Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314 laptop review: Powerful convertible is slowed down by Intel Comet Lake
Convertible laptops have existed in many different designs. The sector used to be dominated by laptops with a single rotating hinge like the Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Tablet (2012). In the last decade, devices with 360-degree hinges, like the HP Spectre x360 14, have gained the upper hand in this field, and laptops with detachable displays have also been experimented with. Acer takes a completely different approach with the ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513: The namesake Ezel hinge enables a foldable display in an otherwise traditional laptop design. At the same time, it allows for usage scenarios that other convertibles don't offer.
With this concept and with strong components, Acer intends to gain sales in the creative sector in particular. The relatively compact 14-inch Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is powered by an Intel Comet Lake H chip and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti. The configuration is rounded off by 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.
Possible contenders in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87.4 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q | 1.8 kg | 23.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 89.4 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2020 | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.3 kg | 17.2 mm | 13.50" | 1920x1280 | |
| 89.8 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2020 | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.3 kg | 15.5 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.7 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2021 | Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH R9 5980HS, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q | 1.4 kg | 15.8 mm | 13.40" | 3840x2400 |
Case of the Acer ConceptD 3: Magnesium/aluminum with special hinge
The white case is characteristic of many models from Acer's ConceptD series. The case of the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is also completely white except for the black glass display bezel. Even the keyboard is white - Acer adds color accents with the status LEDs, which are orange, just like the keyboard's backlight.
From the front, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel looks like a relatively normal laptop - it's only when looking at the LCD cover that the special hinge design is revealed: The Ezel hinge sits at the center of the LCD, around which the screen can be rotated by 180°. This virtually detaches the LCD panel from the lower half of the display cover. In this way, the display can be completely folded back to use the Acer laptop as a tablet. However, we can also think of other usage modes. For example, you can simply push the screen slightly forward to save space in cramped situations (for example on the train). You can also place the screen so far forward that it covers the keyboard when drawing with the included stylus - quite interesting from an ergonomic point of view.
To enable a design that is as mechanically fascinating as it is complex, quality has to be spot on. Fortunately, we can say that Acer has done a good job in this respect. The case is completely made of a magnesium/aluminum alloy that is coated with a white ceramic surface. It's very high-quality, perfectly manufactured, and extremely stable. The Acer laptop can't be twisted or dented in any way. Furthermore, the hinges, which allow an aperture angle of around 170 degrees, prevent the LCD from wobbling.
If the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel has a weak point in terms of its case, it's mobility. Weighing just under 1.8 kg, it's pretty useless in tablet mode when you're not at your desk - these days, there are 15-inch laptops that weigh less. The special hinge also makes the case quite thick, and with its powerful components, the ConceptD is relatively large as well. The latter is also reflected in comparatively large display bezels, especially under the LCD panel. We would have wished for a 16:10 or 3:2 display here, which would surely fit the target group better as well.
Connectivity: Acer laptop with SD card reader
The connectivity is quite impressive. The full-size SD card slot in particular will certainly be appreciated by many creative professionals; it has become rare these days. It's odd that Acer chose to install a Mini DisplayPort - a second USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate mode would have been more useful here. It's also a shame that the included USB-C/Thunderbolt port can't be used for charging.
The placement of the ports is bad: Due to the wide fan openings, the ports are positioned very far to the front and too close together in some cases. Mouse users won't be very happy with the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel if they use the ports.
SD card reader
The SD card reader's performance is at an average level (measured with the 64 GB Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II SDXC, our reference memory card). One can definitely expect more from a 2,000-Euro (~$2,377) laptop.
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (18.4 - 201, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 (Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 microSDXC 32GB) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (25.8 - 266, n=59, last 2 years) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II) | |
Communication
The only communication module is the Intel Wireless AX201 2x2 Wi-Fi card. It works quickly and reliably and achieved a good result in our measurements. It's somewhat regrettable that Acer has completely foregone the use of WWAN. This feature could be useful in the professional segment in particular.
Webcam
The 0.9 megapixel webcam conforms to the typical laptop standard - it's blurry, noisy, and simply not good.
Accessories
Besides the proprietary 135-watt power adapter, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel also comes with a Wacom AES digitizer pen. It's actually not really in the box, because it comes inside the laptop's case. We will briefly discuss its functionality in the section on input devices.
