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Acer TravelMate P2510 (i5-8250U, MX130) Laptop Review

A lot is new inside, but nothing new outside. Acer has equipped the TravelMate P2510 with an i5-8250U from Intel's eighth generation of chips and even topped that with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX130, which provides the TravelMate with an additional graphics boost. But how does the performance really look? Can you play the most current games with it? What else has improved, or has anything even become worse?

Now a few months later, the 15-inch variant of the Acer TravelMate also receives a CPU update from the Intel Core i5-7200U to the current Intel Core i5-8250U. Otherwise everything has stayed the same - or did it? In addition to the new CPU, we also discover a dedicated graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce MX130. This is a pleasant surprise, since the predecessor had to make do with the Intel Graphics HD 620.

In this updated review we look at everything that is connected with the CPU upgrade. We want to take a closer look particularly at the performance increase due to the more powerful CPU from Intel's eighth-generation line-up and the increase of the graphics performance due to the GeForce MX130. It will also be an interesting question whether this might have an effect on the temperatures or even result in more throttling, since the case has remained unchanged from the predecessor with the i5-7200U. The model of our test unit has the label Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE (NX.VGWEG.002) and is equipped with 8 GB of RAM, a 256 GB SSD, and a 15.6-inch, matte IPS display (1920x1080 pixels).

Naturally will we not only use the predecessor, the Acer TravelMate P2510 (i5-7200U, 256 GB SSD, IPS), for comparison, but also the smaller but similarly built Acer TravelMate P2410 (i7-8550U, MX130), the VivoBook 15 (i5-8250U, MX130), the Aspire 5 A515 (i5-8250U, MX130), the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 (i5-8250U, MX150), and the Pavilion 15 (i5-8250U, 940MX).

Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Processor
Intel Core i5-8250U 4 x 1.8 GHz, Kaby Lake Refresh
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce MX130 - 2048 MB VRAM, 23.21.13.8873 (GeForce 388.73)
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2400
Display
15.60 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 141 PPI, Chi Mei CMN15D3, IPS, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel Kaby Lake-U + iHDCP 2.2 Premium PCH
Storage
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, 256 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Kaby Lake-U/Y PCH - High Definition Audio
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: 1, Card Reader: SD
Networking
Intel Ethernet Connection I219-LM (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 (a/b/g/h/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 22.1 x 379.5 x 254 ( = 0.87 x 14.94 x 10 in)
Battery
48 Wh, 3200 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 1280 x 720
Additional features
Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 65 Watt charger, Norton Anti-Virus, 36 Months Warranty
Weight
2.1 kg ( = 74.08 oz / 4.63 pounds), Power Supply: 206 g ( = 7.27 oz / 0.45 pounds)
Price
819 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - Unfortunately, nothing new for the P2510

Acer sticks with the plastic hinge
Acer sticks with the plastic hinge

Not only did our tester who held last year's model of the Acer TravelMate P2510 with the Intel Core i5-7200U in his hands notice the weak quality of the workmanship but the stability also left something to be desired. Unfortunately, we did not find any real improvement in the new P2510 with the i5-8250U. The case was taken over unchanged from the predecessor. As before, the back of the base can be pressed down until it touches the surface. At least our test laptop now stands stably on all five of its rubber feet. We are unable to get the Acer to produce any creaking or such. The surface material has been taken from last year's model as well and falls into the category of "uninspiring," but there is also nothing particularly bad about it.

While the hinges offer a good resistance, you can open it with one hand without any trouble. As long as you do not start to bounce, the display stays in its position. 

With its dimensions of 37.95 x 25.40 cm (14.94 x 10 in) and height of 22.10 mm (0.87 in), the TravelMate is hardly any different than the other models in the 15.6-inch size range. A comparison of the weights also shows that the P2510 is positioned in the middle of the field of our 15.6-inch office laptops.

Size Comparison

380 mm / 15 inch 251 mm / 9.88 inch 23 mm / 0.906 inch 2.3 kg5.07 lbs381 mm / 15 inch 263 mm / 10.4 inch 21.6 mm / 0.85 inch 2.2 kg4.85 lbs379.5 mm / 14.9 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 22.1 mm / 0.87 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs379.5 mm / 14.9 inch 254 mm / 10 inch 22.1 mm / 0.87 inch 2.1 kg4.63 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 260 mm / 10.2 inch 22.9 mm / 0.902 inch 2 kg4.46 lbs378 mm / 14.9 inch 252.1 mm / 9.93 inch 22.5 mm / 0.886 inch 1.8 kg4.01 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connections - The TravelMate with an unfortunate port positioning

Even though the P2510 is 1.6 inches larger than the P2410, similar to the smaller model, all the connections are very close together. On the left side, we find an ample amount of various connections, beginning with the Ethernet port and VGA port and up to HDMI, USB Type-A 3.0, USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 with Display Port, and a combined headphone/microphone audio port. Unfortunately, we only get a single USB Type-A port with the 3.0 standard in this way, since there are only two more USB Type-A 2.0 ports and the slow SD card reader on the right side. It is interesting that the smaller P2410 offers an additional USB Type-A port here, but that also only supports 2.0. 

