Acer Aspire 5739G review

The 15.6in display and Dolby Home Theater logo suggest an immersive experience, too. The display has a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and, while that's not a bad thing in itself, images do tend to look a touch washed out. Colour reproduction is wayward too, and especially so when set against the vibrant likes of Dell's Studio 15. It's usable for all but the most colour-critical applications such as photo editing, though, and the glossy finish and ample brightness make a good fist of movies and games.

It would be easy to scoff at the Dolby logo above the keyboard, but while the speakers aren't the last word in high-fidelity, they sound accomplished by laptop standards. Audio is full-bodied and the Dolby effects do a good job of spreading sound around the laptop, despite the noticeably muffled high end.

There's also a practical side to the Aspire 5739G's appeal. The keyboard is a regular sticking point with affordable laptops, but here it's much the same as its more business-focussed Aspire TimeLine relatives, which is rather good. The channels between each key will eventually prove a prime location for dust, grime and crumbs, but there's nothing wrong with the feel of the widely spaced keys and the solid, positive action.

Despite the dedicated graphics and nippy processor, the Aspire 5739G even manages a reasonable stretch away from the mains. Under the lightest use we eked out 4hrs 19mins from the 4,400mAh battery. Push it to its limits, however, and it still manages a quite reasonable 90 minutes before needing a trip back to the mains socket.

Apart from the slightly sub-par display, the Aspire 5739G does precious little wrong. It isn't the prettiest laptop, nor is it the lightest, but battery life is solid and it's a joy to use. Indeed, if you want an inexpensive laptop that's as capable of playing a game as surfing the internet, then you won't go far wrong here: the Aspire 5739G is a solid, dependable all-rounder.

Author: Sasha Muller