Maintenance
You have to unscrew a total of 14 screws to reach the inside of the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel. Since these were also hidden under rubber covers, we ultimately decided against opening the Acer laptop. It's not particularly upgradeable anyway since RAM is soldered. Only the M.2 SSD can theoretically be replaced with a larger model. The internal battery, the Wi-Fi card, and the cooling system with the two fans are also maintainable in theory.
Warranty
With a three-year manufacturer's warranty, the ConceptD Ezel 3 is at the usual level for such expensive laptops. A warranty extension to four years is possible, but Acer apparently doesn't offer on-site service for the ConceptD series - therefore, there's only a bring-in service that requires the user to send in the defective laptop.
The Acer laptop's input devices are convincing
Keyboard
The all-white keyboard with its orange backlight has a QWERTY ANSI layout in our test device - unusual and difficult to use in German without umlauts. Retail models should have a German QWERTY ISO layout, though.
Acer describes the keyboard as "full size", but due to the four additional keys to the right of the Enter key, there are a few reductions in size. The arrow keys are almost regular size, but the right shift key is much narrower in return.
The flat keys with a 1.55 mm travel have a smooth surface and a pleasant pressure point that is neither too hard nor too soft. Apart from the layout of our unit, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel has a good keyboard that is suitable for users who do a lot of typing.
Touchpad, touchscreen, and pen
The touchpad of the Acer laptop is a mechanical ClickPad with a Gorilla Glass surface. It has a comfortable size of 13.5 x 8.3 cm; the click mechanism is high-quality, and the surface has very good gliding properties. Together with the flawless software implementation, this results in a good touchpad.
The multitouch screen supports 10 fingers simultaneously. Besides the touch function, the screen can also be operated with the included digitizer pen. The Wacom pen has two buttons, an integrated battery, and 4,096 pressure levels. The pen is charged in its enclosure - you always have it with you as a result, but the stylus is quite small and consequently uncomfortable to hold. In addition, the buttons are difficult to press. The pen is more suitable for taking notes than for elaborate drawings.
The display in the Acer ConceptD could be brighter
The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is available in two 16:9 sizes: 14 and 15.6 inches. Our test device has the smaller LCD, which has a resolution of 1920x1080 in each case. It's an IPS LCD with a touch surface - interestingly, it's matte, which is rare among convertibles.
At an average of 354 cd/m², the display isn't dim, but it doesn't have an above-average brightness, either. Acer doesn't specify a brightness value, so we can't check its compliance.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 365 cd/m²
Contrast: 1932:1 (Black: 0.19 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.09 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.9, calibrated: 0.99
ΔE Greyscale 1.2 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
98% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
68.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
98.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
67.2% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.4
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 B140HAN06.D, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14" | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 LP140WF9-SPE1, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14" | Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH LQ134R1JW51, IPS, 3840x2400, 13.4" | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 LG Philips LGD0663, IPS, 1920x1280, 13.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -4% | 10% | -1% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 67.2 | 64.3 -4% | 77.8 16% | 65.8 -2% |
| sRGB Coverage | 98.2 | 95.5 -3% | 99.5 1% | 98.2 0% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 68.7 | 65.6 -5% | 76.8 12% | 67.9 -1% |
| Response Times | -25% | -36% | -71% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 43 ? | 52 ? -21% | 48 ? -12% | 62 ? -44% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 20 ? | 25.6 ? -28% | 32 ? -60% | 39.6 ? -98% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||
| Screen | -88% | -30% | -45% | |
| Brightness middle | 367 | 409 11% | 359 -2% | 443.5 21% |
| Brightness | 354 | 405 14% | 331 -6% | 394 11% |
| Brightness Distribution | 83 | 95 14% | 86 4% | 78 -6% |
| Black Level * | 0.19 | 0.21 -11% | 0.23 -21% | 0.17 11% |
| Contrast | 1932 | 1948 1% | 1561 -19% | 2609 35% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.09 | 4.9 -350% | 2.46 -126% | 2.7 -148% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.61 | 8.4 -222% | 3.85 -48% | 4.36 -67% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 0.99 | 1.3 -31% | 1.6 -62% | 2.61 -164% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.2 | 5.8 -383% | 1.89 -58% | 3.4 -183% |
| Gamma | 2.4 92% | 2.53 87% | 2.38 92% | 2.09 105% |
| CCT | 6563 99% | 7009 93% | 6835 95% | 6144 106% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 63 | 60.7 -4% | 68.2 8% | 62.1 -1% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 98 | 95.3 -3% | 99.4 1% | 98.5 1% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -39% /
-64% | -19% /
-23% | -39% /
-40% |
* ... smaller is better
The display is already calibrated out of the box (measured with CalMan and the i1 Pro 2 colorimeter). Consequently, our calibration only brought minor improvements. The monitor can convince us in terms of quality, especially because of the high contrast value, the associated low black level, and the good color-space coverage. The sRGB space is practically covered by 100%, which is important when working with colors.