As mentioned at the beginning, the port positioning is not really sensible, and there is a lack of space here.

The left side is tightly packed...
The left side is tightly packed...
...while we only find USB-2.0 ports on the right
...while we only find USB-2.0 ports on the right

SD Card Reader

The card reader on the right side of the TravelMate does not have a spring, so when you insert the SD card, half of it will stick out of the laptop. At 32.6 MB/s, the read and write rates of the TravelMate are twice as fast as the P2410 we recently tested. However, they are still very slow in the sequential read benchmark at 24.2 MB/s. Both values remain significantly below the average of the office laptops in our database.

SD Card Reader
average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs)
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
80.2 MB/s +146%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M510 microSD)
76 MB/s +133%
Average of class Office
  (8 - 196.8, n=50, last 2 years)
55.6 MB/s +71%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
34.3 MB/s +5%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
32.6 MB/s
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.8 MB/s -18%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26 MB/s -20%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
16.8 MB/s -48%
maximum AS SSD Seq Read Test (1GB)
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
86.9 MB/s +259%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro M510 microSD)
85.6 MB/s +254%
Average of class Office
  (26.4 - 173.2, n=44, last 2 years)
65.2 MB/s +169%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
31.1 MB/s +29%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
29.7 MB/s +23%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
26.3 MB/s +9%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
24.3 MB/s 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
  (Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II)
24.2 MB/s

Communication

Even though the P2510 has the same Intel MIMO-2x2 module as its predecessor, the results only reach 7-10% weaker values. We performed our measurements using the 5-GHz network at a one-meter distance from our Linksys EA8500 reference router, and they resulted in receive rates of 513 Mb/s and send rates of 620 Mb/s.

While the TravelMate does not offer WWAN, which is the option to connect to the Internet via SIM card and LTE, you can find an Ethernet port for a LAN cable on the left side. 

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Average of class Office
  (280 - 1332, n=6, last 2 years)
810 MBit/s +31%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
681 MBit/s +10%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
680 MBit/s +10%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
620 MBit/s
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
613 MBit/s -1%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
340 MBit/s -45%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
325 MBit/s -48%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
325 MBit/s -48%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Office
  (348 - 1690, n=6, last 2 years)
852 MBit/s +66%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
554 MBit/s +8%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
547 MBit/s +7%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
513 MBit/s
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
505 MBit/s -2%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
331 MBit/s -35%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
294 MBit/s -43%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 Wireless Network Adapter
290 MBit/s -43%

Maintenance

The access covers for the working memory and an optional additional 2.5-inch HDD are easy to reach, and the covers at the bottom are only secured with a single Philips screw each. You do not need any special tools and the replacement takes only a few seconds.

In our TravelMate, this maintenance slot already contains one 4 GB RAM module (DDR4-2400) from Micron. If necessary, it can be replaced with a RAM module of up to 16 GB maximum size. Since an additional 4 GB by SK Hynix is already soldered onto the motherboard, you can reach up to 20 GB RAM after the upgrade.

Space for a 2.5-inch SSD
Space for a 2.5-inch SSD
The 4 GB RAM module that can be replaced
The 4 GB RAM module that can be replaced

Display - Matte and not particularly bright but sufficient

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

Like in the P2510-M, Acer uses the display manufacturer Chi Mei in the new P2510-G2 as well, using even the same panel. Of course we also tested all the values this time and were pleased to see that it turned out better in all regards. Starting from the top, we found a slightly shorter response time for the gray-to-grey change, even if it is slower than in the P2410. On the other hand, the display brightness and brightness distribution have improved significantly. Even if the brightness value of 259 cd/m² does not look like that much, due to the matte IPS panel, it is completely sufficient in the TravelMate to be able to work even in direct sunlight.      

Together with the black value, the contrast has also improved a lot, and both values are more than twice as good as in the predecessor. In the color space realm, the Acer remains slightly behind, and we only measure 40% in the AdobeRGB test and 63% in the Color Space. Thus the P2510 is not suited for professional photographers or image-processing with its display.

