Acer Aspire S3-951-6432 Pro Reviews

This machine is a great example of what the Ultrabook line is meant to be: relatively light, thin, and powerful enough to knock the netbook name out of the realm of reality. With the price on this particular setup being a bit more than the standard build, you’ll need to think about what you’re planning on using the machine for – if it’s home use for the internet and simple games exclusively, you’ll want the more basic Core i5 build. If you’re attempting to run some more impressive games and maybe a bit of the ol’ video processing, this i7 build is the one you want. Toss it in your backpack and be surprised at how little it ads to your daily weight, break it out at the coffee shop and impress the denizens of the generally Apple-heavy world of public browsing. Acer has come through with a winner here, folks, make no mistake about it.

The most reasonable conclusion is that you have to choose what’s most important, as you simply can’t get it all. You can get an $1100 ASUS UX31E that has similar or slightly better performance compared to the base model $1300 MacBook Air 13, you get a higher resolution and brighter LCD panel, and you get USB 3.0 support along with Windows 7. For $200 more, you get a higher contrast LCD with a 16:10 aspect ratio, Thunderbolt, a backlit keyboard, and OS X. If you already prefer OS X, the choice is very simple, but some Windows users might actually be willing to spend the additional money for an MBA13 ($300 extra when you factor in the Windows license). If I were to recommend just one ultrabook right now, the $1100 ASUS UX31E-DH52 gets my vote, but if you want more performance without breaking the bank, the Acer S3-951-6432 has everything you need except for a good LCD and USB 3.0 priced at $1230. If you want the MacBook equivalent of the Acer, you’ll have to pony up $1700 to get the same CPU and a 256GB SSD, though I’d say the LCD and improved build quality are worth at least $200.

While the Acer Aspire S3-951 is a well-built and powerful ultrabook, which offers good value for money, we were more drawn to the Toshiba Satellite Z830 and the Asus Zenbook. However, a cut-price Core i5 version of the Acer Aspire S3-951 can be had if your budget is tight, and nobody will be disappointed by the excellent performance of this Core i7 model.

While the S3 won’t break any speed records, its performance however makes it a very capable school or work machine. Sure, it doesn’t play the latest 3D games well, but that’s only because it’s not built to. The Ultrabook’s game is extreme portability, and in this aspect, the S3 performed almost up to our stringent expectations. With prices starting at S$1,198 (1.4GHz Core i3 with a 320GB SATA hard disk), and ending at S$1,798 (1.6GHz Core i5 with a 240GB SSD), the Acer Aspire S3 is definitely a machine to consider if you're always on the move and want a mainstream notebook that's also thin and light. Those holding out for Core i7 versions (like the one we have on hand) will have to wait a while longer, because only the Core i3 and i5 versions are on sale at the moment.