The matte surface eliminates reflections, which is an advantage outdoors. However, in order to be truly suitable for outdoor use in bright light conditions, the display of the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel would have to be much brighter.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 20 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 7 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 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. » 40 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 43 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 13 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 30 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. » 68 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8684 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
There are no issues with the viewing-angle stability of the IPS display.
Performance: The CPU in the Acer laptop disappoints
The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is always equipped with the same Intel Comet Lake H processor as well as 16 GB of soldered DDR4-2400 memory. An M.2-2280 SSD with a capacity of 1 TB serves as the mass storage device. The only choice for the user is the GPU: There's either the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti or the Nvidia Quadro T1000 - models equipped with the latter have the suffix "Pro" in the name.
Processor
The Intel Core i7-10750H is a processor with six cores (12 threads with Hyper-Threading). The clock rates range from 2.6 to 5 GHz, and the processor has a typical TDP of 45 watts. Our processor comparison list provides more benchmark data for this CPU.
Apart from a boost to over 90 watts that only lasted a few seconds, the TDP is effectively 45 watts. However, the cooling system is not strong enough to maintain this consumption under load on all cores in the long run: In the Cinebench loop, we note a consumption of 35 watts after a few iterations. The clock rates fluctuate between 3.8 and 3 GHz, and the CPU temperatures remain at around 95 °C (~203 °F).
The comparison with the Asus ROG Flow X13, which is a gaming convertible based on the AMD Ryzen 5980HS, shows how inefficient the Comet Lake chip is. The AMD competitor is twice as fast in some cases, and it also performs better under load on one core. Even the Intel Core i7-1165G7 is almost on par with the i7-10750H, even though the Tiger Lake chip has two cores less. Even compared to other laptops with the i7-10750H, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel scores poorly.
We weren't able to determine a limitation of the CPU on battery power.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.5: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Multi Core) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (2681 - 11924, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (1749 - 3325, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Cinebench R20 / CPU (Single Core) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (341 - 853, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (431 - 504, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Multi 64Bit | |
| Average of class Multimedia (1252 - 5224, n=95, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (804 - 1418, n=50) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Cinebench R15 / CPU Single 64Bit | |
| Average of class Multimedia (99.6 - 323, n=90, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (184 - 213, n=45) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Blender / v2.79 BMW27 CPU | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (322 - 587, n=43) | |
| Average of class Multimedia (100 - 502, n=88, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 -mmt1 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (3398 - 7545, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (4504 - 5470, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| 7-Zip 18.03 / 7z b 4 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (30592 - 130368, n=82, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (26040 - 37345, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Single-Core | |
| Average of class Multimedia (891 - 2555, n=86, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (1114 - 1333, n=43) | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Geekbench 5.5 / Multi-Core | |
| Average of class Multimedia (4990 - 23059, n=86, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (4443 - 6674, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 / 4k Preset | |
| Average of class Multimedia (5.26 - 34.3, n=81, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (5.54 - 11.6, n=43) | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| LibreOffice / 20 Documents To PDF | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (43.1 - 99.2, n=43) | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Average of class Multimedia (23.9 - 146.7, n=83, last 2 years) | |
| R Benchmark 2.5 / Overall mean | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10750H (0.578 - 0.708, n=42) | |
| HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
| Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH | |
| Average of class Multimedia (0.3604 - 0.947, n=81, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
System performance
System performance is very good in everyday use. However, the ConceptD 3 Ezel is clearly inferior to the Asus ROG Flow X13 with its AMD processor in the PCMark benchmark, which once again highlights the superiority of the Ryzen 5000 series.
| PCMark 10 Score | 4690 points | |
Help | ||
DPC latencies
The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314 has issues with DPC latencies - these are likely caused by the CPU power management.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage
Not only does the built-in SSD from Western Digital have an enormous capacity (1 TB), but it's also extremely fast. It's an NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD in the M.2-2280 form factor.
