In today’s digital era, working and studying from home have become common activities, necessitating the need for reliable laptops. Acer has introduced the Acer Aspire 3, a laptop equipped with the latest generation AMD Ryzen processor, to meet these demands. Notably, it also features high-speed storage solutions. To dive deeper into its capabilities, here’s a comprehensive review of the Acer Aspire 3 A314-23M-R24X by the Gadgetren team.
Review Summary
Display – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Features – 8/10
Battery Life – 9/10
Design – 9/10
Overall Rating: 8.2/10
Pros:
Adequate performance for daily tasks
Equipped with an SSD
Impressive battery life
Elegant and classy design
Well-rounded connectivity options
Cons:
Display is limited to TFT HD 768p
Keyboard feels somewhat flat
Webcam tends to overexpose
How Gadgetren Reviews Products:
Design and Portability
The Acer Aspire 3 boasts a slim and lightweight design, making it easy to carry and store. Weighing only 1.4 kg, it’s highly portable. Clad in a Pure Silver finish with a metallic-like texture, it exudes a premium and classy feel. The engraved Acer logo and Aspire lettering on the lid add to its modern aesthetics.
The design of the Acer Aspire 3 is somewhat unconventional, featuring unique elements that set it apart from typical laptops. It bears a slight resemblance to sleek sports cars with its elegant contours.
One distinctive feature is the half-left exhaust port on its rear. The bottom sports ample ventilation holes and slightly elevated feet to ensure sufficient airflow. Overall, the laptop has a sturdy build with high-quality construction.
As for connectivity, the Acer Aspire 3 offers a range of ports, including USB 3.2 Type A, USB 3.2 Type C, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The USB Type C port also supports device charging and external display.
Display
The laptop features a 14-inch display with relatively thick bezels and a webcam at the top. Unfortunately, it still employs a TFT LCD panel with a resolution limited to HD 768p, while competitors offer higher resolutions. This could be a cost-saving measure, but it’s a drawback considering a higher resolution would have been more desirable.
Despite this, the screen remains suitable for work and study needs. It’s worth noting that text may appear less sharp if you’re accustomed to higher-resolution screens, potentially causing quicker eye fatigue.
Webcam and Keyboard
The integrated webcam comes with Acer Temporal Noise Reduction, aimed at producing brighter images and reducing noise for video conferences. However, the impact of this feature seems limited, as noise is still noticeable, and the exposure levels tend to be high.
The keyboard provides a satisfactory typing experience, neither exceptional nor subpar. Each key has a slightly soft sensation and may feel somewhat hollow when pressed. Additionally, the keyboard lacks backlighting.
The touchpad is of moderate size with a smooth surface for easy navigation. Overall, both the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable for extended typing sessions and effective when a mouse isn’t in use.
Performance
Under the hood, the Acer Aspire 3 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor, boasting 4 cores and 8 threads with speeds of up to 4.1 GHz for proficient day-to-day activities. This processor utilizes Zen 2 architecture with a 15W TDP and includes AMD Radeon Graphics for graphical tasks.
Acer complements this with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM in a Dual Channel configuration, supporting multitasking, and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD to ensure responsive system performance.
With these specifications, the Acer Aspire 3 handles light computing tasks with ease. In benchmark tests using Cinebench R23, the processor achieved a score of 1,021 points for Single Core and 3,475 points for Multi Core, demonstrating competitive performance similar to Ryzen 7 1700X.
In PCMark 10, the laptop scored 4,035 points for comprehensive system testing. In everyday use, the Acer Aspire 3 delivers a smooth experience, from navigating Windows to running office applications like Office, and even opening multiple Chrome tabs.
Gaming Performance
For casual gaming, the Acer Aspire 3 is equipped with AMD Radeon Graphics, an integrated GPU within the Ryzen 3 7320U. In the Shadow of Tomb Raider test, the laptop achieved 16 FPS at the Lowest graphics settings with a resolution of 720p. While not ideal for graphic-intensive games, it’s sufficient for casual and older titles.
For Counter Strike Global Offensive, a lighter game, it averaged between 60 and 70 FPS in certain areas at Medium graphics settings with the native resolution of 768p. This is more than satisfactory for a smooth gaming experience.
Battery Life
The Acer Aspire 3 houses a 40 Wh battery, which, combined with the power-efficient Ryzen 3 7320U, provides commendable battery life. In PCMark 8’s Work mode, with the battery at 100% and screen brightness at 50%, the laptop achieved an impressive 8 hours and 29 minutes. This longevity is exceptional for its class, as mainstream laptops typically last around 2-3 hours.
This means the Acer Aspire 3 is highly reliable for meetings or classes, reducing dependency on constant charging. It offers a hassle-free experience from morning to evening on a single charge. Moreover, the laptop’s battery charges relatively quickly, taking about 2 hours to reach full capacity.
Conclusion
Combining smooth and responsive performance with extended battery life, the Acer Aspire 3 proves to be highly suitable for both work and study purposes. It also serves well for general activities like browsing and social media.
While visual content consumption may be somewhat less satisfying due to the outdated screen, and the keyboard and touchpad might require a slight compromise for some, the laptop’s modern and classy design is an added bonus.
Priced at Rp7,199,000, the Acer Aspire 3 A314-23M-R24X offers a compelling option for those seeking a reliable laptop for everyday activities. It comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Home and includes Office Home Student, making it a comprehensive package for productivity.