233
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
230
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
259
cd/m²
220
cd/m²
212
cd/m²
233
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Chi Mei CMN15D3 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 259 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 230 cd/m² Minimum: 21 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 259 cd/m²
Contrast: 1363:1 (Black: 0.19 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.13 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 3.09
ΔE Greyscale 1.42 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
63% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
40% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
43.69% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
63.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
42.27% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.36
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Chi Mei CMN15D3, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Chi Mei CMN15D3 / N156HCE-EAA, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
CMN N140HCA-EAB, , 1920x1080, 14.00
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
BOE CQ NT156FHM-N41, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Chi Mei (CMN15D5), , 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Chi Mei CMN15D5, N156HGA-EAB, , 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
AU Optronics, , 1920x1080, 15.60
Display
0%
-5%
-11%
-1%
-12%
Display P3 Coverage
42.27
42.44
0%
40.28
-5%
37.47
-11%
42.04
-1%
37.28
-12%
sRGB Coverage
63.5
63.2
0%
60.4
-5%
56.4
-11%
62.8
-1%
56.1
-12%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
43.69
43.94
1%
41.65
-5%
38.71
-11%
43.44
-1%
38.51
-12%
Response Times
-4%
13%
-11%
18%
13%
23%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
40 ?(23, 17)
45 ?(27, 18)
-13%
34 ?(16, 18)
15%
41 ?(22, 19)
-3%
43.3 ?(22, 21.3)
-8%
45.6 ?(24.4, 21.2)
-14%
45 ?(24, 21)
-13%
Response Time Black / White *
32 ?(13, 10)
32 ?(18, 14)
-0%
24 ?(13, 11)
25%
19 ?(14, 5)
41%
13.8 ?(9.5, 4.3)
57%
16 ?(11.6, 4.4)
50%
13 ?(8, 5)
59%
PWM Frequency
25000 ?(10)
25000 ?(80)
0%
25000 ?(10)
0%
7000 ?(90)
-72%
25970 ?(19)
4%
25770 ?(60)
3%
Screen
-46%
-22%
-33%
-175%
-144%
-151%
Brightness middle
259
215
-17%
265
2%
230
-11%
246
-5%
220
-15%
234
-10%
Brightness
230
198
-14%
239
4%
221
-4%
225
-2%
194
-16%
230
0%
Brightness Distribution
82
78
-5%
85
4%
91
11%
81
-1%
84
2%
76
-7%
Black Level *
0.19
0.32
-68%
0.37
-95%
0.45
-137%
0.51
-168%
0.43
-126%
0.34
-79%
Contrast
1363
672
-51%
716
-47%
511
-63%
482
-65%
512
-62%
688
-50%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.13
5.15
-65%
3.93
-26%
3.6
-15%
11
-251%
11.8
-277%
12.19
-289%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.81
10.89
-39%
8.79
-13%
5.59
28%
32.4
-315%
20.6
-164%
20.81
-166%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
3.09
3.13
-1%
4.6
-49%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.42
4.25
-199%
2.29
-61%
3.13
-120%
11.6
-717%
12.5
-780%
13.99
-885%
Gamma
2.36 93%
2.61 84%
2.33 94%
2.45 90%
1.91 115%
2.07 106%
2.32 95%
CCT
6391 102%
6603 98%
6951 94%
7244 90%
11807 55%
14346 45%
15863 41%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
40
40
0%
38
-5%
36
-10%
40.1
0%
36
-10%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
63
63
0%
60
-5%
56
-11%
62.7
0%
56
-11%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-17% / -29%
-5% / -13%
-18% / -25%
-79% / -127%
-44% / -88%
-47% / -100%

* ... smaller is better

Our outdoors test is extremely satisfying. During the midday sun, the Notebookcheck page can still be seen very well, and even the 230 cd/m² rate at full brightness is sufficient. In the first image below, we purposefully tested it in the worst possible sunlight condition, and the second image shows the same scenario also with direct sunlight, but a slightly modified opening angle. In the third image that was taken in the shade, everything naturally becomes even slightly more readable. 

Disadvantageous direct sunlight
Disadvantageous direct sunlight
Direct sunlight
Direct sunlight
Without direct sun
Without direct sun

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
32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 13 ms rise
↘ 10 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. » 84 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23 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 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 55 % 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 25000 Hz ≤ 10 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 25000 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 25000 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 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Performance - Acer has upgraded

Acer has now also updated the 15-inch TravelMate models of the new P2510-G2 series with an Intel Core chip of the eighth generation. The P2510-G2 model series of the Acer TravelMate has a total of three processor options in its line-up: the Intel Core i3-8130U, the Intel Core i5-8250U as in our test unit, and the top model with the Intel Core i7-8550U. Starting with the i5-8250U, in addition there is also the dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX130. Only the i3-8130U has to be content with the Intel HD Graphics 620.

Processor

Our Acer TravelMate P2510 test unit has the Intel Core i5-8250U. Even though compared to our P2510 test from last year with the Intel Core i5-7200U, at 1.6 GHz the base clock speed is lower than that of the predecessor, now the laptop has a higher Turbo speed with the i5-8250U, and with its four cores and eight threads it also has twice as many cores. According to Intel, there should be 40% more performance on paper, and the TDP of 15 watts which is distributed over all cores should remain the same. In contrast to the i7-8550U, the i5-8250U increases the core speed up to 3.4 GHz on all cores.

