Notebook Hunter

Allrounders with new Intel Core i5s usually aren’t cheap, but the 15.6in Acer AS5750G-241G50MNKK for $689 at Bing Lee costs less than a basic notebook (ie, one with a graphics card) with an equivalent processor. It’s a versatile, well specced machine that thanks to the graphics card can handle graphically-intensive tasks that basic notebooks can’t.

The mid-range Intel Core i5-2410M (2.3GHz) processor can easily run productivity applications and demanding programs. It also has Hyper-Threading Technology, which allows for each of the two cores to handle two tasks at once. With 4GB of RAM, the AS5750G will handle multi-tasking (ie, having several programs and running at the same time)  smoothly even with several programs open at once.

An NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M graphics card is a bit low-end, but newer games like Call of Duty: Black Ops will still run just fine at medium settings. The 500GB hard disk drive is good given the low price, and so is the 15.6in (1,366x768 resolution) screen. Portability is typical given that the AS5750G’s screen, because it weighs 2.6kg and measures 33mm thick.

In all, a very good entry level, affordable notebook that won't win any prizes for aesthetics, but has enough performance to handle all common computing tasks.

See the Acer AS5750G-241G50MNKK in the Notebook Hunter database.

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