Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) review – compact and light laptop with PWM-free display

Name: Acer Aspire 5
Brand: Acer

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) review - compact and light laptop with PWM-free display Page 10

From: Nikolay Palaozov 03 October 2023 / 18:04 | 0

10. Verdict

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Verdict

The Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) should be a good choice for people who are constantly on the go and need a light and inexpensive device. The dimensions of this machine are one of its strong advantages. It weighs just 1.48 kilos and has a profile of 17.8 mm. The non-intrusive design is suitable for office usage.

The long battery life is enough for more than one working day away from the charger. The performance of this notebook is good thanks to the fast and efficient Intel Raptor Lake CPUs. Our machine has a Core i7-1355U which is the top processor option. It can maintain high P and Core clocks in short and medium loads which is the thing that matters the most for normal daily tasks. In long periods of stress, the frequency of the P cores isn’t that high but the overall performance is still okay because the efficient cores can sustain ~ 2.0GHz. The cooling solution may look basic but the processor temperatures are always low which is great.

The comfort during load is normal. The fan noise is moderate in “Performance mode” but you can switch anytime to “Silent mode” while using the device for light tasks. The keyboard isn’t hot when the CPU is massively stressed. You can feel a bit of heat around the WASD section but the thermals are fine for typing.

The IPS display (AUO B140UAN04.0 (AUO7DA7)) has a 16:10 aspect ratio and wide viewing angles. Sure, the sRGB coverage is low but that’s not something major for such a device. The panel is PWM-free so you can use it safely for long hours (but hey, don’t forget to take short breaks). This machine is suitable for light gaming – CS:GO and DOTA 2 can be played on Low or Medium details with high FPS.

The upgradability is one of the few disadvantages of the device. The memory is soldered but you can configure the laptop with up to 32GB of LPDDR5-6400MHz memory which should be enough for most people. For storage, there is only one M.2 slot that is compatible with Gen 4 SSDs. At the end of the day, the Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) is a machine that doesn’t cost much but it can be picked with efficient and potent CPUs, a PWM-free display, and a comfortable keyboard and touchpad.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-aspire-5-a514-56m-a514-56gm/