Acer TravelMate 8573 battery
Review Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG Ultrabook
Acer presents one of the first Ultrabooks with both dedicated graphics and an integrated DVD drive in the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 - what a mouthful name! However, the 15-inch device can't really be called a subnotebook, but rather a thin-and-light multimedia notebook. Acer TravelMate 6595G battery
Acer offers the M3 in multiple configurations, yet in each case an Intel ULV CPU is present. The Core i3-2367M (1.4 GHz) with a 320 GB HDD, 20 GB SSD cache and integrated graphics make up the entry level configuration for the device. The specs are upgradeable up to a Core i7-2637M, a fast 256 GB SSD and the aforementioned GeForce GT 640M, as in our test device. For this reason, prices can range from a little over 600 Euro to as much as 1200 Euro. Acer TravelMate 6595T battery The Core-i7 version with a 256 GB SSD is available in Germany as the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG-72634G25Mnk.
Performance
Our test model is the most powerful configuration available with a Core i7-2637M processor (1.7 - 2.8 GHz), GeForce GT 640M graphics with 1 GB of DDR3 memory and a 256 GB SSD from LiteOn. Of the 4 GB PC3-10600 DDR3 RAM, 2 GB is soldered onto the mainboard and 2 GB is in the memory slot. Thanks to Optimus, the integrated Intel HD 3000 Graphics is utilized when the system is not under heavy load. Acer TravelMate 6595TG battery
Processor
The Core i7-2637M in our test device is an ultra-low-voltage CPU with a TDP classification of only 17 Watts. Thanks to the high Turbo Boost 2.0 mode, the processor unit can be clocked from 1.7 GHz up to 2.8 GHz (if loading only one core). Thereby the performance of our test model reaches, on average, the performance of an entry-level Core i3 or i5 CPU with 35 Watt TDP. An average Core i3-2310M is around 10% behind the i7-2637M in all processor tests and the Core i5-2410M is on average 10% ahead. Acer TravelMate 7340 battery Therefore, the i7-2637M in the Aspire M3 could be compared to a slow Core i5-2410M. The overall performance is, however, very dependent on the use of Turbo Boost and hence the thermal conditions and available power. For example, on our first run of the X264 benchmark, the results were up to 9% greater than the i3-2310M in the same test. During games, you should expect the performance of about a Core i3-2350M from the Acer M3.
System Performance
Acer TravelMate 7740 battery Thanks to the fast SSD and the Core i7 ULV processor, the Aspire M3-581TG attains very good results in PCMark 7. The total score of 3500 points is on the level of an Alienware M14x with a GT 555M, quad core Core i7 and Samsung SSD or the 13-inch MacBook Air. The fastest notebook in our test, the Alienware M18x, is only 32% ahead in raw score.
Mass Storage
Acer TravelMate 7740-352G32Mn battery The LiteOn LMT-256M3M mSATA SSD offers excellent performance results. The Marvel 88SS9174 controller on the M3 is also used on the Crucial m4 and ADATA S501 V2, all of which showed high sequential transfer rates. The 4K transfer rates are the weak point of this SSDs at 21.88MB/s and 39.53MB/s read and write, respectively. However, compared to 10.35MB/s and 20.89MB/s of the Samsung SM256C in the MacBook Air 13 they are still quite good. Only high-end SSDs like the Intel SSD 520 can go the extra mile with 39% raw extra performance on average. Acer TravelMate 7740-353G25Mnss battery
Graphics solution
The most notable feature of the Acer Aspire M3 is clearly in its strong dedicated graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce GT 640M. The GPU is based on the new Kepler architecture and is manufactured in the 28 nm process. Information and benchmarks on the GT 640M will be continuously added and updated on the dedicated GeForce GT 640M page.
Acer TravelMate 7740-434G32Mnss battery The theoretical performance of the graphics card was measured with numerous synthetic benchmarks. The GT 640M doesn't disappoint on the more recent benchmarks and clearly stands out against even the GeForce GT 555M and the Radeon HD 6770M. In the 3D Mark 11 GPU test, the GT 555M on all our test devices only reached 61 to 85 % of the performance of the 640M. The 6770M (now renamed to 7690M) is also greatly left behind at 73 to 80 % of the 640M's performance. Even the GeForce GTX 460M can be beaten slightly in 3DMark 11. On average however, the GT 640M lines up just under the GTX 460M. Acer TravelMate 7740G battery
The older and more processor-heavy the tests become, the more the GT 640M declines in performance. In 3DMark05, for example, individual GeForce GT 555M models are faster.
