Acer Extensa 5635Z-442G25N Review

Acer Extensa 5635Z-442G25N
  • Intel Pentium Dual Core T4400 (2.2 GHz)

  • Intel GMA 4500MHD

  • 2 GB RAM Size

  • 250 GB HDD Capacity

2

Our summary of all reviews

  • Performance

    /100

    At this level, the performance is very low. This limits the user to usual activities e.g surfing the web, writing emails. Using applications like Word or Excel is possible, though at a very low speed. Gaming and other high performance tasks are impossible. People looking for a secondary laptop or using non-complex applications only will be satisfied.

    • 3DMark 06 1024 x 768

      711 #

    • PCMark Vantage

      3474 #

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  • Design

    3.5/5

    The reviewers’ opinions tended predominantly towards moderate satisfaction concerning the laptop design. The notebook’s appearance was decently received and should prove to be at the taste of many users.

  • Build Quality

    3.0/5

    The build quality is above average providing for the necessary protection of the computer’s internal parts. The build quality should be acceptable for users moving the laptop around on a frequent basis, even after a couple of years. The external parts might however wear out after medium-term usage , resulting in cracks or squeaking sounds.

    • Base Unit Flex

       : 

      3.0/5

      The laptop chassis is quite resistant, however few imperfections with gaps and cracking sounds might annoy the user. The surface will suffer from some scratches if the computer is not protected during transportation.

    • Hinge Stability

       : 

      2.5/5

      The hinge, connecting the screen to the laptop body, is not up to the standards of flexibility and tightness. Some difficulty will be experienced when trying to open the laptop with one hand. There might as well be some annoying wiggling experienced when walking around.

    • Display Panel

       : 

      3.0/5

      Some minor colour distortions might occur under significant pressure on the back of the display, or when moving the screen back and fourth. Hardly any gaps between the different parts of the frame can be found.

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  • Display

    3.0/5

    Generally the reviewers deemed this laptop to be above average. Users could expect this display to provide for average satisfaction with office work as well as multimedia use. Gamers and professional designers might however not find this display to their taste. To get a more comprehensive review of this display, users should check the ratings of the different attributes of this screen.

    • Display Resolution

      1366 x 768

      This resolution is also called HD-ready. Viewing more than one website on the monitor is almost impossible, as one window takes up almost the whole space. Graphic designers might not be completely satisfied with this resolution, as this latter might be too small. High resolution picture and video editing is plainly impossible. This resolution is a good option for gamers as many graphic cards will be powerful enough to support the native resolution of this display. Watching most movies will be possible without any black bars at the top and bottom of the display.

    • Color Reproduction

       : 

      2.0/5

      Though it would be manageable to watch movies with this color reproduction, the experience might not be enjoyable for visually acute users. The coverage of color spectrum is below average, making colors look far from authentic and incomparable to real life experience. High resolution gaming and HD movies viewing will not be pleasant.

    • Contrast

       : 

      3.0/5

      This laptop is able to produce a satisfactory contrast between the darkest color -black- and the brightest color -white-. It allows for acceptable readability as it is easy to distinguish black writing on a white background when indoors. The needs of professional designers might not be met with this contrast. Shadows are decently displayed providing for an okay gaming experience. Horror, Mystery, and Action movies will be much more enjoyed in a darkened space which accounts for the average display contrast.

    • Brightness

       : 

      3.0/5

      The maximum brightness of this computer is adequate for viewing the screen comfortably, even under bright ambient light. However, the users must be cautious to only push the brightness to its maximum in bright conditions, eg. outdoors. Setting the brightness to a high level will drastically decrease the battery life. In addition, using the notebook at maximum brightness in a dark room will be tiring for the eyes.

    • Average Brightness

      168 cd/m²

    • Reflections

       : 

      4.0/5

      The minimal reflections on this display allow for comfortable viewing under most conditions both in-and outdoors. Under indoor medium to bright lighting conditions, the display provide for an enjoyable experience. Using this laptop in a park will be no problem, though direct sunlight will cause some reflections.