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-1T00 | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-1T00 | Average WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-1T00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | -11% | -6% | -6% | 2% | |
| Write 4K | 167.8 | 82.2 -51% | 158.5 -6% | 173 3% | 169.8 ? 1% |
| Read 4K | 51.7 | 45.7 -12% | 49.78 -4% | 52.4 1% | 50.4 ? -3% |
| Write Seq | 1866 | 2000 7% | 1534 -18% | 1978 6% | 2351 ? 26% |
| Read Seq | 2573 | 2206 -14% | 1464 -43% | 1875 -27% | 2078 ? -19% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 417.4 | 451.2 8% | 435.5 4% | 571 37% | 457 ? 9% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 476.8 | 351 -26% | 554 16% | 460.5 -3% | 513 ? 8% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 3097 | 2982 -4% | 2984 -4% | 1980 -36% | 3048 ? -2% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 3392 | 3529 4% | 3557 5% | 2427 -28% | 3334 ? -2% |
Continuous load read: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Graphics card
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q is a graphics chip based on Nvidia's "Turing" architecture. As a "Ti" model, it's faster than the version without this suffix, while the "Max-Q" designation indicates a variant with lower consumption. The 1,024 shader units have a boost clock of 1,200 MHz, whereas the base clock is 1,035 MHz. With our GPU list, the 1650 Ti Max-Q can be compared with other GPUs.
We find the same GPU in the Asus ROG Flow X13, which makes both equivalent in terms of performance, at least in this area. However, we were confronted with a problem in the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel: The graphics chip regularly led to crashes in the form of bluescreens during benchmarks. After a reboot, it sometimes disappeared from the device manager - we presume that this is a defect in our test device.
Without the power adapter connected, the GPU is throttled by around 12% (9,923 points in the 3DMark 11 GPU test).
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 10813 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 7503 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 3179 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming performance
PC games are certainly not the focus of the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel. However, this certainly doesn't mean that you can't game - the GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q is sufficient for modern games even at high detail levels. The only thing that isn't possible is gaming in 4K.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 183 | 132 | 61 | 35 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 143 | 118 | 111 | 104 |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 80.2 | 71.9 | 62.6 | |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 97.2 | 52.8 | 52.5 | 43.3 |
| Total War: Three Kingdoms (2019) | 176 | 60.3 | 36.5 | 31.4 |
Emissions: The Acer ConceptD Ezel runs cool
Noise emissions
The Acer laptop advertises a fan noise of less than 40 dB(a). The fan volume does in fact remain below this mark. At a maximum of 36.7 dB(a), the fan is audible but far from annoying. In idle mode, the cooling system mostly remains silent, and it remains quiet even when running.
Unfortunately, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314 is plagued by coil whine.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 25 / 25 / 31.5 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 36.7 / 36.7 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
Acer manages to keep the case temperatures within limits. The maximum temperature is 46 °C (~115 °F), which is already warm but not above average.
Under combined CPU and GPU load, the processor in the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel can still consume 25 watts. The graphics chip also has to limit its performance; the clock speed is only 735 MHz after an hour.
The CPU's throttling in the stress test doesn't affect everyday use. The subsequent execution of 3DMark 11 produced a normal result.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 46 °C / 115 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 46 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 39.2 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 31.3 °C / 88 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.2 °C / 99 F, compared to the device average of 31.3 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (33.6 °C / 92.5 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-4.8 °C / -8.7 F).
Speakers
The speakers placed above the keyboard are nothing special - they lack bass and volume, which is typical for laptop speakers. Instead of the speakers, you should use an external solution that you can connect using the perfectly functioning 3.5 mm port.
Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (74.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 34.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 11% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 45%
Compared to all devices tested
» 68% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% 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
» 6% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 92% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 4% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Energy management: The inefficient CPU in the Acer laptop comes at a price
Energy consumption
Our power consumption measurements once again show how inefficient the installed processor is - the gap to the other convertibles is huge; the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel clearly consumes the most power even in idle mode. Furthermore, the Nvidia GPU contributes to the much higher consumption under load.