On the other hand, in the more important real-world gaming tests, one often sees great losses due to the relatively weak processor. As a result, we only looked at the highest detail level on games. The GeForce GTX 460M, for example, performs much better on our gaming benchmarks than on the theoretical tests. However, both the GeForce GT 555M and the Radeon 6770M / 7690M remain behind the new Kepler graphics card in gaming, however. Acer TravelMate 7740G-434G50Mnss battery
Gaming Performance
As explained in the above section, the Geforce GT 640M in the Acer Ultrabook shows very strong performance levels. The relatively weak processor, however, greatly curbs the system, particular at low detail levels. The GT 640M is up to the native display resolution of 1366 x 768 and can run many current games with high detail levels. The promised ultra setting on Battlefield 3 in our demanding benchmark sequence can't be played smoothly, however. Instead, it can only manage medium detail settings. Despite this, the GT 640M is on the level of a Radeon HD 7690M in the HP Envy 17. Acer TravelMate 7740Z battery Only on the very demanding The Witcher 2 we had to lower the settings for smoother frame rates. Less demanding games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are even playable at 1920 x 1080 and maximum settings with the help of a 1080p external monitor.
Temperature
Without load, surface temperatures remain uncritical at a maximum of 34 °C. In particular, the important palm rests remain pleasantly cool. When under load, the underside especially heats up and somewhat prevents extended use on the lap. The palm rests also remained adequately cool in our extreme load test. Acer TravelMate 7740Z-P604G32Mnss battery
The internal temperatures reached extremely critical values under our load test. The Geforce leveled off at around 93 °C on the Furmark benchmark whilst the processor cores ranged between 90 and 97 °C under concurrent Prime95 load. The considerable oscillation is explained by continual core throttling to 800 MHz. We also observed thermal throttling in HWInfo32 at times. With only Prime95 active, the cores remained at 81 °C since the entire thermal budget could be exploited. Acer TravelMate 7740ZG battery In Battlefield 3, the graphics card leveled out at a moderate temperature of 84 °C while the CPU cores reached 91 °C at 2.1 - 2.2 GHz without throttling. There's not much leeway in terms of thermal budget for both the CPU and GPU, but both processing units handle the available energy budget between them in a safe manner.
Coincidentally, we also reached the limits of the cooling system during out stress test. When simultaneously running Prime95, Furmark and Battlefield 3 over a long period of time, the system crashed completely. Just prior to the crash, we observed more frequent throttling of the CPU. Acer TravelMate 7740ZG-P604G50Mnss battery
Battery Life
Energy Consumption
Thanks to Optimus and the battery-saving ULV CPU, the energy consumption of the 15-inch multimedia notebook when not under load is exemplary. A rate of 7.9 Watts is on the level of netbooks like the MSI Wind U160. Only the similar-sized Sony Vaio VPC-Z21Q9E managed to consume less power in our review.
Acer TravelMate 7750 battery When under load, the power draw of the Aspire M3 moves into the usual realm of multimedia notebooks with dedicated entry-level graphics cards. For example, the Fujitsu Lifebook AH531 with GeForce GT 525M also requires 55 Watt when running 3DMark06. Devices with similarly high-performance hardware (Medion Akoya P6812 with GT 555M and Core i3-2330M) need much more power at around 61 - 81 Watts under load.
Acer TravelMate 7750G battery When in standby or turned off, our ammeter was unable to record any kind of power draw, meaning energy consumption here is under the sensitivity limits of our instruments.
