By Tom A. (DE, USA) -
This review is from: Acer Aspire V3-771G-6814 17.3-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black) (Personal Computers)
I wont get too specific but I would like to say this, it runs smooth, sound quality is excellent, I can run ALL the Total War Games to max settings, as well as Skyrim which should indicate that this Baby will not only be able to handle the upcoming Rome 2 game but also most other games. By the way yes this is also a good Laptop for COD and Battlefield fans! Gaming laptop on the cheap with a nice size screen for when you travel or are at home. How can you go wrong? One of the best investments I made in the last 3 years! Get em before these gems become better known possibly driving the price up more!
By Yussar (USA) -
This review is from: Acer Aspire V3-771G-6814 17.3-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black) (Personal Computers)
I purchased this laptop mainly for entertainment/gaming purpose - This 17" laptop has some of the best specs I was able to find within the price of $700+.
[Pros]
- Graphical capability: I tested several 2008~2011 graphics demanding games using high to ultra settings, and all of them run perfectly fine.
- Heat dissipation: Apple laptops and some HP laptops are notorious for heating (or even overheating) when the user is using them for any graphically demanding tasks. This laptop doesn't have that problem.
- Price: As I said above, a 17" laptop with these specs is quite a bargain for the price. (I almost considered buying an Alienware, but unless you're a power gamer that always plays the most recent high end games, this laptop would be a more suitable alternative).
[Cons]
- Lousy initial setup: If you have purchased a laptop before, you know they usually come with pre-installed bloatwares; this one is not an exception. Also, I noticed that the drivers are not up-to-date, and UEFI BIOS also needs to be updated.
- Wireless card: My neighbor and I share the same wi-fi, and the modem is located in her living room. Even though it's a little bit far from my bedroom, in the past, I have no problem connecting my Macbook Pro to the internet. However, I have noticed that Acer-771G has a significantly lower reception range than my MBP, and it frequently loses connections. The connection slightly improved after I did the updates mentioned above, but it is still far from satisfactory. (See this link for more details: http://community.acer.com/t5/Notebooks-Netbooks/Acer-wifi-limited-connectivity-issue/td-p/3405)
[Neutrals]
- Build quality: The casing feels rather cheap and brittle, but you shouldn't be asking for more with a powerful laptop of this price.
- Design: This is more of a personal statement - I have to admit that the physical design of the laptop still has a great amount of room for improvement.
- Windows 8: From a technical standpoint, this version of OS is indeed less user-friendly than Windows 7. But if you're well-versed with technology, it shouldn't be a problem. I have been using the laptop for a few days now, and the learning curve is not steep at all. The alternative solution would be to spend $4.99 and purchase Stardock's Start8 - If you prefer the conventional Windows start button: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
By troubled_teen (Austin, TX) -
This review is from: Acer Aspire V3-771G-6814 17.3-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black) (Personal Computers)
I was a little apprehensive buying a new computer online with no reviews but this ended up being a great purchase. I needed a new notebook for DJing/music production and occasional gaming and decided on this one. This notebook is FAST and runs everything I throw at it nicely; Ableton Live, Serato DJ, Sleeping Dogs and other newer PC games, and just media in general such as 1080p YouTube videos and things like that. The screen is big and bright, with a native resolution of 1600x900 which, while not true 1080p, is more than sufficient for my needs. I really like the piano black finish and so far it hasn't really been a fingerprint magnet because I wash my hands.
The downsides? There are a couple but they are relatively minor in my opinion. The first is Windows 8; I truly hate this operating system and the first thing I did when I got this notebook was format the HDD and reinstall Windows 7. The battery life also kind of sucks at 4 hours max, but really I keep this thing plugged in 90% of the time. It's also pretty big so it's not the most portable of laptops but for my needs that's not an issue, really, but if you are a frequent traveler I'd look into a smaller option.
Basically, if you are like me and need a notebook that will be used at home 90% of the time then this is a good choice.
By Nate -
This review is from: Acer Aspire V3-771G-6814 17.3-Inch Laptop (Midnight Black) (Personal Computers)
I got this computer after Amazon jacked up the price of it's older model by $150. I bought this laptop so I can do studio work on it and some gaming on the side. On first impression I was amazed at how fast it was, and how bright and crisp the screen is. After the quick set up of windows 8, I noticed that it came pre-loaded with some annoying software. After spending the better part of my afternoon removing it I got down to installing my own programs. The computer runs almost flawlessly. No matter what I throw at it, there seems to be little to no issues. This is due to the 2.6 Ghz i5 processor. The turbo boost on it really means that this is a 3.2Ghz core. The 8 Gb of ram is amazing, and the Hard drive isn't nearly as slow as some people would make it out to be. When I ran some games I was amazed at what the Nvidia 730m can do. I ran Crysis 1 at max settings and had no lag whatsoever and Fallout: NV runs at Ultra high, also no lag. This thing is FAST! Another nice bonus is that the built in speakers are fantastic. They are some of the best sounding laptop speakers I have ever heard.
Once it became time to charge my laptop I noticed a few things. This computer when running at a moderate workload will only last about 2-2.5 hours. If you are really working hard (or gaming hard) the laptop will die on you in about an hour after full charge. Once I plugged in my computer I noticed that it has an irritating little beep that it makes every time you Plug/unplug it. This wouldn't be a problem i thought, but after a few min. of charging it beeped again. Something was causing my computer to charge on and off and thus making it produce that irritating beeping noise over and over again, however this may be just an independent issue. Another small problem is the black on the computer is very shiny and it stains with fingerprints very easy. This means that every time you go to open or close the computer, you leave a mark, and when you type, your hands are on the black under the keyboard and your palms are smudging the finish. Another thing about the computer is that i didn't know how big a 17.3 inch screen would really be. This laptop is not the most portable, but If you are stationary 90% of the time, you shouldn't notice a problem with it.
In short: The computer runs like a dream, but there are still some things to be desired. I love it and would recommend it to my friends. This computer gives you the most bang for your buck when you are looking at mid-high end laptops!