You can find all the technical background information on the i5-8250U in our benchmark section for mobile CPUs.

In the Cinebench benchmark test, the Acer TravelMate P2510 achieves an average result with 142 points in the CPU 64-bit single-core mode, but remains slightly behind the other comparison models with this. In the CPU 64-bit multi-core mode, the P2510 falls further behind, lagging a whole 11 points behind the average. 

Compared to the predecessor that has to make do with only two cores, you will naturally notice a significant jump ahead with a plus of 54% in the 64-bit multi-core mode. It is a little surprising that the P2510 is able to place slightly ahead of the P2410 (i7-8550U).

Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (82.6 - 284, n=118, last 2 years)
215 Points +51%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
Intel Core i7-8550U
150 Points +6%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
146 Points +3%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
146 Points +3%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points +2%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Intel Core i5-8250U
145 Points +2%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
142 Points
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (81 - 147, n=97)
141.1 Points -1%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Core i5-7200U
129 Points -9%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Average of class Office
  (160.8 - 2642, n=120, last 2 years)
1380 Points +159%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Intel Core i5-8250U
730 Points +37%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U
  (320 - 730, n=101)
570 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
Intel Core i5-8250U
556 Points +4%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Intel Core i5-8250U
542 Points +2%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
Intel Core i5-8250U
533 (432.57min - 532.94max) Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
Intel Core i5-8250U
518 Points -3%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
Intel Core i7-8550U
514 (478.58min - 514max) Points -4%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel Core i5-7200U
328 Points -38%
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
142 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
82.4 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
99.6 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
533 Points
Help

Things become really interesting in the loop test. We run our TravelMate P2510 a whole 40 times through the Cinebench multi-core test and want to find out whether the Acer survives this loop with a stable temperature and performance. After the first run, we encounter a small point drop as is usual. In our case, it drops from 532 points to 505 points, which remains within the normal limits. However, between the seventh and 12th runs, it behaves like a roller coaster with the lowest value being 432 points which represents a 100-point drop (minus 19%) compared to the first run. After that, the P2510 levels out again at about 505 points for the remaining runs.

0306090120150180210240270300330360390420450480510540Tooltip
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø500 (432.57-532.94)
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6 Intel Core i7-8550U: Ø483 (478.58-514)
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø493 (481.04-518.17)
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø471 (448.45-542.69)
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng Intel Core i5-8250U: Ø518 (514.26-556.92)
Average Intel Core i5-8250U  : Ø526 (520-569)
No temperature-dependent throttling
No temperature-dependent throttling

We initially thought that there might have been a background service that activated during the benchmark tests, causing additional load on the Acer, so we ran the CB loop two additional times but always received a similar result. When looking for the reasons, we could not see any throttling or such. The CPU runs with the default settings of 44 watts in the Turbo for 28 seconds and otherwise with a TDP of 15 watts.

System Performance

With the new Intel i5-8250U and the Hynix SSD, the P2510 places in the middle of the field of its direct competitors and at the same time slightly above the average of office laptops. The system performance is satisfactory overall. While it achieves 4769 points in the Work Score, it only reaches 3461 points in the Home Score and remains almost 200 points behind the i5-7200U predecessor in the synthetic benchmark test. This is because the i5-7200U has a significantly higher base clock speed at 2.5 GHz, thus confusing the results in the Home Score a bit and also causing some of the other i5-8250U processors to look slower.

However, our subjective impression confirms the good performance, and at the time of writing, we were unable to see any of the standard weaknesses in the performance when running several tests simultaneously.

PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Average of class Office
  (2304 - 4830, n=12, last 2 years)
4261 Points +23%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3903 Points +13%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3715 Points +7%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
3695 Points +7%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
3683 Points +6%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3663 Points +6%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (3207 - 3903, n=5)
3583 Points +4%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
3461 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
3274 Points -5%
Work Score Accelerated v2
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
GeForce 940MX, i5-8250U, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
4812 Points +1%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4811 Points +1%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
4779 Points 0%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4775 Points 0%
Average Intel Core i5-8250U, NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (4762 - 4779, n=4)
4771 Points 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4769 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
4760 Points 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
4592 Points -4%
Average of class Office
  (1854 - 5610, n=12, last 2 years)
3746 Points -21%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3461 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4769 points
Help

Storage Solution

We find the same Hynix SSD with the model label HFS256G39TND-N210A in our test unit that we already had in our review of the predecessor.

Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006
Average SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
 
CrystalDiskMark 3.0
3%
7%
2%
7%
-1%
-6%
Read Seq
477.3
498.1
4%
468.5
-2%
499.5
5%
530
11%
475.4
0%
482 ?(282 - 518, n=19)
1%
Write Seq
267.8
260.1
-3%
378.4
41%
265.8
-1%
497.5
86%
453.5
69%
246 ?(138.2 - 270, n=19)
-8%
Read 512
331.4
328.5
-1%
342.5
3%
314.3
-5%
392
18%
345.2
4%
328 ?(234 - 562, n=19)
-1%
Write 512
268.4
260.9
-3%
368.7
37%
266.3
-1%
253.7
-5%
299.1
11%
243 ?(137.8 - 268, n=19)
-9%
Read 4k
25.41
32.59
28%
26.93
6%
29.24
15%
29.67
17%
27.8
9%
28 ?(15.9 - 33.1, n=19)
10%
Write 4k
78.2
84.2
8%
88.1
13%
78.4
0%
78.3
0%
54.2
-31%
74.8 ?(46.6 - 95.9, n=19)
-4%
Read 4k QD32
394.5
359.7
-9%
247.8
-37%
402.5
2%
282.8
-28%
250.9
-36%
323 ?(119.3 - 403, n=19)
-18%
Write 4k QD32
264.8
262
-1%
246.5
-7%
264.9
0%
149.8
-43%
181.8
-31%
220 ?(98.5 - 267, n=19)
-17%
SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
Sequential Read: 477.3 MB/s
Sequential Write: 267.8 MB/s
512K Read: 331.4 MB/s
512K Write: 268.4 MB/s
4K Read: 25.41 MB/s
4K Write: 78.2 MB/s
4K QD32 Read: 394.5 MB/s
4K QD32 Write: 264.8 MB/s

Graphics Cards

There is some news in regard to the graphics, since with the introduction of the Intel i5-8250U in the P2510, Acer now also offers a dedicated graphics card by Nvidia called GeForce MX130 besides the Intel HD Graphics 620. This allows the TravelMate to make a big jump ahead in the 3DMark 11 benchmark test. We see a point increase from 1256 points to 2786 points, which is a respectable increase of 82% compared to the predecessor model with the HD Graphics 620. 

In the comparison to other models that also use the GeForce MX130, the Acer places just below the average with a 4% difference. You can find more information on the MX130 in our compendium of graphics cards.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
Average of class Office
  (1474 - 12230, n=115, last 2 years)
5878 Points +111%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
4582 Points +64%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2882 Points +3%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (2476 - 3203, n=14)
2872 Points +3%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8550U
2791 Points 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2786 Points
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2734 Points -2%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-8250U
2471 Points -11%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1530 Points -45%
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Average of class Office
  (5681 - 58068, n=98, last 2 years)
23871 Points +80%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
18940 Points +43%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8550U
13857 Points +5%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (12166 - 14880, n=13)
13617 Points +3%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
13246 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
12654 Points -4%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
12166 Points -8%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-8250U
9012 Points -32%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
8651 Points -35%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Average of class Office
  (712 - 8815, n=117, last 2 years)
4072 Points +76%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, Intel Core i5-8250U
3511 Points +52%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (2149 - 2495, n=13)
2350 Points +2%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i7-8550U
2345 Points +1%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2311 Points
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2310 Points 0%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
NVIDIA GeForce MX130, Intel Core i5-8250U
2291 Points -1%
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX, Intel Core i5-8250U
1720 Points -26%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
Intel HD Graphics 620, Intel Core i5-7200U
1026 Points -56%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
18091 points
3DMark 11 Performance
3086 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
11107 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2188 points
Help

Gaming Performance

The GeForce MX130 does benefit the Acer laptop, that much is clear already. The performance increase is confirmed by the frame rate values. For example, the predecessor of the P2510 that had to make do with the HD Graphics 620 achieved only 50% of the frame rates in Rise of Tomb Raider (1024x768). With the help of the MX130, now Rise of Tomb Raider can be played even in medium settings mostly without stutters and Battlefield 1 runs smoothly in medium details. Just current games can probably only be played in the lowest settings. For those, Acer should have built in an MX150.

As we can see in the results, while the performance of the MX130 is a little weaker than that of the MX150, it has a clear advantage to the laptops that have to make do with only the onboard Intel HD Graphics 620. On the other hand, like the P2410 (i7-8550U), the TravelMate P2510 also has a USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 port with a connection of four PCIe lanes. So it would be possible to connect an external GPU to this office laptop and thus approach the performance of a desktop graphics card.

Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
1280x720 Lite Quality
Average of class Office
  (5.42 - 94, n=116, last 2 years)
35 fps +38%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
32.2 (22min - 41max) fps +27%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
28.3 fps +11%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
25.8 fps +2%
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
25.4 fps 0%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
25.4 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (22.5 - 25.8, n=4)
24.7 fps -3%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
22.5 (6min - 29max) fps -11%
1920x1080 Standard Quality
Average of class Office
  (3.02 - 49.9, n=106, last 2 years)
19 fps +57%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
15.5 (10min - 21max) fps +28%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
13.8 fps +14%
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
12.6 fps +4%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
12.6 fps +4%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (12.1 - 12.6, n=3)
12.3 fps +2%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
12.1 fps
1920x1080 High Quality
Average of class Office
  (2.03 - 35.3, n=99, last 2 years)
14 fps +109%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
8.3 fps +24%
Asus ZenBook 13 UX331UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
8.2 fps +22%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (6.7 - 7.74, n=3)
7.15 fps +7%
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
7 fps +4%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
7 fps +4%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
6.7 fps
Rise of the Tomb Raider
1024x768 Lowest Preset
Huawei MateBook X Pro, i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
86 fps +94%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
72.3 fps +63%
Lenovo ThinkPad T580-20LAS01H00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
71.8 fps +62%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
71 (65min - 77max) fps +60%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480-20L6S01V00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
70.5 fps +59%
HP Spectre x360 15-ch011nr
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK hynix PC401 NVMe 500 GB
67.4 fps +52%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
67 (62min - 71max) fps +51%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
63.2 fps +42%
Dell Inspiron 17-7773-0043
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk X400 M.2 2280 128GB
61.1 (52min - 71max) fps +38%
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
60.9 fps +37%
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
48.1 fps +8%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320S-13IKB
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
47.33 fps +7%
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
44.9 fps +1%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
44.4 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (30.7 - 51.2, n=8)
43.7 fps -2%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
36.1 fps -19%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2018-20LES01W00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
21.3 fps -52%
Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-566U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
21 (17min - 24max) fps -53%
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
18.9 fps -57%
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:2x
Huawei MateBook X Pro, i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G
60 fps +101%
HP Spectre x360 15-ch011nr
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SK hynix PC401 NVMe 500 GB
43.1 fps +44%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i7
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
41.2 (38min - 46max) fps +38%
HP Spectre x360 15t-bl100
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
40.8 (23min - 17.6max) fps +36%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL
38.3 (35min - 44max) fps +28%
Lenovo ThinkPad T480-20L6S01V00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
37.5 fps +25%
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro i5
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
37 fps +24%
Lenovo ThinkPad T580-20LAS01H00
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
36.1 fps +21%
Samsung Notebook 9 NP900X5T-X01US
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
35.4 fps +18%
Dell Inspiron 17-7773-0043
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk X400 M.2 2280 128GB
32.4 (29min - 36max) fps +8%
Asus Zenbook UX430UN
GeForce MX150, i5-8550U, SanDisk SD8SN8U512G1002
31.7 fps +6%
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
29.9 fps
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
GeForce MX130, i5-8550U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
28.6 fps -4%
Lenovo IdeaPad 320S-13IKB
GeForce MX150, i5-8250U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
28.15 fps -6%
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (22.5 - 31.3, n=8)
28.1 fps -6%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
22.5 fps -25%
Battlefield 1
1280x720 Low Preset
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
66 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (48.4 - 66, n=2)
57.2 fps -13%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
48.4 fps -27%
Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-566U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
29.8 (28min - 32max) fps -55%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2018-20LES01W00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
29.7 fps -55%
Razer Blade Stealth QHD i7-8550U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
29.5 (24min - 33max) fps -55%
HP 17-bs103ng
Radeon 530, i5-8250U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
28.5 fps -57%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:FX
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
40.7 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (31.8 - 40.7, n=2)
36.3 fps -11%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
31.8 fps -22%
HP 17-bs103ng
Radeon 530, i5-8250U, Seagate Mobile HDD 1TB ST1000LM035
19.1 fps -53%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga 2018-20LES01W00
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ
18.9 fps -54%
Razer Blade Stealth QHD i7-8550U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
18.8 (17min - 20max) fps -54%
Acer Spin 5 SP513-52N-566U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
17.9 (16min - 20max) fps -56%
1920x1080 High Preset AA:T
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A
19.5 fps
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
  (16.9 - 19.5, n=2)
18.2 fps -7%
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
GeForce MX130, i5-8250U, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN
16.9 fps -13%
Razer Blade Stealth QHD i7-8550U
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U, Samsung PM961 NVMe MZVLW512HMJP
8.8 (8min - 10max) fps -55%
low med. high ultra
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) 44.4 29.9 16.4 13.9
Battlefield 1 (2016) 66 40.7 19.5 17.5
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) 25.4 12.1 6.7

Emissions - The Acer has good heat management

Noise Emissions

Acer did some good work here, since due to the lower base core speed of the i5-8250U, the P2510 is even quieter during idle operation than the P2510 with the i5-7200U. We only measure 30.3 dB(A) here, while we hear 38.6 dB(A) under full load. With this, the TravelMate is also not louder during load operation than last year's model, even though we are now running at a higher Turbo speed. On the other hand, in a very quiet room you can still hear the constantly running fan that annoys consistently even in idle operation at CPU temperatures below 38 °C (100 °F).

