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MagyarAcer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q Netbook Review
For the original German review, see here.
The TravelMate B117-M has been made with educational institutions in mind. The device's build is correspondingly robust. The little computer no longer has anything in common with its predecessor. The netbook is powered by an Intel Braswell processor. Its rivals are laptops like Dell's Inspiron 11 3162, Acer's Aspire One Cloudbook 11, and HP's Stream 11. Chromebooks like the Chromebook C740 and Medion's Akoya S2015 are also opponents.
Case & Connectivity
The TravelMate's casing is made of matte, black plastic. The surfaces are lightly roughened. A plastic rim that protects the device from shocks frames the base unit. The laptop does not exhibit any weaknesses in either build or stability. The hinges are pulled tightly and keep the lid firmly in position. Acer states that the hinges have been tested for withstanding up to 25,000 openings/closings. A maintenance hatch that hides the solid stated drive is on the netbook's underside. The computer's battery cannot be removed.
The interfaces do not reveal any surprises. One of the two USB ports supports the USB 3.0 standard. A video-out is present. The laptop does not have a Type-C USB port. The installed memory-card reader is slow; transferring 250 JPG image files (approx. 5 MB each) was performed at 24.2 MB/s. We tested the memory-card reader via a reference card (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II).
The installed Wi-Fi module carries a chip by Intel (7265), which also supports the fast ac standard in addition to the 802.11 a/b/g/h/n standards. The transmission speeds measured in ideal conditions (no other Wi-Fi devices in the vicinity, short distance between laptop and server PC) are only good in the receive direction. The module delivers poor rates when the laptop sends data.
Connectivity
| SD Card Reader | |
| average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Acer Chromebook C740-C3DY | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB) | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| Networking | |
| iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q (seb) | |
| iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q (seb) | |
Input Devices
Acer installs an unlit, splash water-proof chiclet keyboard into its TravelMate. The flat, roughened keys have a short drop and clear pressure point. The keyboard at most yields in the center when typing on it. This was not annoying, though. The keyboard made an overall very good impression. It is also suitable for frequent typing sessions. The multitouch ClickPad has a surface area of approximately 10.5x6 cm. Thus, it offers a lot of room for gesture control. The pad's sleek surface does not prevent the fingers from gliding; it has a short drop and clear pressure point.
Display
The TravelMate is furnished with a matte, 11.6-inch screen. It has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. The brightness (214.9 cd/m²) is too low, but the contrast (574:1) can be called satisfactory. Positive: The screen never exhibited PWM flickering.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 85 %
Center on Battery: 180 cd/m²
Contrast: 574:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.29 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2
ΔE Greyscale 11.71 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
63% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.46% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
62.9% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
42.04% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.45
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q TN LED, 1366x768 | Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K TN LED, 1366x768 | Medion Akoya S2015 Chromebook TN LED, 1366x768 | HP Stream 11-r000ng TN, 1366x768 | Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE TN, 1366x768 | Dell Inspiron 11 3162 TN LED, 1366x768 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -5% | 1% | -3% | -8% | ||
| Display P3 Coverage | 42.04 | 39.91 -5% | 42.52 1% | 40.64 -3% | 38.7 -8% | |
| sRGB Coverage | 62.9 | 59.9 -5% | 63.5 1% | 61.2 -3% | 58.1 -8% | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 43.46 | 41.25 -5% | 43.97 1% | 41.99 -3% | 39.98 -8% | |
| Response Times | -3% | 14% | 4% | 7% | 8% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 38 ? | 46 ? -21% | 40 ? -5% | 44 ? -16% | 40 ? -5% | 41 ? -8% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 31 ? | 26 ? 16% | 21 ? 32% | 24 ? 23% | 25 ? 19% | 24 ? 23% |
| PWM Frequency | 1000 ? | 198 ? | ||||
| Screen | -3% | -14% | 2% | -10% | -5% | |
| Brightness middle | 218 | 271 24% | 227 4% | 264 21% | 240 10% | 255 17% |
| Brightness | 215 | 258 20% | 216 0% | 248 15% | 225 5% | 236 10% |
| Brightness Distribution | 85 | 92 8% | 90 6% | 84 -1% | 90 6% | 75 -12% |
| Black Level * | 0.38 | 0.58 -53% | 0.62 -63% | 0.5 -32% | 0.61 -61% | 0.64 -68% |
| Contrast | 574 | 467 -19% | 366 -36% | 528 -8% | 393 -32% | 398 -31% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 10.29 | 10.29 -0% | 9.78 5% | 11.23 -9% | 8.91 13% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 17.68 | 16.39 7% | 19.44 -10% | 13.52 24% | ||
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 11.71 | 11.78 -1% | 11.27 4% | 11.16 5% | 12.33 -5% | 9.87 16% |
| Gamma | 2.45 90% | 2.52 87% | 2.41 91% | 2.44 90% | 2.5 88% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 14164 46% | 13438 48% | 12875 50% | 12954 50% | 14130 46% | 10232 64% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 40 | 38.1 -5% | 41 3% | 39 -2% | 37 -7% | |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 63 | 60 -5% | 63 0% | 61 -3% | 58 -8% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -4% /
-4% | 0% /
-7% | 2% /
2% | -2% /
-6% | -2% /
-4% |
* ... smaller is better
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 19046 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | ||
The screen displays a DeltaE 2000 shift of 10.29 in delivery state. A rate less than 3 would be desirable. Furthermore, the screen has a bluish tint.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 17 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 38 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 18 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 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 46 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (35.1 ms). | ||
Acer furnishes the TravelMate with a viewing-angle dependent TN panel. Thus, the screen is not legible from every position. The TravelMate is not really outdoor suitable; its brightness drops visibly in battery mode (180 cd/m²).