At least the maximum consumption doesn't pose a challenge for the 135-watt power adapter.
| Off / Standby | 0.4 / 1.5 Watt |
| Idle | 18.6 / 20.6 / 22.6 Watt |
| Load |
66 / 86 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-1T00, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14" | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1280, 13.5" | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 14" | Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH R9 5980HS, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q, WDC PC SN530 SDBPNPZ-1T00, IPS, 3840x2400, 13.4" | Average NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 58% | 54% | 29% | 16% | 20% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 18.6 | 3 84% | 2.9 84% | 7.4 60% | 7.23 ? 61% | 6.9 ? 63% |
| Idle Average * | 20.6 | 5.1 75% | 6 71% | 10.3 50% | 12.6 ? 39% | 11.5 ? 44% |
| Idle Maximum * | 22.6 | 6.4 72% | 9.6 58% | 13.4 41% | 16.3 ? 28% | 13.6 ? 40% |
| Load Average * | 66 | 39.6 40% | 42.6 35% | 75.9 -15% | 80.6 ? -22% | 71.9 ? -9% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 67 | 39.6 41% | ||||
| Load Maximum * | 86 | 56.2 35% | 67.3 22% | 78 9% | 107.7 ? -25% | 118.3 ? -38% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
Considering the thickness and weight of the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel, the internal 56 watt-hour battery doesn't seem to be particularly generous. Consequently, we aren't surprised to see that battery life is only average. With just under 8:30 hours in the Wi-Fi test (150 cd/m²), a creative professional will probably have a hard time getting through the entire workday without the power adapter.
| Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513 i7-10750H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q, 56 Wh | HP Spectre x360 14t-ea000 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 66 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2020-20UCS03S00 i7-10510U, UHD Graphics 620, 51 Wh | Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301QH R9 5980HS, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q, 62 Wh | Average of class Multimedia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 54% | 18% | -15% | 22% | |
| H.264 | 645 | 556 -14% | 411 -36% | 835 ? 29% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 506 | 707 40% | 654 29% | 347 -31% | 627 ? 24% |
| Load | 87 | 145 67% | 120 38% | 107 23% | 97.2 ? 12% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: The Acer ConceptD 3 CC314 is the ideal laptop for a niche
With the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314, the Taiwanese manufacturer delivers a very interesting review unit. Instead of joining the ranks of the same old convertibles, Acer forges its own path with the Ezel hinge.
In fact, this is also the best aspect of the Acer laptop. The adjustable screen makes it very comfortable to work in different scenarios, and flexibility is even higher than with other convertible designs. Acer doesn't show any weaknesses when it comes to the case, which is also important for a rather complex design. The input devices are equally convincing. Acer even thought of a pen that is integrated into the laptop.
Unfortunately, the positive features of the Acer laptop largely end with the external characteristics. Although there are powerful components inside, the Comet Lake H processor used is inefficient and power-hungry. In our opinion, Acer has bet on the wrong horse here. The fact that the ConceptD 3 Ezel only offers a maximum of 16 GB of soldered memory might not necessarily cause professional customers to rejoice either. The display is good in terms of contrast and matte surface, but it could have been a bit brighter for a 2,000-Euro (~$2,377) laptop. In addition, a longer 3:2 or 16:10 display would have easily fit into the Acer laptop.
While this could be considered "nitpicking", it has to be said quite clearly: The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is too thick and too heavy for a convertible. We also have to criticize the location of the ports, as their placement is too crowded and far to the front, and the lack of Windows Hello login features - there's neither a fingerprint reader nor an infrared camera. In addition, the ConceptD 3 Ezel presents coil whine.
There are many points of criticism, but it's a good multimedia convertible on the whole: The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314.
Ultimately, the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel achieves a good rating because it can provide good results in most subfields. For creative users who work a lot with the pen, it might be worth buying; although it might be worth it to wait for a variant with Tiger Lake. Users who are simply looking for a powerful convertible are better off with the Asus ROG Flow X13 and its Ryzen processor.
Price and availability
The Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel is available in our same CPU, GPU, and RAM configuration, and with a 512 GB SSD for $1,699.99 directly in Acer's online store. For $200 less, you can get a version with the GTX 1650 on Amazon.
Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel CC314-72G-7513
- 03/09/2021 v7 (old)
Benjamin Herzig
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