Acer Extensa 5220 is an attractive office laptop that includes a single-core processor and is affordable. The device is suitable for everyone who needs an inexpensive second laptop computer or a PC replacement for office work or the Internet.
Housing
Notebook Acer Extensa 5220 has a performance that is sufficient for processing mail, tables, text, web pages. Simple multimedia and photo programs will also function stably. The device has an attractive appearance. The beveled parts give the construction a special harmony. Note that a dark gray color prevails in the surface finish of the display lid. It is made of plastic.
The Acer Extensa 5220 is 36 x 26.7 x 4.1 cm and weighs 2.9 kg. At the same time, the loops move easily, each position is held confidently. There is a strong display frame. She does not creak while adjusting the opening angle. Missing webcam.
During transportation, do not allow sharp or heavy elements to affect the screen cover, as it is incredibly sensitive to scratches and pressure. The quality of workmanship and the choice of materials do not cause any complaints. The cost of the Acer Extensa 5220 is no less pleasing. The price set by the manufacturer does not exceed 400 euros. Very durable housing. Squeaks are rarely heard if you take the laptop in one hand. High-quality plastic is used, which is pleasant to the touch.
Interfaces
We have already managed to get first impressions of the Acer Extensa 5220 laptop. The characteristics of various communication modules will be described later. The device received 7 hot keys on the left side of the keyboard. This approach cannot be called typical for the declared price category. The keys are used to work with the browser or mail, as well as launch a specific application. In this case, one button is configured at the request of the owner. There are 2 switches on the front - for Bluetooth and Wireless LAN. The first element does not make sense. The fact is that there is no built-in Bluetooth. Equipped with interfaces can be called decent, given the starting level of the laptop. There is a fast Firewire, 4 USB 2.0 ports, as well as S-Video out. There are also two interesting ExpressCard / 54 and PC-Card slots.
In the front part there are stereo speakers, a WLAN switch, an infrared port, headphones, a microphone, and a card reader. Now look at the back side. There is a fan, power connector, 54k-modem, as well as three USB-2.0.
On the left side you can find PC-Card, ExpressCard / 54, Firewire, S-Video, VGA, Gigabit-LAN, Kensington Lock. There is one USB-2.0 port. The DVD drive is on the right side. Among other things, the set of interfaces includes 3 audio outputs and a card reader.
We can conclude that the device provides a complete set of communication elements. The only exception is Bluetooth. Thanks to the Wireless LAN module, a wireless connection to the Network is carried out at a speed of 54 Mbps. Using the infrared port, you can exchange data with mobile devices. A wired connection is implemented through a Gigabit-LAN. There is also a modem port. It is required with an analog connection.
Input Devices
The touchpad and keyboard quality of the Acer Extensa 5220 is incredibly good. There are 89 buttons. The keyboard is slightly convex. This design made it possible to increase ergonomics. However, the keys are a little loose. The stroke is short and good return. The keyboard is quiet. The layout is standard. The keyboard area is not springy when printing and is stable. The large size of the touchpad allows precise and convenient control of the cursor. The surface is pleasant to the touch and has good glide. The touchpad can be disabled using the keyboard shortcut Fn + F7. The scroll area is not indicated. The touchpad keys are noisy. The internal mechanism sways slightly. However, the scroll key allows you to view large documents in a short time.
Display
Acer Extensa 5220 has a flat 15.4-inch screen with a matte surface. The widescreen display received a 16:10 format and almost does not reflect foreign objects. WXGA resolution can be called standard - 1280 x 800 pixels. In office mode, the maximum brightness levels reach 213.8 cd / m2. The average level of 198 units can be considered quite impressive. The above characteristics allow you to work with a laptop even on the street.
The device received good display illumination and contrast. The dependence on the selected viewing angle is average in the horizontal direction, and significant in the vertical direction. The colors got a bluish tint, but the brightness is good.
Performance
Let's see how fast the Acer Extensa 5220 laptop can be. Windows XP is the preferred operating system for this device, as it only has 512 MB of RAM. The laptop often has to exchange data between a hard disk with a capacity of 80 GB and RAM. The main information storage device Scorpio WD800BEVS has an average data transfer rate of 35.9 Mb / s. Frequent swapping reduces performance. For optimal performance, we recommend increasing the amount of RAM to 1 or 2 GB. This way you can achieve better performance while working with applications.
Games
An integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics card is enough for various office applications, as well as multimedia programs. You can install undemanding games. However, laptop performance is not enough for various demanding applications.
Other characteristics
The laptop fan is almost always audible, but this does not interfere or distract from work, regardless of the mode of use. The noise floor is 34.2 dB. The laptop is incredibly comfortable in terms of heating both from the bottom and from the top. In this case, the maximum temperature reaches 36 degrees. In this case, the main elements, including the area intended for the palms, remain cold. They maintain body temperature even during prolonged use. Case heating is generally negligible.
Small speakers do not have good sound quality. The bass is barely audible. However, the sound of medium tones in conditions of low volume is not satisfactory. Good quality can be achieved through the analog headphone port.
The power consumption of the device under conditions of energy conservation reaches 20 watts. This indicator remains moderate even in the case of a full load - 49.7 watts. Note that the battery life is on average about 2 hours 19 minutes. In this case, we are talking about the necessary minimum. Under high load conditions, the laptop provides about 70 minutes of battery life. Greater mobility can be achieved by the additional purchase of an 8-cell battery at 71 watts / hour. However, remember that the plastic foot is attached directly to the battery. If you remove the factory battery, the device will become unstable.
This model is a good choice based on value for money. It is suitable for those who need a beautiful and well-equipped office laptop. At the same time, performance should not be of great importance to the future user. Now you know everything about the Acer Extensa 5220 laptop, the technical characteristics of which were discussed above.
Consumer opinion
In this section, we will try to summarize the reviews about the laptop that its users leave. Owners recognize that the device is great for work, but the RAM needs to be expanded. Also in the reviews it is noted that undemanding games work well. The price is recognized as appropriate for the quality, and the resistance to damage is incredible.