The results in the 3DMark benchmarks are what we would expect of a system with this graphics core.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 786 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 34508 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 3603 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 482 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
Running computer games is not one of the Aspire's strengths. For the most part, the notebook can fluidly render games at low resolution and low quality settings at best. Games that demand little of the hardware can be played at higher resolutions and/or quality settings. This includes titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the various games in the FIFA series, for instance. Anyone looking for a 13.3-inch notebook that is capable of running games with high hardware demands will have to pay dearly for it. Possible options in that segment of the market include the Acer Aspire S3-392G and the Asus Zenbook UX32LN, for example.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 36.6 | 18.3 | 10.3 |
Emissions
System Noise
In idle mode, the Aspire hardly makes a peep. The hard drive is the only component that is even remotely audible. The fan only starts turning when the notebook is under load. Under medium load (3DMark06 running), the fan spins at no more than a moderate speed. Only under full load (stress test, Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously) is the fan clearly audible.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 29.8 / 30 / 30.2 dB(A) |
| HDD |
| 30 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 33.8 / 39.6 dB(A) |
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30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
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min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
* ... smaller is better
Temperature
In idle mode, the Aspire's external temperatures are in the green. During the stress test, the numbers only rise moderately, but the case temperatures cross the 40 °C (104 °F) line in several spots. Both the CPU and GPU perform the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously for at least an hour) at their full speeds in AC power mode as well as in battery mode (CPU: 1.9 GHz; GPU: 1 GHz). The CPU temperature leveled off at about 68 °C (154.4 °F) during the stress test.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.8 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.3 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 39.5 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.7 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 28.8 °C / 83.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-0.5 °C / -0.9 F).
* ... smaller is better
Speakers
The Aspire's stereo speakers are located on the underside of the device and generate a voluminous sound, though the bass is lacking. All in all, the speakers are comfortable to listen to. We have certainly heard worse. The preinstalled Dolby Digital Plus software substantially improves the sound quality.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Under every level of load, the Aspire's energy consumption rates lie in the expected range. We did not observe any rogue results in the data. Good: Like almost all notebooks equipped with a Haswell processor, the Aspire too consumes very little energy in idle mode.
| Off / Standby | 0.1 / 0.2 Watt |
| Idle | 4 / 6 / 9.9 Watt |
| Load |
23.5 / 34 Watt |
   
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Battery Life
In our WLAN test, which is designed to simulate practical, everyday use, we ran a script that automatically loads a new webpage every 40 seconds. The energy-saving profile is active and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². The Aspire kept chugging along for 6:34 h. The Lenovo M30 we tested just recently cannot hold a candle to that runtime (3:37 h).
Verdict
The Acer Aspire V3-371 surprised us a little bit with its matte display and very good battery life -- we had expected this to be a run-of-the-mill 500 Euros (~$670) notebook. Additionally, the device offers its fair share of performance and runs quietly. Acer also put out the money to give the Aspire a decent keyboard. The display is not exceptional, but for the notebook's price, it is certainly acceptable. All in all, the Aspire is a good, inexpensive 13.3-inch notebook for writing and surfing. Students especially may wish to take a closer look.