Battery Life
The 54 Wh lithium polymer battery helps the Aspire Ultrabook on its path to a considerably long battery life. Thanks to the ULV CPU and Optimus, up to 11 hours and 39 minutes in the BatteryEater Reader Test was possible when away from a power source. In our WLAN surfing test with brightness at 150 cd/m2, just over 6 hours was possible. Under load, the Acer reaches a very good battery life of 2 hours and 20 minutes, yet something is cheating here: the CPU was throttled to 1.7 GHz and the frame rates in Battlefield 3 sank from 60-70 to 28 fps. Acer TravelMate 7750Z battery Gaming appears to be hindered and not at full potential if running solely from the battery.
Verdict
Nvidia wants to put the "Ultra" in Ultrabooks with the GeForce GT 640M - or so the striking PR statement says. Fortunately, The performance fulfills this statement to no end. The graphics performance of the GT 640M is considerable, all the while maintaining energy consumption to reasonable limits. Admittedly, the Acer under review has very little in common with previous Ultrabooks because of its DVD drive and relatively large 15-inch display. Acer TravelMate 8472 battery If considered as a plain multimedia notebook, the Acer M3 does a lot right. The reviewed model has all the right components for both great gaming on the go and remarkable application performance. Thanks to Optimus, the battery performance doesn't have to suffer here and on average allows six hours away from a power socket (two hours if gaming).
Acer TravelMate 8472 HF battery Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine: heavy loads take their toll on the powerful components and, as a result, they will greatly heat up the underside of the notebook. Furthermore, you'll often get worked up about the touchpad due to its lack of dedicated buttons. Our biggest criticism, however, is the cheap display. Such a display may have been acceptable in the entry-level model, but we can't help but feel that the higher-end configurations should have had higher quality panels.
Review Acer TravelMate 5744Z-P624G50Mikk Notebook
Acer TravelMate 8472G battery Acer's TravelMate range stands for Office devices without frills at a low price. In return, the buyer shouldn't really expect any extravagant design experiments or every last bit of performance.
In this review, we take a closer look at the TravelMate 5744Z which is available in various configurations for starting at around EUR 320. While the basic configuration only has a 2 GB RAM besides a Pentium P6200 and a 320 GB hard disk, our test model (5744Z-P624G50Mikk) is equipped with a 4 GB RAM, a 500 GB memory capacity and Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit version for around EUR 400. Acer TravelMate 8472G HF battery
There are a lot of contenders in the 15.6 inch category available at this price. We chose the HP 630 and the Lenovo B570 for comparisons with Acer's candidate. Who offers the best entry level notebook for little money?
"Plain and functional", these words best describe the Travelmate's design. The notebook that looks a bit unwieldy due to its broad bezel is completely made of dark gray plastic. It is slightly textured in some places and Acer fortunately hasn't used any annoying high-gloss surfaces. Acer TravelMate 8472T battery
Although the feel sooner belongs to the category "cheap hard plastic", the case convinces with high stability. Even stronger, selective pressure on typical problem zones, like over the battery or DVD drive, doesn't cause visible deformations. On the other hand, the display doesn't fare as well. It can be twisted obviously despite its thickness and should therefore be opened carefully. The tightly pulled hinges, which make both hands necessary for opening, also contribute to that. However, they regrettably can't prevent the display from teetering. Acer TravelMate 8472T HF battery
Minor flaws in workmanship become evident when looking closer. We found a few sharp edges and irregular gaps particularly on the display bezel, which show room for improvement in manufacturing tolerances. Even if we give the TravelMate credit for its competitive price, the given workmanship isn't a feat compared to the competition from HP and Lenovo.
Performance
Acer TravelMate 8472TG battery The Pentium P6200 originates from the over two year old Arrandale architecture, which was replaced by its successor, Sandy Bridge, at the beginning of 2011. Thus, the buyer has to live without the modern AVX instructions. Moreover, the 2.13 GHz dual core processor supports neither Turbo Boost nor Hyper Threading. Intel specifies a TDP of 35 watts, although the real full load consumption will likely be much lower.
Acer TravelMate 8472TG HF battery The DDR3 memory controller and the DirectX 10 capable Intel GMA HD Graphics are implemented on a second chip in the MCM bundle of the P6200. It clocks with 500 MHz (Turbo up to 667 MHz). A record-breaking performance shouldn't be expected here. However, normal Office applications shouldn't cause problems in connection with a 4 GB RAM (one module) and a 500 GB hard disk.
