Notebook Hunter

The Acer AS5742-352G32MN notebook for $688 is rewriting the rules for how cheap a notebook powered by an Intel Core i3 processor can get. Like the engine that powers your car, the processor (or CPU, for Central Processing Unit) is the chip that determines your notebook's performance. The Core i3 is Intel's entry level CPU, but it still packs a punch and easily outperforms other CPUs in this $600-699 price bracket. Add its ability to handle graphics like HD videos and play basic games on its 15.6in screen, and you have the core of a strong basic notebook that will crunch ordinary computing tasks and probably satisfy the needs of 90 percent of notebook users.

If Acer has made compromises to get to this price, they're in the surrounding specs. When most notebooks come with 4GBs of RAM, the AS5742-352G32MN only has 2GB, while the hard disk of 320GB is smaller than the average 500GB notebook drive. This frugality should affect you only if you want to run many big applications (2GBs is the recommended minimum for its Windows 7 operating system).  The notebook is also a bit heavier than average at 2.6kg, but when taken in consideration with the 381mm width, 253mm depth, and 34mm thickness it’s still definitely portable.

It's important not to lose sight of the fact that in this price range you tend to get these specs and a worse processor, so the Acer AS5742-352G32MN, packing a Core i3 processor, is definitely a capable notebook that’s well worth the $688 being asked.

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