Noise Level

Idle
30.3 / 30.3 / 31 dB(A)
Load
35.6 / 38.6 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: 30.3 dB(A)
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2032.931.231.931.632.92531.730.332.132.231.7313331.432.730.2334029.230.830.929.129.25030.1283229.830.1632928.629.128.1298027.527.627.626.627.510026.5262625.626.512526.324.825.52526.31602523.624.524.32520024.623.32322.624.625024.524.122.621.524.53152924.920.920.72940025.523.620.12025.550024.922.919.818.824.963025.721.819.118.125.78002321.518.218.123100026.724.917.717.626.7125029.726.617.617.229.7160027.924.717.517.427.9200028.124.717.417.428.1250030.227.717.217.330.2315028.422.917.617.428.4400023.519.917.917.823.550002118.9181821630019.718.418.218.119.7800018.818.618.818.318.81000018.918.718.918.618.9125001918.918.818.7191600019.319.519.419.119.3SPL38.635.630.430.238.6N2.721.31.22.7median 25median 23.3median 18.8median 18.3median 25Delta3.92.81.41.63.9hearing rangehide median Fan NoiseAcer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE

Temperature

The hot spots and temperature behavior almost correspond to the P2410 (i7-8550U), since Acer succeeded in keeping the palm rest and a large part of the keyboard from the worst. We measure a hot spot in the center of the back of the TravelMate, since that is also the area where the fan emits the heat. Under full load, we reach about 49 °C (~120 °F) on the top there and 47.4 °C (~117 °F) on the bottom. Directly on the keyboard, we measure temperature values between 25.2 °C and 42.4 °C (~77-108 °F). The palm rest stays comfortable at 26 °C (~79 °F) on the left side and 26.9 °C (~80 °F) on the right. We have seen laptops before such as the HP 15 (i5-8250U, Radeon 520) where we measured up to 34.6 °C (~94 °F) there.

Max. Load
 39 °C
102 F
49 °C
120 F
35.2 °C
95 F
 
 36 °C
97 F
42.4 °C
108 F
25.2 °C
77 F
 
 26 °C
79 F
24.6 °C
76 F
26.9 °C
80 F
 
Maximum: 49 °C = 120 F
Average: 33.8 °C = 93 F
23.5 °C
74 F
43 °C
109 F
47.4 °C
117 F
22.6 °C
73 F
31.5 °C
89 F
31.2 °C
88 F
23.3 °C
74 F
24.2 °C
76 F
25.9 °C
79 F
Maximum: 47.4 °C = 117 F
Average: 30.3 °C = 87 F
Power Supply (max.)  53.2 °C = 128 F | Room Temperature 22.6 °C = 73 F | FIRT 550-Pocket
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.8 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 49 °C / 120 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 47.4 °C / 117 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.9 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 26.9 °C / 80.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+0.8 °C / 1.5 F).
Top, idle
Top, idle
Top, load
Top, load
Bottom, idle
Bottom, idle
Bottom, load
Bottom, load

Power Management - The P2510 can really save some energy

Power Consumption

The TravelMate P2510 distinguishes itself from all of our selected comparison devices by having the lowest power consumption, particularly in idle operation. At 5.6 watts, the average consumption during idle is half as much as the average of the tested office laptops. Of course the consumption increases with the i5-8250U and the GeForce MX130 under full load: The maximum usage is 63 watts (average: 54 watts). This is below the average of the devices with a GeForce MX130. So we can say overall that the P2510 also remains an energy-efficient notebook after the CPU update.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.35 / 0.5 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.3 / 5.6 / 7.8 Watt
Load midlight 54 / 63 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.
Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
i5-8550U, GeForce MX130, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, Micron 1100 MTFDDAV256TBN, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, SK Hynix HFS256G39TND-N210A, TN, 1920x1080, 15.60
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, Ramaxel RTNTE256PCA8EADL, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
i5-8250U, GeForce 940MX, SanDisk SD8SN8U256G1006, TN LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Average NVIDIA GeForce MX130
 
