Acer Aspire 4520 Laptop Computer Review

When buying your first laptop, you should definitely take more things into account than price. You can trust me on this one, I had to learn the hard way. I was looking through ads for sales, when I found that staples had a new Acer Aspire 4520 for $350. Woah, crazy good deal right? Well, never has the phrase, "you get what you pay for" been more true.

At first, I had few problems. Any problems that I did have were all Vista-related. But, I could write a novel on all the things I hate about Vista. That's not what this article is about.

I've now had the laptop for slightly less than a year. I got it in January, and as I write this, it is December. Somehow, in less than 11 months this laptop has developed a plethora of problems that I never saw coming. It's acceptable that most laptops will crash at some point in their lifespan. Mine has what I would call a "miniature-crash" at least once, every time I use it. What I mean by that is I don't lose any valued information... if I do things right. It usually happens when I move the screen closer or further, but sometimes happens randomly. The screen goes completely white, for no apparent reason. It stays that way until I close the screen and wait for the computer to go into standby mode. Then, I open it and login again. As I said, this happens daily, sometimes more than once. The laptop has had an actual crash, where the computer shut down entirely twice since I have had it. Although, this is more often than most computers, it happens so seldom compared to the other defects that I almost forgot to mention it.

Aside from that, the wi-fi connection, "Signal Up" that is boasted on their website, is almost worthless unless you are right next to a router. It loses the signal often, and sometimes cannot connect at all. I decided to test this. I had a friend bring his laptop, and we sat right next to each other. My laptop could not connect to the internet at all. His laptop had a full signal. Because, all Acer laptops use this "innovative technology," I would expect it from any Acer product.

Also, I have found that if I touch the top left corner of the laptop, that it actually shocks me. Let me say that again so you understand. This computer electrocutes me! It's the equivalent of touching a doorknob while walking through your house in socks. It's nothing that will harm you, but laptops are not supposed to shock you. That's not a feature that Mac is trying to install.

In minor details, the design is not very strong. Simply dropping it or jarring it too hard could potentially destroy it, but that is obvious before buying it. I was willing to sacrifice strength for price, and maybe you are too. I was going to do a paragraph or so on the pros of this laptop, because I like to present both sides of any argument when reviewing something. However, this is a basic laptop. It has everything that any other laptop has, but it comes with a box full of problems as well. So, take my advice please and pass this laptop by. I know the low price is attractive, but so is the price of a Hasbro laptop. That doesn't mean you should buy it. Actually, you might be better off with a Hasbro laptop... I mean, at least it won't electrocute you.