Buy Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop (Mesh Black)Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop (Mesh Black) Review
| List Price: | $549.99 |
| Price: | $489.95 |
| You Save: | $60.04 (11%) |
Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop Details
- The Acer Aspire AS5742Z Notebook offers powerful performance, the latest connectivity technology and rich media features for a fast, responsive PC experience.
- Enjoy cinematic brilliance on the 15.6" HD CineCrystal widescreen LCD Display
- With the power of an Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor you can keep pace with daily tasks such as email, Internet, homework, and managing household budgets.
- Windows 7 Home Premium makes the things you do every day easier and with Office Starter 2010, experience new ways to deliver your best work!
- Always be connected to your friends, email and favorite websites with 802.11b/g/n WiFi CERTIFIED wireless connectivity and Gigabit Ethernet LAN.
Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop Description
The Acer Aspire AS5742Z notebook PC (model AS5742Z-4685) offers powerful performance, the latest connectivity technology, and rich media features for a fast, responsive PC experience. Start with a gorgeous 15.6-inch widescreen LCD display with built-in HD webcam and the power of an Intel Pentium processor, then throw in cool convenience features and the new Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and you have everything you need within reach to power through daily tasks and enjoy your media wherever you are.
The notebook's rounded edges and smooth lines bring a slenderized look while the textured mesh black cover brings a rich appearance and prevents fingerprints and scratches. The full size keyboard extends to a dedicated numeric keypad making number key in's quick.
Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers on the Multi-Gesture Touchpad for an intuitive navigation of web pages, photos, and more. A Touchpad Lock Function Key prevents accidental cursor movement from your wrists and fingers while typing.
The 1.3-megapixel HD webcam lets you go face to face in online chats and VOIPs with a 1280 x 1024 resolution, and you can go even bigger by easily connecting to your HDTV via the HDMI port--delivering crisp high-quality visuals and high-fidelity audio through a single cable.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.
It also comes with the following software:
The TouchPad can also be disabled with a one-touch button, eliminating accidental cursor movement with palms and wrists when using an external mouse.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.
And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings
Enjoy smart performance and a seamless visual experience with the Acer Aspire AS5742.
Pinch, flick and swirl your fingers on the Multi-Gesture Touchpad for an intuitive navigation of web pages, photos, and more. A Touchpad Lock Function Key prevents accidental cursor movement from your wrists and fingers while typing.
The 1.3-megapixel HD webcam lets you go face to face in online chats and VOIPs with a 1280 x 1024 resolution, and you can go even bigger by easily connecting to your HDTV via the HDMI port--delivering crisp high-quality visuals and high-fidelity audio through a single cable.
The textured black mesh cover brings a rich appearance while also preventing fingerprints and scratches.
Key Features
- 15.6-inch HD widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit display with native 720p HD resolution (1366 x 768), high-brightness (200-nit), and 16:9 aspect ratio.
- 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium P6100 dual-core processor (3 MB L3 cache)
- 320 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
- 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (1066 MHz)
- Intel HD Graphics (with 128 MB of dedicated system memory) provides an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and excellent 3D capabilities with support for Microsoft DirectX 10 games--an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing.
- 8x SuperMulti DVD±R/RW drive can also write to CD, DVD-RAM, and dual-layer (DL) DVD±R discs--which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data.
- 1.3-megapixel HD webcam lets you go face to face in online chats and VOIPs with 1280 x 1024 resolution, and easily take still pictures and videos that you can share with friends.
- Built-in speaker
- Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) for ultra-fast connectivity to home and business networks.
- Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)
- Multi-Gesture Touchpad allows you to pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites such as Google Earth. It also enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through Web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.
- 2-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD) & MultiMediaCard (MMC)
- 3 USB ports
- HDMI high-definition audio/video output allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video to your digital TV or LCD
- Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
- Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
- Acer Backup Manager Software enables you to set up backup your valuable data or media portfolio with ease, and protect your assets intelligently and quickly.
- 6-cell battery (4400 mAh)
- Weight: 5.74 pounds
- Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty
What's in the Box
This package contains the Acer Aspire AS5742Z-4685 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructionsIt also comes with the following software:
McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version); Norton Online Backup; NTI Media Maker; Windows Live Essentials; Microsoft Office Starter 2010 (reduced-functionality and advertising; Office 2010 product key can be purchased to activate preloaded suite)
Learn More
The Acer Multi-Gesture Touchpad
A Multi-Gesture Touchpad allows you to pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites. The Multi-Gesture Touchpad enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through Web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.The TouchPad can also be disabled with a one-touch button, eliminating accidental cursor movement with palms and wrists when using an external mouse.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings
Product Description
Acer AS5742Z-4685 Notebook comes with these specs: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor P6100, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), 15.6" HD Widescreen CineCrystal LCD Display, Mobile Intel HM55 Express Chipset, 4096MB DDR3 1066MHz Memory, Intel HD Graphics, 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, 8X DVD-SuperMulti Double-Layer Drive, Built-in 1.3MP HD Webcam (1280 x 1024), 2-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support, 802.11b/g/n WiFi CERTIFIED, 3 - USB 2.0 Ports, HDMI Port, Multi-gesture Touchpad, 6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh), up to 3.5-hours of battery life, 5.74 lbs. | 2.6 kg (system unit only), AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, Microsoft Office Starter 2010, McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial (60-day trial)
Review 1 - Very impressive laptop for the price
I'm a somewhat advanced computer user and had been looking at laptops for a while before buying the Acer AS5742Z-4685. I dug into all of the specs of about 6 different models and zeroed in on this one as the best value. The price point was above the $300 I spent on our 'family' laptop a year ago, but I'm glad I spent the extra $100 (check out some of the private sellers' prices). Pros: Crystal-clear LED screen, fast computing, great multi-tasking, not too much crap-ware pre-installed, lightweight, and easy-to-use keyboard
Cons: Battery life is good, but not great; price point is a bit high if you're willing to wait for Black Friday or Gold Box deals... which I obviously wasn't)
Overall, this laptop is a good buy in the $500 range, a great value at the $400 level, and--if it ever goes on sale in the $300 to 350 range--don't miss your chance to buy it!
