I've had my V5 for a few day now, and I have to say that I am more than satisfied with my purchase. The only reason I almost gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is do to the confusion on the product page. The features list 1TB, but the product specs show 750GB. This confused me because this particular model only came out with 1TB. To help with the confusion anyone else may have, my pc arrived with 884GB of usable hard drive space and 917GB Total space. The rest is taken up by things necessary for the PC to function. My PC arrived on time through FedEx, with the sealed Acer box inside a shipping box. Upon initial start up it requested to register and gave a short 'how to' demo for general Windows 8 functions, which is very nice for those of us unfamiliar with it. Since the initial start up it has only taken my pc a few seconds to go from completely off to fully operational. The touch screen is very responsive, and I love having the option to use it and/or the keyboard/mouse pad. The onscreen writing/typing function is pretty nifty too, and the screen flattens out to almost 180 degrees so your not straining you're wrist while you're trying to write. The backlit keyboard is awesome as well, and seems to be set to shut off after a term of nonuse, so it will not interfere with movie watching or drain the battery. The battery life is another perk for me, and it really does seem to last the 5 hours it claims to with constant use. There is another review here listing issues with the Atheros driver, and yes, before I updated the driver my wireless dropped several times within a few hours. HOWEVER, it was a VERY quick and easy fix. You can get the updated driver straight from the Acer website as stated in another review. The picture quality is awesome for movies and/or gaming in my opinion. At least it is 200% better than my old Laptop (which was only 2years old.) The price tag on this PC is not outrageous either. All in all I would have to say that this computer is more than worth the price. I have been on it nonstop since I received it, and it has kept up with me every step of the way, without over heating or lagging. Truly a great Acer product.....*note* how fast the driver downloads will depend on your Internet provider and/or your connection speed slower connection equals longer download time. If you have problems with the wireless dropping during the download, connect it directly to the modem with something (like an Ethernet cable.) My connection speed is 28mbs+ dl so for me the download was pretty quick. Finding the driver download is pretty easy too. In the search bar on the left pull out type in atheros, and all of the files relating to it will come up (you must go down to files under the search bar) select the file that says atheros setup (or atheros install I honestly don't remember which.) It will bring up the setup wizard, and you should be good to go from there.
I wanted everyone having WiFi issues to know that's it's an easy fix. Go to the acer website and download the newest Atheros wireless lan driver. Once you do that go to System Device manger in your control panel.Goto network adapters and look for the atheros driver goto to uninstall and reboot your computer. Then install the new driver 217v3 once you do that it should run smoothly. I haven't had any problems since I've installed the new driver. Watching movies on this computer is only average. If you look from the right or left the movie becomes unwatchable, you need to look directly in the center. They could have made the screen more vibrant!!!!
Buy Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver) Now
Just like other buyers, I was weary.. what if
It has been almost 2 weeks, and I love my new laptop.
Touchscreen make Windows 8 much more user friendly then when used with a mouse.
I do have to say, that moving icons around the START menu was much easier with USB mouse.
I blew away all stuff I will never use, and personalized it under an hour.
Swipe from right, you get the 5 charms of generic options... search, share, start, devices and settings
I love my Picture password option to log into my PC. it is neat.
swipe from bottom, I see all apps, I am having fun exploring... I do not see this as a disaster, I like it.
I have loaded Adobe Element 11, Panasonic HD writer AE, Arcsoft Media Impressions HD3, ULEAD 6.0
( runs fine, just edited project and burned DVD), microsoft Office 2000, no glitches, no blue screens.. everything
so far is running smooth.
I will try to create HD movie sometime next week, and will provide update.
When my personal backup data drive gets scanned, it creates another app icon, when I go to it,
I see another start menu type icons with all pictures, video and music... It is awesome to glance at it
from time to time and see pictures from years back...
I have nothing bad to say... and this thing called "backlit keyboard" it is pretty, but I have not found any use for it.
Battery will be definite problem with time, but what did you really expect as default battery?? 9V brick?
Then you would complain how ugly and bulky the battery is... I will order upgrade when the battery dies.
Update on 5/9/2013
Only problem so far is the DVD-RW application used with Windows Explorer.
I had to delete and re-install the DVD-RW driver, but still get intermittent
"DVD drive is not recognized" when dragging files to the DVD-RW drive.
I used different application, ULEAD DVD recorder, and everything works well.
HD processing worked fine with applications that I have been given.
Very happy with the purchase.
Read Best Reviews of Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver) Here
I am pre computer generation, but skilled enough to know what I wanted in a lap top. I use an I pad and I phone regularly so my habit is to touch the screen.....this computer allows me to switch from touch to manual at any given time...so it is perfect for someone who has old school habits intermixed with new school technology. The computer is everything as advertised and more....for a non-geek, I am thrilled at the vibrancy of the screen and the user friendly technology. The size is perfect ...not too big, but ample for "tired" eyes. Settings allowed for a deep purple background and automatically made complimentary text colors that work great. The backlit display is handier than expected. And the keyboard has a comfortable feel....by being larger, there is plenty of room to rest the palm of the hands while typing. The tutorials and support provided are thorough and simple to understand. And Windows 8? For those of us old enough to have had to transition repeatedly to new programs as the computer technology evolved so fast, this is a snap....I have connected it wirelessly to all of my devices including printer...and it works perfectly. Love it more than any computer so far....and, it is much less expensive then in store pricing.
