Acer Aspire E (E5-771G-51T2)

Sometimes all you need is a big, honking laptop with a large screen and a decent amount of computing power. The 17-inch Acer Aspire E (E5-771G-51T2) ($ 799.99 as tested) is certain is that, but do not make the mistake of ignoring it as a throwback, the design is a modern take on a traditional desktop-replacement notebook.

Design and Features
The Aspire E has a large silver polycarbonate chassis that measures approximately 1.1 by 16.75 by 11.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.31 pounds. This screen has a resolution of 17.3-inch, 1920-by-1080, which should be the main reason you buy a system with any similar priced laptop. It has a TFT LCD display instead of a more expensive In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen, such as the Asus N550JV-DB72T. Thus, the viewing angle is narrower by smidge if you are a perfectionist, but LED backlit screen system is very bright and clear enough for a viewing session with close friends. Viewing 1080p HD trailer, including the new one for the upcoming movie Terminator Genisys, neat display. Sound is also a strong point: The volume can fill a small to medium sized room without a hint of distortion.

Connectors are plentiful, thanks to all the spaces at the edges of the system. You can find an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, a headset jack, a Kensington lock port, an SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and VGA port. The extra space chassis also means that the keyboard deck is wide and comfortable, with a non-backlit, chiclet-style keyboard with full numeric keypad. The keys are all full size, an improvement over the narrow keypad keys 15-inch desktop-replacement laptop like the Acer Aspire 6637 and Acer M5-583P-N550JV-DB72T. That is still better than the Acer Aspire E5-471G-53XG, lacking the space of numeric keypad. A DVD burner, and the system has 802.11 b / g / n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

There's 8GB of memory, which is great for keeping dozens of open browser tabs, and 1TB hard drive is plenty of room for downloading. We have to point out that the system is full of extra pre-loaded software. Start the screen is littered with tiles for programs such as Accuweather, Deal Acer, Amazon, Booking.com, eBay, Evernote, Hulu Plus, iStoryTime, Kindle, Netflix, Next Issue, Solitaire, Stumble Upon, Taptiles, wild tangent, and Zinio. The Aspire E has a standard one-year warranty.