Review 2 - Fast CPU + Beautiful Display + Low Price
This is an amazing laptop. Screen is crystal clear and very bright. The top cover and spots where your wrist sit have a nice texture to them making fingerprints and smudges hard to see. The p6100 is a great budget processor. This beats down the similar price athlon II mobile processors and seems to be ahead of the old core 2's in benchmarks. The Battery life seems to be about 3.2hours while browsing the net and working with outlook and word. Keys have a great feel and the way it is designed, you really cant get food or other small objects caught under them. This laptop does have 3 usb, 1 on the left and 2 on the right.
Highly recommended!
Review 3 - Excellent Laptop, great price
Bought this laptop for about $450, free expedited shipping from Warehouse Sur+ (Amazon seller). Arrived late due to FedEx, not the fault of Amazon, Warehouse Sur+ or Acer, of course. It was double boxed for shipping, arrived in excellent condition.
Excellent finish which makes smudges hard to see. Screen is nice and big, crystal clear. We have 4 Acer monitors and all work very well. Not a single issue with them and two are several years old, so we were pretty sure Acer would make a good laptop as well.
The laptop comes with Windows 7 Home Premium but no DVD for it so you can't reinstall easily. The key code for it is on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop, so if you get an OEM Windows 7 DVD that key should work to reinstall Windows 7. It also comes with some craplets, but you might be interested in McAfee's antivirus (we weren't, we use Microsofts Security Essentials, free download from MS with an authenticated Windows system).
We reformatted the hard drive into multiple partitions and installed Windows 7 64bit Ultimate (we use BitLocker drive data encryption for data on the laptop and on the USB drives). The reformat and reinstall worked just fine (and no craplets!). Since there is no disk with the system, there were a lot of missing drivers (for the network card, wireless device, several Intel drivers, the camera, etc). All were easy to find at the Acer web site (get them beforehand, unless you have another computer to download with).
Once we added the network driver, we could instantly see the local network computers and printers, and internet. Once that was found, we went to Microsoft Updates and that seemed to find most the other drivers for updating, including the video card drivers. The Acer website for the AS5742Z lists drivers for both AMD video cards and nVidia, although you probably don't want or need both, and they are large files. The Microsoft Update website detected and installed the appropriate video driver, which makes life a lot easier.
If you decide you want to install Windows XP (we tried just to check if it works) it does run fine, although we did have to go into the BIOS at boot up and change the SATA setting to IDE. The default value crashes XP during installation. That's a minor issue, since Windows 7 is so much better anyway. If you use the normal 32 bit XP, you won't use all of the 4GB of ram; you need the 64 bit operating systems to do that, which is why Acer provides the Windows 7 64 bit version.
The laptop has 3 USB ports, two on the right side, one on the left. We put USB thumbnail drives into them all to test them and had no issues. We tried the wireless network, it was fine. We also connected to our 10/100/1000 wired network, and the laptop transferred a large file at the full 1Gbps speed. We then tried a wireless modem from Verizon, and it also worked as expected.
The keyboard is very nice for a laptop. The mouse pad on the laptop is ok, but we prefer a normal mouse. We put in a USB mouse made by Roswell (a cheapo one for $4) and it worked right away. The 4GB of RAM were fully accessible, thanks to the 64 bit operating system (both on the OEM version it came with and our own Win7 64 Ultimate).
The only thing we will get for it is a car charger. We have a standard laptop briefcase, it fits into that fine.
Overall, we are delighted with this laptop and expect to buy another one in a few months.
Review 4 - I Love Acer AS5742Z-4685 15.6-Inch Laptop!
I bought the HP G62-340US last week but returned it when I saw this Acer Aspire with 1 more GB of RAM for only $20 more at an office superstore. I am a typical home user who uses the laptop primarily for photos, web browsing, some word processing and filing taxes. Wow, I am impressed by this laptop. I especially love the number key pad on the right hand side. That's a luxury that I never had with any of my previous laptops. The keyboard is also very nice with full-size keys that did not require too much force to register. Unlike other reviewers, I did not have any ergonomic issues with the off-center touch pad. Installed Internet Explorer worked seamlessly. I was also able to download Google Chrome as an alternative web browser. So far, no complaints with this value-priced Acer Aspire.
Review 5 - Good Cheap laptop, Loved it so much
I am satisfied with the price. All features are good enough to me. Crystal clear screen, fast computation, HD built-in camera, light weight, thin size and multi-input touch-pad. I am not so sure its durability. I hope it lasts for long time.