Average of class Office
 
Power Consumption
14%
-3%
-12%
-19%
-5%
5%
-17%
-9%
Idle Minimum *
3.3
3.4
-3%
3.5
-6%
4.75
-44%
5.1
-55%
4.03
-22%
2.8
15%
4.54 ?(3.12 - 7.5, n=13)
-38%
4.27 ?(2.2 - 9.4, n=107, last 2 years)
-29%
Idle Average *
5.6
5.8
-4%
5.9
-5%
6.9
-23%
7.6
-36%
6.81
-22%
5.8
-4%
6.98 ?(5.3 - 9.7, n=13)
-25%
7.32 ?(3.8 - 20.6, n=107, last 2 years)
-31%
Idle Maximum *
7.8
8
-3%
8.2
-5%
7
10%
8.2
-5%
8.34
-7%
7.5
4%
9.08 ?(7 - 13, n=13)
-16%
9.1 ?(4.8 - 23.9, n=107, last 2 years)
-17%
Load Average *
54
38
30%
57.3
-6%
53
2%
49.4
9%
37.3
31%
54
-0%
54.1 ?(34 - 74.3, n=13)
-0%
40.4 ?(8.7 - 75.2, n=106, last 2 years)
25%
Load Maximum *
63
32
49%
57.9
8%
65.3
-4%
68
-8%
65.5
-4%
56
11%
66.4 ?(40.5 - 106.6, n=13)
-5%
57.4 ?(11.1 - 101.4, n=107, last 2 years)
9%
Witcher 3 ultra *
42.1
52

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The built-in 48-Wh battery delivers excellent runtimes. In our tests we achieve more than eight hours of constant operation in the WLAN surf test, and the battery lasts for almost two hours under full load. But we are already used to such good results from the other TravelMates. We are pleased that the change from the i5-7200U to the i5-8250U and the addition of the GeForce MX130 hardly result in any effects on the battery life.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
8h 25min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
8h 36min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 58min

Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
Acer TravelMate P2510-M-51ZQ
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 48 Wh
Acer TravelMate 2410-G2-MG-82E6
i5-8550U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
Asus VivoBook 15 X542UF-DM143T
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 38 Wh
Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-509A
i5-8250U, GeForce MX130, 48 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 320-15IKBRN 81BG001KGE
i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 30 Wh
HP Pavilion 15-cc107ng
i5-8250U, GeForce 940MX, 41.7 Wh
Average of class Office
 
Battery Runtime
-1%
-4%
-19%
3%
-32%
-22%
17%
H.264
516
531
3%
525
2%
300
-42%
691 ?(348 - 1112, n=40, last 2 years)
34%
WiFi v1.3
505
525
4%
441
-13%
407
-19%
350
-31%
270
-47%
395
-22%
589 ?(272 - 1137, n=107, last 2 years)
17%
Load
118
111
-6%
114
-3%
162
37%
110
-7%
117 ?(56 - 209, n=65, last 2 years)
-1%
Reader / Idle
910
867
631
1414 ?(527 - 2359, n=23, last 2 years)

Verdict

Pros

+ significant increase of the graphics performance due to the GeForce MX130
+ relatively affordable
+ easy maintenance options
+ matte display with good values (except for brightness)
+ suitable outdoors
+ cool palm rest
+ efficient power consumption
+ good battery life

Cons

- ports are too close together
- case stability
- slow card reader
- display brightness could have been better

Acer has taken on a big task here. While the CPU update to the Intel Core i5-8250U and the addition of the new dedicated GeForce MX130 do not really turn the plain-looking TravelMate into a rocket, it is a versatile office laptop. With its very good battery life and very low power consumption as well as the matte IPS display, the P2510 is also suited well for outdoor use. Equipped with the Intel Core i5-8250U, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD, at slightly more than 840 Euros (~$980; starting at $793 in the US with a 500 GB HDD) at the time of our test, the price is also right.

The expectations of performance increases we had looking at the P2510 with the new Intel Core i5-8250U have been mostly fulfilled, since the Acer P2510 places in the midst of the other i5-8250U CPU devices. Merely the CB15 multi test leaves a minor question mark.

Naturally there is still a lot of room for improvement. We would have liked that Acer had removed the problems of the workmanship and lack of case stiffness or at least had improved upon them. The display of the TravelMate also could have used a little more brightness, and Acer could have replaced the horribly slow SD card reader with a faster model. However, as already mentioned, a very attractive price is a good counter argument here. Overall, Acer has succeeded with the CPU update in the old case, bringing a good office laptop for little money to the market.

Acer TravelMate P2510-G2-MG-50WE - 08/28/2018 v6(old)
Daniel Puschina

Chassis
67 / 98 → 69%
Keyboard
84%
Pointing Device
93%
Connectivity
47 / 80 → 58%
Weight
62 / 20-67 → 90%
Battery
91%
Display
87%
Games Performance
69 / 68 → 100%
Application Performance
87 / 92 → 95%
Temperature
90%
Noise
92%
Audio
56%
Camera
51 / 85 → 60%
Average
75%
84%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Acer TravelMate P2510 (i5-8250U, MX130) Laptop Review
Daniel Puschina, 2018-08-30 (Update: 2018-09-19)