Acer Aspire 5 laptops lineups are leading the market today, and this A515-45-R74Z Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 5500U model is one of them. Not only does it pack a capable 6-Cores processor, but it also features other nice details we appreciate. Is this device effective enough for its price? In this review, we will learn more about this Windows 11 notebook.
Solid Top Case
This Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 with Ryzen 5 5500U CPU is not a typical “budget” laptop. It is the only laptop in this price category that has an aluminum top cover that gives the device more durability. Also, the contemporary design with its silver tactile finish gives this laptop a more attractive and high-end look. Because of the textured finish, this laptop is not vulnerable to fingerprints and smudges.
Moreover, with only 0.71 inches in thickness and 3.88 pounds (1.7 kg) weight, you can take this laptop literally everywhere. Also, believe it or not, this A515-45-R74Z weighs less than the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro with its 4.02 pounds! And it’s less expensive so that if you accidentally drop or scratch it, you won’t regret it.
A Time-Saver Backlit Keyboard
Trust me, I have used laptops that do not have a backlit keyboard, and when you work often at night or in a dimmed room, you would be happy if you have one. It’s a huge time saver!
The trackpad of this laptop is also quite spacious, and responsive. If you work a lot with numbers, the Numpad on the right-hand side of the keyboard deck will be so helpful for you.
A515-45-R74Z Specs
The specification of this Acer Aspire 5 A515-45 Ryzen 5 5500U slim laptop is not particularly special we can’t call it the best laptop in the category. However, if you want to use it as a general computing device as well as basic gaming, this laptop won’t disappoint. And it does not come with Windows “S” limited version, it comes with the full version of Windows 11 Home.
| Product: | Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z Slim Laptop | 15.6" Full HD IPS | AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Hexa-Core Mobile Processor | AMD Radeon Graphics | 8GB DDR4 | 256GB NVMe SSD | WiFi 6 | Backlit KB | Windows 11 Home |
| Screen | A 15.6″ ComfyView IPS LED-backlight Matte Display with 1920×1080 Full-HD resolution.
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| Processor | 2.10 – 4.0 GHz 6-Core AMD Ryzen 5 5500U |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Vega 7 Graphics |
| RAM | 8GB DDR4 SDRAM (Upgradable) |
| Storage | 256GB PCIe SSD (Upgradable) |
| Connectivity | 1x USB 2.0 Port, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Ports, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C Port (up to 5 Gbps), 1x HDMI, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet port |
| Other features | Webcam, 2x Stereo speakers, built-in Microphone, Backlit keyboard, Wi-Fi 6, Top Aluminum Case |
| Strength & Weakness | VIEW |
Performance
Finally, now we are moving into the performance of this Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z slim laptop. There is a hexa-core (6-Core rather than a 4-Core) AMD Ryzen 5 5500U CPU in this laptop, which was released in December 2021. Without a doubt, this chip performs faster than those 4-Core chips most laptops in this price category are coming with.
The 5500U chip has a base clock rate of 2.1 GHz and will perform at max up to 4.0GHz when in boost mode. Combined with 8GB of RAM, and 256GB SSD this Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z slim laptop does pretty well for daily computing tasks and casual gaming.
This CPU outperforms various 10th Gen Intel i7 CPUs, notably the i7-1065G7.
Furthermore, this CPU also scores a stunning 7145 on Cinebench’s multi-core test. This test puts it ahead of Intel’s 11th generation i5-1135G7.
So in short, this laptop isn’t a speed demon, but to have a relatively new Ryzen CPU with its capable Radeon Graphics to play a game at a thin laptop at this price point is impressive.
Strength For Gaming?
From the specification table above, we know that A515-45-R74Z is by no means a gaming machine for your modern games. However, for light basic games like Roblox, Minecraft, and older games you should be fine. I even saw people mentioning that they can play League of Legends with the sibling of this laptop that has less-powerful specs! So definitely you can use it to play a game, just don’t expect that it will perform heavier games. If you want to play more get this dedicated machine instead.
To be able to play games on a daily laptop at this price point is something unusual, so no surprise that this laptop caught people’s attention. Thanks to the Radeon RX Vega 7 that comes with the Ryzen 5 5500U CPU. This integrated Graphics has 448 shaders and a 1.800 MHz speed so its performance is comparable to a dedicated GPU such as GeForce MX250. And not to mention, the MX250 is a dedicated Graphics card designed for gaming laptops.
10 Hours Battery Life
Acer claims that this laptop has 10 hours of battery life, but in reality, it all depends on what you are doing and the laptop’s configuration. The life cycle of the battery averages between 5-7 hours, but if you use it to game or watch videos the battery will drain faster.
There are of course many settings to adjust to get more of the battery. For example, if you don’t really need the lighting on your keys, you can turn it off.
Photos Look Great
The screen on this A515-45-R74Z model is a non-touch 15.5″ IPS panel with 1080p Full-HD screen resolution. I think the display alone is worth the price by itself. Being an IPS and a full-HD screen, it will offer a wider viewing angle.
This simply means, that if you are viewing an object on your screen, it does not matter where you look at it, the object’s image quality will not be affected. So digital photos will look great on this display.
Dongle-Free!
There is a variety of connectivity with this Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 5500U model, which is a nice touch, especially on a thin laptop like this. If you are a MacBook user, you will go dongle-free with this notebook. The A515-45-R74Z provides you with one USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.2 ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, a headphone jack, and a USB Type-C.
The USB-C port is capable of transferring files at up to a 5 Gbps rate, which is instantaneous. And I like the USB 2.0 which is on the right side, so you can connect it to a wireless mouse.
The built-in Ethernet port is an excellent feature if you are working from home because it gives you a stable network. This laptop also has Wi-FI 6 which will perform a high-speed Wi-Fi network.
A Top-Notch Value?
For this price, it is a top-notch value. It has many features that are only found in more costly notebooks in this price category. That includes the Ryzen 5500U CPU with its Vega 7 Graphics, 8GB RAM rather than 4GB, 256GB SSD, Full-HD IPS display, and Backlit keyboard. Plus it is easily accessible, too.
Overall, for under 500 bucks (when this review was published), this laptop is capable to run like a $900 laptop with almost similar specs. We highly recommend this A515-45-R74Z Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 5500U model, especially when the chipset supply is pretty low like now.
