Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5-581TG-6666 Pro Reviews

The TimelineUltra M5 runs on a newer but weaker processor than the M3 used, and Acer pulled the older model's speedy 256GB SSD in favor of a 500GB HDD with a 20GB SSD boot drive. The result is slower overall performance, which is reflected in the 50-point difference in the systems' WB7 scores. Another disappointment: Acer shortchanged the TimelineUltra M5's 15.6-inch screen with 1366-by-768-pixel resolution--a huge letdown on a system with nice graphics performance. The only real upgrades are in the ports, and those aren't great. You now get two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port (the M3 had one USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports), and the headphone/microphone jack is now located on the right side of the machine (the M3's jack was located, inconveniently, on the rear). But these minor port upgrades aren't enough to justify calling the M5 a winner.

When I first fired up the TimelineU, I had a hard time determining whether I should review the machine objectively as a standalone product or if I should impart my preconceived notions about ultrabooks. In the interest of fairness, I'll try to cover both starting with the latter: As an ultrabook, the M5 falls short. It's almost twice as heavy and measurably thicker than truly thin-and-light systems like the 13-inch Samsung Series 9, its hybrid storage is slower than a genuine SSD, its optical drive seems out of place and many would argue that a 1366x768 screen has no business in a 15.6-inch notebook these days. While those facts make the M5 a lousy ultrabook, Acer still has a decent graphics-oriented mainstream notebook on its hands. For starters, the TimelineU series starts at only $780 and our review unit retails for $830, whereas the aforementioned Samsung model is priced between $1,250 and nearly $1,400. It's all about tradeoffs, as noted in the intro. Because the M5 is bulkier, it affords room for features such as a numpad, a discrete graphics processor and an optical drive. I found it peculiar that the company opted for a DVD drive over Blu-ray, however.