Acer Aspire TimelineUltra M3-581TG-52464G52Mnkk Pro Reviews

The Timeline M3 could have been a Macbook killer, if not for the poor LCD panel.

The Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is one of the first 'Ultrabooks' that deviate from the 13-inch form factor, and the very first to reach us with a shiny new NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M GPU in tow. This signals a desire from the manufacturers to break out from the usual 13-inch form factor and give users a wider variety of choices when it comes to Ultrabooks. To label the M3 as an 'Ultrabook' is probably overusing this new term because of the size of the 15.6-inch machine, but as far as its portability is concerned, it was indeed a leader in its segment. When the M3 reached us, we wanted to dismiss it as a cheap plastic machine for the masses. However, as we spent more time with it, we were quite impressed with the overall build quality of the M3. Even the keyboard and trackpad felt much better in usage than their plastic material would suggest. This sturdy well-built notebook felt like it could take the slings and arrows of life pretty well, even if it was almost completely covered in plastic. But having a plastic shell also has its advantages as it made the machine feel like it weighs much less than its reported 2.2kg weight.

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. 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). 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.

As a traditional ultrabook, the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 isn't really a success. On almost every metric that matters for a portable machine, it falls short of the rest. As a 15-inch gaming laptop, though, it all comes down to price. Acer needs to make these premium game-playing components affordable enough to offset the terrible speakers, poor screen, and so-so design, but he company hasn't yet revealed when the machine will come to the US, or what it might cost when it arrives. Ultra-low voltage Core i7 processors don't come cheap, and neither do brand-new Nvidia Kepler GPUs or speedy solid state drives. Acer tells us that the Ultra M3 chassis is currently on sale in Europe starting at €699 (roughly $927 USD), but that only includes a Core i3 CPU and integrated graphics, so it's hardly the same machine at all. Meanwhile, the full Core i7 / GT 640M / 256GB SSD I tested costs €1,299, or approximately $1,722 in US money. That said, we're hearing that the laptop might actually start at $799. If Acer can position the Ultra M3 as a loss leader and toss in a gaming GPU for that kind of money, it could possibly be worth the cash: there are definitely gamers looking for a portable machine who are willing to compromise on quality if they can get it for cheap. I used to be one myself.

The Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is the most impressive ultrabook we've reviewed to date. Despite a few design annoyances, this 15-inch ultrabook delivers an exceptional balance of portability performance and a premium feel. We have a hard time overlooking things like a power button that is easy to press by accident and a complete lack of ports on the sides. Combine those two issues with a nasty hot spot on the bottom of the chassis and the Ultra M3 has three troublesome flaws. Regardless, the Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 is our most recommendable choice for a large ultrabook. If you look beyond those previously mentioned complaints you'll find some genuinely impressive horsepower inside the Ultra M3. Not only is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M a quantum leap in terms of graphics performance for thin and light laptops, this discrete GPU even outperforms the graphics found in thick and heavy gaming laptops last year. If you are in the market for an ultrabook with a large screen, excellent video editing and gaming performance, and a premium fit and finish then the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 deserves serious consideration.