Performance
Acer supplies a basic, 11.6-inch netbook with the TravelMate. It has enough computing power for simple office and Internet applications. Our review sample is priced at approximately 550 Euros (~$616). Other configurations exist. The prices start at around 230 Euros (~$257).
Processor
Our TravelMate is powered by Intel's Pentium N3710 (Braswell) quad-core processor. The CPU offers enough power for office and Internet applications. It clocks at a base speed of 1.6 GHz, which can be boosted to 2.56 GHz via Turbo. Turbo is fully utilized in both AC and battery modes.
| Geekbench 3 | |
| 32 Bit Single-Core Score | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| 32 Bit Multi-Core Score | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Acer Chromebook C740-C3DY | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| Medion Akoya S2015 Chromebook | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
System Performance
The system runs smoothly; we did not encounter problems. The PCMark benchmark scores correspond to the installed SoC's performance capacities. Increasing the performance is not possible. Acer has already exhausted all options.
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 1999 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 1936 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 1594 points | |
Help | ||
| PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
| Medion Akoya S2218 | |
Storage Device
The TravelMate houses a solid state drive by Lite On. It is an M.2 model (2280) with a capacity of 256 GB. Roughly 190 GB can be used. The rest of the storage is reserved by the Windows installation and recovery partition. The SSD's transfer rates are good.
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q Liteonit CV3-8D256 | Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K 32 GB eMMC Flash | HP Stream 11-r000ng 32 GB eMMC Flash | Medion Akoya S2218 64 GB eMMC Flash | Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE 32 GB eMMC Flash | Dell Inspiron 11 3162 32 GB eMMC Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | -69% | -65% | -73% | -65% | -75% | |
| Read Seq | 506 | 172.4 -66% | 154.2 -70% | 140.2 -72% | 175.5 -65% | 158.4 -69% |
| Write Seq | 393.4 | 78.4 -80% | 76.6 -81% | 52.7 -87% | 69.1 -82% | 20.58 -95% |
| Read 512 | 329.1 | 156.3 -53% | 165.8 -50% | 98.4 -70% | 166.6 -49% | 158.8 -52% |
| Write 512 | 282.5 | 65.2 -77% | 59.9 -79% | 58.7 -79% | 50.1 -82% | 30.91 -89% |
| Read 4k | 23.35 | 17.69 -24% | 18.25 -22% | 15.25 -35% | 19.35 -17% | 11.74 -50% |
| Write 4k | 45.56 | 7.842 -83% | 13.16 -71% | 9.817 -78% | 11.12 -76% | 10.66 -77% |
| Read 4k QD32 | 123.5 | 28.3 -77% | 46.51 -62% | 37.24 -70% | 52 -58% | 31.3 -75% |
| Write 4k QD32 | 111.2 | 7.399 -93% | 13.21 -88% | 8.734 -92% | 10.96 -90% | 10.2 -91% |
Graphics Card
Intel's HD Graphics 405 is responsible for video output. It supports DirectX 12 and clocks at speeds up to 700 MHz. The 3DMark benchmark scores are a bit higher than those from comparable devices since the working memory operates in dual-channel mode. This better utilizes the GPU. In contrast to the Bay Trail predecessors, an evident performance increase is recorded - at a low level. The stronger architecture of the Braswell graphics cores becomes evident here.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 3566 points | |
| 3DMark Vantage P Result | 2081 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 537 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 26768 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 2392 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 259 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
Gaming Performance
The installed SoC renders a handful of games smoothly in low resolutions and low quality settings. Considerably more playable games can be found in the Windows Store under Casual Games.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Deus Ex Human Revolution (2011) | 35.4 | 14.7 | ||
| Diablo III (2012) | 32 | 19.1 | 14.4 | |
| Counter-Strike: GO (2012) | 42.6 | 32 | 20.4 | |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 27.8 | 12.8 | 9.5 | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 22.2 | 11.4 | 9.2 | |
| GRID: Autosport (2014) | 50.5 | 15 | ||
| Sims 4 (2014) | 77.5 | 19.6 | ||
| F1 2014 (2014) | 28 | 17 | ||
| Dirt Rally (2015) | 41.5 | 12.5 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid V (2015) | 18.8 | 13 | ||
| World of Warships (2015) | 21.8 | 16.2 |
Emissions & Energy Management
System Noise
Since the TravelMate does not sport a fan or conventional hard drive, the laptop runs noiselessly.