Want Acer Aspire V5-571PG-9814 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Silky Silver) Discount?
Received laptop 2-day prime in good condition. Install instructions were straight forward. Followed a few prompts and I was up and running in what seemed to be 5-10 minutes if that much. I did not have any hardware issues, outdated drivers, or wireless issues that some folks are indicating that they've had. My install was clean and quick. I rated 4/5 (would really like to give the machine 4.5 stars) because of some minor design questions that I had. In addition to that, my screen came with a damaged pixel on the screen (1 pixel is missing color). It is noticeable on a black screen, but I don't notice it when I'm working on normal browser or app windows. 1 pixel isn't enough to make me box it back up and demand a new machine.
My thoughts so far.
Laptop: sleek and sexy looking. brushed aluminum looks very nice. Screen is very clear, sharp, and easy on the eyes. I've not even bothered to set up my second screen as of yet! Love the back-lit keyboard. The keyboard itself has a nice touch to it, good response and appropriately sized for my hands. The touch pad is one solid pad (no right and left buttons) and some have mentioned that they don't like this. I don't mind as I usually "two hand" a touch pad anyway. I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, so I don't bother with the touch pad much and when I do, I can manage.
Things that I noticed:
-DC battery included does not have a "straight end connector" but rather has a right angled adapter end that plugs into the laptop. This is a bit awkward for my desktop layout because the cable needs to be adjusted forward or backward to lay the cable flat. Maybe this design keeps it from being pulled straight out of the power socket as a straight cable would do?? IDK. Just my own annoyance.
-Speakers are on the bottom of the laptop. Seems to me a better design would be on the top, across the length of the laptop above the function keys. Pandora was a bit muffled when I had the laptop laying directly on my lap instead of the lap desk. Sound improved with a lap desk holding the laptop, but still... I'll probably hook a Bluetooth speaker to it if I want better sound.
Mini card reader (SD) is on the front left corner of the machine (which seemed weird to me) and I can see where it might get in the way or bumped if you leave it in.
Video/RJ45 dongle nice that the manufacturer includes this dongle to plug into the proprietary port for Ethernet or video support. Bummer that I need to find a convenient place to store it for quick use when I need it. I usually have my second monitor attached to my laptop when at my desk this will just be another cable "mess" on the left side where all the ports are located.
-LOVE the touch screen. It seems to be point on. It has worked flawlessly for me using both included and custom apps and surfing the web. It really enhances my computer experience. One of the major reasons that I bought this model and I'm really glad I did. LOVE it!
Highlights:
quiet
cool running (did not overheat the entire time it laid flat on my lap without a lapdesk)
screen is sharp touch screen is AWESOME
keyboard is comfortable (back lit keyboard is very nice)
battery charged to 100% in about an hour (I wasn't paying close attention as I wasn't in the room while it was charging)
battery lasted roughly 4 hours for me (again, I didn't pay attention to when I exactly unplugged). I was listening to Pandora and installing multiple programs, so this probably taxed the power consumption.
before it without warning shut down. To be fair, the screen did darken about an hour before shutdown and give me a warning, but when it actually shut down, it didn't even say "I told you so!".
Light weight. 5.5 lbs. Much lighter than my Dell Inspiron. Will be much easier carrying around.
Fast. 3rd generation i7 CPU and 8G RAM is a nice upgrade for me. I'm confident that it will last me a while.
All ports are on the left side as other reviewers have mentioned. Not a problem for me.
Windows 8
I actually like it. I'm a Linux gal at home and Windows gal at work. Experiencing new OS's is not an issue for me because if I don't like what they give me, I create it how I want it.
Installed RocketDock.com dock (apple dock) and loaded my most used programs on it.
installed classicshell from sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/) to give me a start menu that Windows 8 has removed in this OS.
OVERALL: I highly recommend this laptop. It's an affordable option for someone looking for a fast machine with touch screen
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We recently purchased this laptop to serve as a portable gaming machine. Also, was waiting for one with USB 3.0, which this one has. There is very little to complain about with this model. It's fast with a great screen display. I will list a few nit picks here. Screen in bright lights is a bit glary while gaming. It does get warm but not hot, I would recommend one of the laptop fan units to place under it. I'm not a fan of the mouse drag on any laptop so an external mouse was a must for me, as was a headset (built in speakers are a bit bright sounding and bass shy). Battery life is good unless into heavy gaming but I usually use the external power anyway. Since it is a gaming rig, all other functions run very smooth; movies, live video, favorite TV shows, etc. Oh yeah, the keyboard has one of the nicest feels of all I tried and the matt finish does not show up finger prints. I probably should have given this 5 stars but I am a bit tight on my recommendations.