    • Viewing Angle

       : 

      3.0/5

      Two individuals can sit next to one another comfortably, and still view the screen with hardly any image deviation. Colours might start to change if you move far to the sides of the display, so viewing the screen with a group of people will not guarantee a clear picture for everyone.

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  • Sound

    2.0/5

    The internal speakers of this laptop provided for a below average sound quality. Low sounds are still recognizable. Music can still listened to although the users should account for the necessity of external speakers when planning to watch a movie with a group. Musicians should not even stop to consider this laptop for their work, and gamers will be disappointed as the sound will be convincing. Even maximum volume will not make the sound experience enjoyable.

    • Maximum Volume

       : 

      3.0/5

      The peak volume of this laptop is acceptably loud. If relying only on the maximum sound output of the internal speakers of this laptop, watching movies with a group of friends should be manageable. It will be as well quite challenging to clearly distinguish sounds at peak volume if you are at the other end of the room.

    • Sound Clarity

       : 

      3.0/5

      The clarity of the sound is still ok at this level. While demanding audiophiles will think of it as a disaster, the rest of us will find the sound experience provided by this laptop satisfactory when watching movies or playing games.

    • Lows

       : 

      1.0/5

      With the internal speakers of this laptop, there is practically no bass, making music or movies feel flat. The sound is thus either scratchy, too low or flat.

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  • Keyboard

    4.5/5

    This keyboard has been rated to be among the best in the market. The reviewers were impressed by the comfort and the speed provided for when typing. It is ideal for users whose profession demands long typing hours such as for journalists or academicians, without suffering from the slightest pain or frustration in the process. It is as well impressively comfortable and enduring for gaming, as one of the many activities requiring frequent and long usage, all of which this keyboard is perfectly fitted for.

    • Layout

       : 

      2.0/5

      Many users will have a hard time readjusting to the layout of this keyboard. Some of the keys might be placed, shaped or sized differently compared to a conventional keyboard layout, leading to frequent typing mistakes and a decrease in typing speed. Overall users will not be satisfied with this layout, although with persistence it can still be manageable.

    • Keyboard Size

       : 

      4.0/5

      The size of this keyboard allows for a good typing experience, as the keys are large enough to reduce typos. The palm rest is as well a quality of this keyboard, deep enough for easy and comfortable usage. The gaps between the keys make the keyboard quite proportionate, and to the linking of most users.

    • Key Responsiveness

       : 

      4.0/5

      This keyboard’s responsiveness provides for quite a satisfying typing experience. Not much pressure is needed for key feedback and key action feels smooth enough to allow the users to enjoy typing for extended periods of time. This keyboard is as well characterized by good key feedback, which allows for an above average typing speed. Most users should be pleased with this keyboard.

    • Keyboard Flex

       : 

      4.0/5

      This keyboard will prove to be resistant to increasing amounts of pressure, and would only start to bend when significantly pressed. The plastic below the keyboard thus barely flexes, which will only be noticeable when seriously hammering this thing. You can thus expect high levels of speed and comfort when using this computer, even for long typing hours.

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  • Touchpad

    4.0/5

    This touchpad will be considered by most users to be very much suited for some quite complex tasks. Be it for office work, browsing online, or for designing, reviewers thought this trackpad to be convincing. For gaming however, an external mouse is needed. The touchpad button comes nothing short of what the rest of the trackpad provides for: The feedback is accurate, the feel is smooth, and the size is well suited for medium to large displays. This trackpad helps you in quickly adjusting to your new computer

    • Touchpad Surface

       : 

      5.0/5

      The touchpad surface of this keyboard is nothing short of perfect. The manufacturer has managed to keep the tricky balance of smoothness and resistance. The touchpad feels great, accommodating for users requiring either relative roughness against sweaty finger, or smoothness to help with sliding across the screen. No matter your needs, this surface will not disappoint you.

    • Sensitivity

       : 

      3.0/5

      Your expectations of an accurate touchpad should be generally satisfied. The levels of precision and speed provided by this touchpad are quite decent, and for most users, this touchpad will be just enough for daily use. Although the accuracy can be fine tuned in the Windows or Mac settings, the basic accuracy hardware wise is enough.