Processor
Acer TravelMate 8473 battery The weak benchmark results in Cinebench make it obvious that the Pentium P6200 is located in the entry-level sector. A score of 1.4 points in the latest R11.5 version is in front of the E-450, found in the even cheaper HP Compaq Presario CQ57, by more than 100 percent. On the other hand however, a midrange model like the Core i3-2330M in the Lenovo B570 is over 50 percent faster. This difference is a bit lower in the single thread assessment because the Core i3's Hyper Threading is disabled. Acer TravelMate 8473G battery
Mass Memory
The Hitachi hard disk (HTS547550A9E384) bids a memory capacity of 500 GB at a speed of 5400 rpm and has an 8 MB cache. The drive places itself in the midfield with a typical, average transfer rate of 60.9 MB/s (HDTune). The access speed of 18.9 milliseconds also doesn't stick out in the crowd. The booting process takes accordingly long and consumes approximately 40 seconds. Acer TravelMate 8473T battery
System Performance
The rather moderate score of both processor and hard disk logically also have an impact on the system performance. The TravelMate 5744Z wins the duel with a similarly configured HP 630 (3598 to 4329 points) in PCMark Vantage. However, it loses marginally in the newer PCMark 7 (1131 to 1062 points). The Lenovo B570 shows just how much a faster CPU can speed up this result (4613, respectively 1816). Acer TravelMate 8473TG battery
So not to make the wrong impression: The available performance reserves are easily sufficient for word processing, surfing on the Internet or even editing vacation pictures. However, the buyer should consider that investing a bit more money can result in a big gain of performance and thus also a longer life expectancy of the laptop.
Gaming Performance
Acer TravelMate 8572 battery The notebook is hardly suitable for up to date games because it doesn't have a dedicated graphics card. Therefore, we will only make a side note of this point. Even the technically undemanding soccer simulation, Fifa 12, only runs consistently smoothly with at most 800 x 600 pixels and minimum details. The graphically elaborate building strategy game, Anno 2070, ends up as a slide show even in our lowest pre-settings.
Battery Life
Power Consumption
Acer TravelMate 8572G battery Notebooks based on Sandy Bridge, such as the Lenovo B570, excel with a minimum power consumption of frequently only 6 to 7 watts. The Acer model with the older Arrandale platform fails such regions clearly. Idling rates between 10 and 16.5 watts don't sound like much when seen as a whole. That is outdated, however, when compared to other, partly much stronger devices.
Acer TravelMate 8572T battery The consumption increases to an acceptable 30.7 watts during a 3DMark 06 run. We could determine a maximum of up to 48.1 watts, so the compact 65 watt power adapter will be able to cope with that easily.
Battery Runtime
The comparatively high power consumption, particularly during lower load, is reflected in a rather short battery life. Almost 5 hours of runtime (BatteryEater's Reader's test) with maximum energy saving settings shrink to only 2 hours in our practical wifi test (150 cd/m2). That isn't exactly a feat for a notebook with a 48 Wh battery. The TravelMate had to be connected to the outlet again after only 86 minutes during load (BatteryEater's Classic test). Acer TravelMate 8572T HF battery
Verdict
There's no way around making compromises in a notebook of the EUR 400 price range - but it is important where they are made.
We'd like to begin with the positive qualities of the Acer TravelMate 5744Z: Although the built-in processor is technically on the stand of early 2010, the application performance should be sufficient for a simple Office device. The notebook doesn't have any difficulties with routine tasks, at least as long as 3D performance isn't a requirement. The case stability and the low noise development are also on the pro side. Acer TravelMate 8572TG battery
You will have to live with the label "plastic bombshell" that is common for all entry-level models. Nevertheless, we would expect it to be well-manufactured. The Acer shows a few weaknesses here and presents itself with protruding edges and irregular gaps. That leads to deductions, just like the weak luminosity of the matte screen and short battery runtime. Acer TravelMate 8573 battery
Although the tested configurations of the Lenovo and HP models are now hard to find, various follow-up models could prove to be interesting alternatives. The HP 630 with a Pentium B950 of the Sandy Bridge generation is currently available with 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB memory capacity and Windows 7 for less than EUR 400 - and could possibly be the better option.