Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, Vega 8 Graphics, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home, A515-43-R5RE Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 model
This isn’t a computer for gaming or high powered programs..Read the full review now.
We are going to start this Acer Aspire 5 a515-43 review by emphasizing that you will want to check out special gamings laptops like Acer Nitro or Asus Helios Predator. That is if you want to get a laptop that plays heavy games. But if you are one of the gamers on budgets, read along.
Although this is not a powerhouse gaming laptop, this Acer 5 Ryzen packs the king of the budget processor. See more of the specs;
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-core (4-core) processor 2.10 GHz (Up to 3.7GHz)
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM Memory
- Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Screen: 15 6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS display
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 8 mobile
- Peripherals: 1x USB 3, 2x USB 2.0 Ports & 1x HDMI Port with HDCP support
- 802 11AC Wi-Fi, Backlit keyboard, up to 7.5 hours Battery Life
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit
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Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U
So are you looking for an on-the-go work station that has some power and other impressive specs, but still won’t burn your pocket? Then this slim laptop may be what you are looking for. If you are looking for a smaller powerful laptop, e.g a 14″, check out the Acer Spin 3 Convertible.
Fits with its name, this workstation is really thin and slim, very lightweight, and it is flat when folded. Which you will love and need if you usually carry your laptop around.
The more-than-adequate performance allows you to create your presentation, for your school projects or even your business documents. And much multitasking computing work, as well as some gaming. This Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U is a portable device with power and style.
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6″ Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, Vega 8 Graphics, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 Home, A515-43-R5RE
Memory and Storage (Upgrade)
This device features 1x 8GB DDR4 RAM that supports dual channel memory, which is more powerful than the 4GB models. The memory slots are located on the motherboard. But you will still be able to upgrade ONLY if you are comfortable doing it.
It is NOT recommended to upgrade a new device as you can loose the warranty. So please confirm with the manufacturer first.
For the storage, it comes with 1x 256 GB SSD. SSD is a Solid State Drive which is ~10 times faster than a standard HDD. And because SSD performance is much faster than an HDD, that’s why 1TB SSD can cost hundreds of USD. Whereas a 1TB Standard HDD will cost much less. In short, had they sold this laptop with more SSD storage, it will cost you probably double the price.
What about if you want to upgrade the storage? It actually comes with an empty bay for a 2.5″ hard drive. There is a ribbon that connects it to the motherboard.
We recommend that you unplug your device before starting the upgrade process.
Processor — Ryzen 5 vs Intel i3 or even i5 and i7
First of all, the processor of this Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U laptop, which is Ryzen 5 or lots of users call it as AMD R5. It is made by AMD or Advanced Micro Devices company. The R5 CPU is even comparable to the slower of the i7 version. E.g like the Acer Aspire E model has, and it’s newer!
Also, in terms of price, Ryzen 5 laptops are more affordable, and they are GOOD for games! Here is why.
AMD Ryzen 5 3500U laptops have better-integrated graphics that will enable you to play games in ~150% better performance.
The picture below is the comparison or benchmarks calculated from the large numbers of computer users around the world.

From the above result picture, it is obvious that the AMD Ryzen-5 3500 processor is newer than the Intel i3 8th generation. And the result shows that the R5 is the superior CPU compared to every 8th generation i3 mobile processors in the market.
And because this Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U slim laptop is also packed with the NVME SSD, you will have snappy computing experiences.
Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U A515-43-R5RE Pros & Cons
Pros
- ⭐ Premium look and durable
- ⭐ Very good Performance – Price ratio
- ⭐ Backlit Keyboard
- ⭐ The very good IPS display
- ⭐ Both Memory and HDD are expandable
- ⭐ Outstanding battery life!
- ⭐ Super lightweight with 3.97lbs for a 15.6″ laptop
Cons
- No Touchscreen
- No SD card slot
In Summary
This device is definitely offering the highest overall raw, and graphic performances at the minimum price possible and capable to play games on entry-level.
Acer Aspire 5 Ryzen 5 3500U A515-43-R5RE is highly recommended.
Like other laptops with integrated graphics cores (besides the Acer E 15 at the top of the chart, that is), the Aspire 5’s Sky Diver results are predictably lackluster.
One nit: The absence of a MicroSD slot is not a big deal since MicroSD cards are typically used on a non-routine basis. For people who need them (E.g. building Linux distro install images on occasion), get an inexpensive USB adapter for transferring files to/from MicroSD. One should never reply on MicroSD as permanent storage due to their poor performance unreliability.
You nailed it. Cloud storage is better to me these days.
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