Member Reviews: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Whenever we can, usually in the weekend, we showcase a tech hardware related review submitted by a member in our forums. Remember that we consider all reviews that are submitted here. So if you've recently bought a new gadget and you're impressed, or even disappointed by it, let the community know by submitting a review about it; your review might make the front page next week!

Today we have a double whammy of reviews, following Trollercoaster's Huawei W1 Ascend in depth review we're proud to also include Beanboy80's quick and dirty Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook findings.

Introduction

I’ve never reviewed anything before, I’ve only read reviews from a wide variety of sources. I’m not sure where to start, so I’ll just go ahead.

My old laptop was over five years old in the summer of 2013. While I hadn’t exactly had the need to use a laptop as much as I had to while I was in school, I felt my old laptop was basically a brick. It was heavy, slow, and a pain to lug around with me. I wasn’t particularly in the market for a new laptop, but a local retailer had the Acer Aspire S3-391-6046 on clearance for just above $275. I decided to bite.

"At first glance, it may be mistaken for a MacBook Air or comparable Ultrabook"The hardware design of the S3 Ultrabook is about a year and a half old as of the writing of this review in July 2013, however it still feels modern, measuring in at about 0.7” thick and weighing a hair under 3 lbs. At first glance, it may be mistaken for a MacBook Air or comparable Ultrabook. The lid of the screen is made from brushed aluminum, while the body is silver-colored plastic. Despite the plastic construction, the whole computer feels very solid.

As mentioned, the hardware specs are a bit dated, especially the processor (a second-generation Intel Core i3 at 1.4 GHz), but it performs fast enough for what I use the Ultrabook for: web browsing, some Photoshop, and streaming video. The Intel HD 3000 graphics don’t lag during video playback, but I haven’t had the computer long enough to give it a thorough test, including some gaming. Despite being based on Intel’s older 32nm process, I noticed very little fan noise and the processor ran quite cool most of the time, averaging around 40-45 degrees C.