Even though the Laptop market is full of competition, a good product can always find its way to the hands of customers. Looking at user reviews, Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) seems to be this kind of solid product – the rating is high, price tolerable, performance excellent. It might be hard to find any flaws in such a package, but I try my best to find the advantages and disadvantages of this convertible laptop below!
Under the hood
All the main components of Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) are top notch, I would say. Looking at the processor section, you are getting Intel Core i7-7500U. Surely it has only two cores, but the 7th generation Kaby Lake architecture is still a high-performance feature – the clock speed is 2.7GHz and turbo boost a great 3.5GHz. The snappy nature of this processor is also evident in benchmark tests: CPU Mark gives around 5300 points which is solid for any laptop processor.
In the notebook you will find 12GB DDR4 memory. Of that, 4GB is soldered on board and 8GB is installed on a stick. The manual states 12 gigabytes is the maximum for this unit. In my experience, 8GB or more is enough for pretty much anything these days – so do not worry about the RAM here!
The laptop has a 256GB SATA3 SSD with Windows 10 installed on it. If you know what you are doing, it’s possible to upgrade the SSD to a bigger one. Just keep in mind the laptop bottom and possibly some components must be removed for that. There’s also a free 2.5″ slot in this notebook, but bracket and screws are not provided. Again, if you have the skills, installing an extra hard drive to that slot would be possible.
Gaming capabilities
Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) offers something for gamers, too. For that, we must thank its dedicated GeForce 940MX graphics card with 2GB GDDR5 memory. The 940MX is nowhere to be called a high-end graphics engine but it will definitely offer some smooth frame rates, depending on the game and level of settings. For example, you should expect over 60FPS on GTA 5, Battlefield 4 and the like when played on medium settings and 720p resolution. Then there are titles that don’t require so much from the system – for example, CS: Go could be played on maxed out settings and resolution while FPS would still be lag-free.
Video
Ports and interfaces
Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) has a few ports to get your devices connected. Available is one USB 2.0, two USB 3.0 and one USB 3.1 Type-C. The USB Type-C port is a nice addition in the modern era, however you can not charge the notebook through that – only some smaller items such as your mobile phone.
The notebook contains a full-sized HDMI-output. It’s useful if you want to hook up a bigger display (your television or desktop monitor) to the notebook. Not everybody like to use the laptop through its own, admittedly smaller screen.
For networking the Acer offers two options: a Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 port, that is for cable. And a Wireless adapter with support for 802.11ac standard. It also has Bluetooth 4.0 enabled.
Bad news for some people, the laptop does not have optical drive. It is, however, effortless to hook up external DVD burner to one of the Acer’s USB ports. You can also put the memory card reader (SD/SDXC) to good use!
Miscellaneous
The 15.6″ touch screen on Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) has two important modes: the laptop, and the tablet. The 360 degree hinge seamlessly lets you to change between these two modes. The screen itself has Full HD support and IPS panel, the latter contributing to accurate colors and viewing angles closer to 180 degrees (obviously, the best viewing angle there can be).
There’s a 4-cell 3220 mAh battery giving power to the laptop. The maximum run time is 9 hours according to the manufacturer. In reality, I would expect something like 8 hours for web browsing, much less for gaming. I bet the battery is a non-removable one (meaning you can actually remove it, but you need to disassemble half of the laptop first!)
Although stylus is not included in the purchase, the system still works with a capacitive touch pen.
The keyboard has backlight.
Why should I buy it?
If you value performance, there are not many 2-in-1s faster than Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229). It’s a Core i7 processor, the flagship of Intel, you are getting here. The 12GB memory and 256GB solid-state drive are only helping in terms of smooth operations and fast OS loading times.
Like playing games? Then do not be afraid of this Acer. The GeForce 940MX is great for casual gaming: if you don’t mind using less than maxed out settings, you will get smooth frame rates more or less on any game.
Because the battery lasts a whole day, you can ideally use this thing at workplace or university without charging it during the day.
Why should I not buy it?
The Acer is quite a powerhouse and thus, costs more than an average convertible model. If you are looking for a starter laptop I’d recommend something simpler and cheaper.
Summing it up
Acer Aspire R 15 (R5-571TG-7229) is a real multi-use laptop. For one, the components are fast enough for editing images, programming and all of that power user stuff. Also the gaming aspect is well thought; thanks to the dedicated graphics, you will score some decent FPS on most games. And let’s not forget the rotating screen, transforming the laptop into a notebook happens just like that. In short, the Acer is definitely worth your while if powerful, large screen convertible is what you want right now!
