Acer Aspire V5-171-6471 11.6-Inch Laptop (Silky Silver)

I really adore this mobile computer. I am a mobile person and the size is perfect for every day commuting and long-distance travel; it has a small footprint and can fit on any surface be it an airplane seat tray or a lap. The computer does not have a disc drive (which I think is a plus), freeing it to be made very thin; it is not Macbook Air thin, but still very thin. One of my favorite features is the touchpad. It recognizes Apple like gestures and is free from the casing, so that it can physically move up and down when pressed. This gives it a very responsive feel akin to the Apple touchpad. The keyboard has keys separated by the case molding. It is not a full size keyboard, but I find the Chiclet-like keys helps prevent pressing more than one key at a time when typing; it also looks very cool.

I like a fast computer and this Acer has a lot horsepower for its price range since it has an Intel Core i5, instead of a Core i3. This means it comes with Intel's Turbo Boost technology. I believe the Turbo Boost makes a big difference in a laptop where power consumption is directly related to battery life. Most of the time a lot of horsepower isn't needed, e.g. web surfing, so battery power is saved. But when you need to open or run a demanding program like MATLAB (you'll see I love MATLAB) then Turbo Boost really shines and everything will run faster.

I took this computer to another level by upgrading to a solid-state hard drive and highly recommend this. The SSD makes boot up incredibly fast. (Note about installing Windows via USB: Format a USB (>4GB) with FAT32. Then extract a Windows Installation ISO to the USB using 7-zip. Super simple :)(Note 2: or use Clonezilla to clone the Windows that ships with the drive onto the new one.). With this setup the computer is very snappy. The computer boots in about 5 seconds. MATLAB opens on my laptop faster than my desktops!

I did not want to spend more than $800 on a new laptop. This laptop perfectly fits my computing needs and wants without breaking the budget. I think it is as cool as a computer can be without being a Macbook, which this computer clearly used as an inspiration. I don't believe in spending top-of-the-line money for laptops, because the dollar goes further in a desktop and laptops don't have as much longevity due to wear and tear (I'm pretty rough on laptops. They get banged around in my backpack when I bike around or travel). However, being unwilling to spend enough can result in an impotent laptop: more than a Chromebook (which are awesome in their own way, but specialized), yet not quite powerful enough for doing more than surf the web, write docs, and make slides; having a computer powerful enough to run MATLAB (or a similarly demanding program like Photoshop) was important to me. The Aspire V5-171 has met my needs and surpassed my expectations. It represents a fantastic value: it combines computing power and great aesthetics into a very convenient and mobile form factor.

The only caveat I can think of is this is not a "gamer's" laptop. However, it has the best integrated graphics chip Intel offers and will play a lot of modern games on the lowest visual settings at decent frame rates.

Finally, there are a few miscellaneous features that further prove how this laptop is the complete package. In addition to an HDMI port, there is also a VGA port. I think it is great to have both, because there is now the flexibility of giving a presentation on an HD screen or an older projector without needing to tote around extra adapters. There is also a USB 3.0 port to help future proof this machine. Another nice unheralded feature is the power cord, which does not have a "Ghostbusters brick". Instead it has the adapter plug directly into the wall; this seems to have reduced the size of the power cord and represents to me less of a trip hazard. My only wish is that the power cord would connect to the laptop using a magnet ala Apple (the ultimate in trip prevention), but I don't mind so much because this laptop comes in at such a nice price.

I tried the W8 and to date I have no objection.

The memory and processor speed meet my requirement fully expected.

I took the decision based on the comparison chart offered by Amazon.

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It might be helpful to describe my PREVIOUS computer. For the last two plus years I have been using an Acer one, 10.5" notebook. I had upgraded the ram to 2 GB. I never had anything that small before, but really I liked the size, and also the ACER quality (for the price).

I did a lot of research before I bought this new ACER. I'm a tightwad and I didn't want to pay for any more than I needed. After the first week I am totally pleased.

One of the problems with the previous notebook was the undersized keys and keyboard. The move up to 11.5 inches has allowed for full sized, fully spaced keys. I'm a writer and I need a real keyboard that I can use anywhere. Someone else referred to these keys as "chiclets". Yes, they protrude up individually through the casing. They're very easy to type on. It verges on fun. The only thing that concerns me is that they may accumulate dirt, which may be difficult to get out. But, that can't be any worse than most other keyboards.

I don't do any gaming; So, the 6 GB is really great. The processor and RAM are quite adequate for word processing, spreadsheets, surfing, and watching Netflix.

It is super slim, portable and very light. Note, however, that the power cable is on the right side. I would prefer the left, but it's not a big deal.

The screen quality is very good for the price. The size of the screen is perfect. It is the smallest possible screen for a real keyboard. It is big enough for all the programs to run without size problems.

In regard to software: I was very skeptical of W8. I spent 3 or 4 hours familiarizing myself with it. I finally got it set up. Basically I only see the APPS screen when I boot. I go straight from there to a (more or less) familiar window's desktop. It's working OK, but I'm thinking about defecting to Linux Ubuntu.

I also may install an SSD drive when I do that. This is not because I am dissatisfied with what came in the box. I think it's a great value for what I paid.

Now, a word to the wise about MS office. MS is really trying to rope everyone who needs office into annual fees, high prices, and so forth. I refuse to do it.

I first tried Open Office, but soon learned that they (apache? I think) are not keeping it up. I had trouble with migrating excel files and formatting. But, Libre Office is really great. They're on top of it. It's open source. It's free and it works. It doesn't have all the features of the later versions of office, but for my needs, it is just fine.

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I would give this laptop a Four except that its battery life is quite poor. After adjusting the power settings for minimum power, I have trouble getting more than three hours from it. Acer should have give it a larger battery. Acer doesn't have a larger battery available for after market either.

Like the machine, hate the battery!

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I used to consider other laptop brands as my favorite for years. But some day bowsing Amazon to replace my old HP 530 (Core Duo, 500 HDD and 3GB RAM) I founded it. I liked the small size, I feel very attracted to the processor, and the weight just catched me. I have been using for my job a 6 pound, 14" i7, and I was looking for something lighter, more portable. Of course, I have my worries for the Acer brand, because the poor design from past years, and tought a lot about quality issues. After searching for internal components, and realizing that the internal components where provided by Intel, It gave me some good thinking about it.

I read about the specs, specially the HDD, but I have been wanting to do some testing of SSD instead.

I also checked all the reviews for the Acer V5-171. I didn't find the exactly same Model Code I wanted to purchase, but those reviews gave me a very good idea of what I was going to have.

I decided to purchase the Acer, but decided to have the i5-3337 processor. Little more expensive, but , and when it arrived, it came with Windows 8. This OS is OK, but I prefer Windows 7. Considering I have one SSD, then I decided to make the change.

I reinstalled the Win 7 OS, and downloaded the drivers from the Acer web page. WARNING: The driver for the WiFi for Windows 7 that I have downloaded never worked (I downloaded it several times, never functioned), so I have to check the generic driver and founded it as an Intel driver. Of course, on the SDD. I needed to do some mod to reduce 9MM to 7MM, but worked properly.

After doing some specific changes in BIOS, and downloading all the updates from Windows, I finally started using it. I really LOVE THIS ULTRA MOBILE LAPTOP. It does not get so hot (as the reviews says, actually you can use it and it will feel very comfortable ). Using it with the SSD now it boots in 14 seconds, and programs opens very fast. I decided that this will be my main computer, not just my travel laptop, because of the speed, the light weigth, and the great design. Acer, you have done a good product, I hope you made it to last.

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