    • Touchpad Size

       : 

      4.0/5

      The size of this touchpad allows for navigating large displays with no problem. The users will not need to worry at all about inconveniences such as with excessive scrolling or getting an extra mouse, as this touchpad answers all these needs quite convincingly. You will most probably not need to turn the sensitivity settings up, as you will not need to make your mouse move any faster. Keeping your sensitivity settings low will ensure that you will enjoy higher touchpad accuracy.

    • Buttons

       : 

      4.0/5

      The feedback of the trackpad’s buttons will fulfil the needs of most users. The well defined pressure point gives adequate feedback, making it clear when and where the buttons have been pushed. Therefore they are efficient for most activities, even those requiring high levels of precision such as picture editing. Nearby individuals will rarely be disturbed by the unobtrusive and soft button’s clicking sound.

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  • Battery Surfing

    3:42 h

    This battery life should be enough for users planning to spend just a bit over a couple of hours away from a power source. If you want, for example, to check your emails in the garden, or during a short train ride, you should make sure that your display is set on low brightness. You should as well turn on your energy saving mode, and avoid running any other parallel programs other than the one you are using. With all these precautions, this battery might still not be enough for you, in this case you should have a second battery to secure longer working hours away from a power socket.

    • Battery DVD/Video

      3:07 h

      The laptop will last for 3 to 4 hours when used for performance demanding applications such as watching movies. Other tasks such as turning the brightness all the way up, playing music in the background, or streaming online videos will stress your battery as well. Playing games will use the battery up even faster, so if you want to use your notebook for some time, you might want to avoid it all together. Buying an additional battery could be quite expensive, but it will allow you to double the time you can stay without a power plug.

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  • Weight

    5.07 lbs

    This computer is for most users still comfortable to carry around, although for those used to lighter computers, it might seem a bit heavy at the beginning. Mobile users will most probably need a somehow large bag to carry this laptop around, a backpack in this case would be ideal. Even when factoring the extra weight of the charger, walking with this computer will still be fine for most users.

  • Noise

    3.0/5

    Most users will find the laptop to be on the quiet side. There is some noise emitted from the fan, the CD drive and other laptop parts, yet most will not experience any inconveniences due to it. Noise sensitive people might opt for an even quieter computer.

    • Noise Idle

       : 

      4.0/5

      Normally you do not notice the noise of the laptop ventilation while idle.

    • Noise Normal Use

       : 

      3.0/5

      Noise emitted from this laptop will not cause any major inconveniences when doing office work or browsing the Internet. Although it might be be noticeable in a quite room, it should not be obstructing your concentration.

    • Noise Full Load

       : 

      3.5/5

      When you are watching a movie, editing a video, or playing games, the noise emitted by this laptop will not be of much disturbance according to most reviewers. The degree to which you will be annoyed depends on your sensitivity and on how quiet your surroundings are.

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  • Temperature

    4.0/5

    The laptop stays cool most of the time. Most reviewers found, the heat from the notebook usually will not be uncomfortable for your fingers or legs. You can watch movies even on hot summer days without burning your legs.

    • Heat Top: Full Use

       : 

      5.0/5

      The laptop keeps quite cool at normal use. That’s very convenient.

    • Heat Top: Normal Use

       : 

      5.0/5

      The temperature on top of the notebook is excellent. It never gets too warm.

    • Heat Bottom: Normal Use

       : 

      3.0/5

      The bottom of the notebook warms up a little but is not getting too hot to place it on your lap.

    • Heat Bottom: Full Load

       : 

      3.0/5

      There can be some spot where the laptop gets warm.

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A

All external reviews  Acer  Extensa 5635Z-442G25N

Language Source URL Review Date Author

Deutsch

www.notebookjournal.de 12/9/09 Robert Tischer

Deutsch

www.cyberbloc.de 10/13/09 Kay Menzel
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Total number of reviews: 2