Temperature
The TravelMate performed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in AC and battery modes in the same manner. The CPU and GPU both ran at high speeds for only a few seconds at the beginning of the stress test. Then, they throttled evidently to 460 to 480 MHz (processor) and 400 MHz (graphics unit). The CPU's speed remained stable for the rest of the time. The GPU's speed dropped to 260 MHz in further course. The laptop only heated up moderately. 40 °C was surpassed on several measuring points during the stress test.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.1 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 33.1 °C / 92 F, ranging from 21.6 to 53.2 °C for the class Netbook.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 42.4 °C / 108 F, compared to the average of 36.6 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.6 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 29.8 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.8 °C / 85.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 29.3 °C / 84.7 F (-0.5 °C / -0.9 F).
Speakers
The TravelMate's stereo speakers are situated on the device's underside. They produce a somewhat thin sound that lacks bass. Using headphones or external speakers is recommended for a better sound.
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (71 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 43% of all tested devices in this class were better, 14% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 23%, worst was 33%
Compared to all devices tested
» 81% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 15% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
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 (9.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 50%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Frequency diagram in comparison (check boxes above can be turned on/off!)
Power Consumption
We measured a maximum idle power consumption of 8.6 watts. This rate climbed to 18 watts for a short moment during the stress test. It dropped when the CPU and GPU throttled. In total, the TravelMate's power consumption is on a normal level for the hardware installed here. The power supply has a nominal output of 45 watts.
| Off / Standby |   0.6 / 0.7 Watt |
| Idle |  6.2 / 8 / 8.6 Watt |
| Load |
13.5 / 13.8 Watt |
    
| |
Battery Runtime
We simulate the load needed for opening websites in our practical Wi-Fi test. The "Balanced" profile is enabled, the energy-saving functions are disabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The TravelMate achieved a runtime of 9:44 hours - a very good rate.
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Acer Chromebook C740-C3DY | |
| Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q | |
| Dell Inspiron 11 3162 | |
| HP Stream 11-r000ng | |
| Medion Akoya S2015 Chromebook | |
| Medion Akoya S2218 | |
| Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 AO1-131-C58K | |
| Lenovo S21e-20 80M4004MGE | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Acer's little netbook has been made for use in educational institutions. The robust casing proves this. The installed processor has enough computing power for basic office and Internet applications. The laptop always runs quietly and does not get excessively hot. The speedy SSD ensures a fast-running system. It is also possible to replace the SSD easily since the TravelMate has a maintenance hatch. The battery life is outstanding. This is supplemented with a very decent keyboard. The three-year manufacturer warranty should not be left unmentioned. The weak point of this laptop is again the screen; Acer installs a dark, viewing-angle dependent model.
Acer has a compact and very enduring typewriter and browsing machine that should appeal to many pupils and students in its lineup with the TravelMate.
However, our review sample is not really a bargain at a price of 550 Euros (~$616). The SSD and two Windows operating systems are reflected in the price. To save money, a look at the B117-M-P12K model might be worthwhile. It comes with a conventional (500 GB) HDD and without a Windows operating system. Adding the cost of a used Windows 7 license increases the price to approximately 330 Euros (~$369).
Acer TravelMate B117-M-P16Q
-
09/27/2016 v5.1(old)
Sascha Mölck
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