Acer Aspire 5739G review

Certain members of Acer's Aspire Timeline series have impressed us with their svelte, workmanlike charm, but the Aspire 5739G is a more entertaining proposition. Gone are the low-voltage processors, integrated graphics and sharp, business looks; instead, the 5739G is a laptop that encourages you to leave the work until later and have some fun instead.

First things first: it isn't particularly stylish. While the deep blue lid glimmers attractively enough, its dumpy frame and matte black base aren't likely to set hearts aflutter. Peer inside and the mishmash of black keyboard and textured grey plastic betray the Acer's budget, but at this price build quality and performance are more pressing concerns and here the Acer really satisfies.

Its styling may not be particularly consistent, but build quality is solid throughout. The base has barely any flex in it at all, and the lid feels up to taking the odd knock now and again. When you consider that it weighs in at a fairly reasonable 2.68kg, the sturdy build is all the more impressive.

The Core 2 Duo processor nips along at 2.2GHz and, with 4GB of DDR3 memory at its disposal, the 5739G scored a respectable 1.06 in our benchmarks. That's enough to keep Windows 7 Home Premium feeling snappy and fleet-footed, and to dispatch most applications without breaking a sweat.

Better still, the Nvidia GeForce GT 240M graphics chipset adds a generous dose of gaming prowess. It's a surprisingly powerful choice for a mid-range laptop, and after whipping through our easiest Crysis test with an average of 68fps, it managed a just-playable 28fps at the more demanding Medium settings.