Acer Aspire 3 (2023 AMD Ryzen) Review

The 2023 Acer Aspire 3 is one of the most affordable 15.6” laptops on the market. It runs Windows 11 on the AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor with integrated AMD Radeon graphics. It has a full HD IPS display, WiFi 6, a good selection of ports including HDMI 2.1 and USB-C and it boasts long battery life. List price is $399. ** Get it on Amazon: amzn.to/3Fo6Xpg

[@engineering_guy]

I'm just so happy that we can get 1080p screens for this price now. I remember how bad the hd screens looked 😬

[@RidwanGosal]

And IPS display too. God forbids we still have TN panel being sold in 2023 for the same price!

[@RidwanGosal]

I spoke too soon. Just saw several laptop with 7520U or Mandecino equal being sold with TN panels. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Ozols2024]

I have same laptop but i have 12 gb ram ant 1T strige

[@vpconroy]

Love your reviews Lisa, the best laptop and mobile reviews on KZbin. Would love to see a review of the Framework Laptop as I am seriously considering purchasing one. Thanks!

[@jimmyzhao2673]

Interesting to see a review of this type of computer. I bet it would suit the needs of many people.

[@randommcranderson5155]

the issue isn't the specs, its that acer is a terrible company and they don't do good support. I had a laptop that overheated from day1 to the point where it would shut itself off. I RMA'd it they took it and said they replaced a panel. First boot I turned on a game and it did the same thing, so basically was worthless and they never tested it. lord knows I have no idea if they even did any work on it. It was a design flaw from the start. I wouldn't give an acer laptop to an enemy let alone a friend.

[@luismauriciolopezjaramillo6085]

nice video I would like to ask if you are going to make a video vs acer aspire 3 with ryzen 5 7520u vs this model just in case that could exist a big difference between this both acer aspire

[@justusandgod783]

Just picked one up for my son. Wasn't the pc I'd planned to get, but looks like it might be the right choice. Thanks for your review. I would say, the dimensions - width to depth ratio - feels very strange to me. No doubt I'll get used to it. My son is happy.

[@PachoMoncadaM]

Thank you so so so so much for this review. Straight to the point and very informative at the same time. Prime example of the perfect review!

[@weedee77]

Nice review. Thanks Lisa!

[@VashGames]

Thank you Lisa, looks like this checks my boxes.

[@alexismil]

Today a friend told me to get one of these, just in time Lisa!

[@marcd1981]

Thank you for the review. The reason I watched is that I was given this exact laptop as a gift, and have had it for about 7 months, but I have been disappointed for several reasons. The first thing you notice when you start using the laptop to watch anything is the volume is so low, you have to have it at least in the 70s or 80s just to listen while sitting at the dining room table. I went through settings that were suggested online, but there was no improvement. This is the same when using earbuds, no difference in the volume at all. Another thing I ran into early on was with the power settings when closing and re-opening the lid of the laptop. I have never been able to get the laptop to stay with any particular settings as far as having it shut down or go into sleep / standby mode. I have put the laptop to sleep from the menu settings, only to have the internet disconnected and everything I had open was now closed when I re-opened the lid. Then I tried just closing the lid without putting the laptop to sleep, but had the same results, everything disconnected and the wi-fi off when I re-opened the lid. This is just a basic watch some shows, read email, watch KZbin, take webinars type of computer for me at home. Unfortunately, this doesn't even work satisfactorily enough for these simple functions. I will not be looking at Acer for my next laptop for these reasons, as well as I have never had anyone from Acer answer any of my questions about the operational problems I've had with the laptop. No support, no future purchases, pretty simple decision.

[@ProgressOnly]

Finally a laptop for the masses! Though most of us watching blow this out of the stat and price in our dailys

[@Kennephone]

This is great for $400. Usually for this price you get something like a pentium silver, or at best a 10100, and with a crappy TN panel.

[@gmodesike]

it's 298$ now

[@hosseintajik6764]

Very coprehensive review, thanks. Please go on with these types of reviews

[@DeepteshLovesTECH]

It's lower end STEAM DECK basically. Same CPU, but lower CU count for the iGPU.

[@user-mw8rq6wv1j]

Ran into some issues just barely over a month new... First it could not read or even failed to detect external SSD occasionally. Secondly, the WIFI just went offline one day as it couldn't detect the network card... went through factory reset while keeping personal files when all else failed yet network card issue persisted (in the process it removed my antivirus causing me having to buy new license key due to oversight)... After all the hassle, somehow it restored itself after not taking any further action while I just focused on getting my work done without wifi at the end of the day... May be I just happened to get a defective unit, though I have no idea what to tell at the service center as for now it just works "normally"...

[@scharelbrown9027]

Will you do one one the s8 ultra tablet soon

[@ericb3452]

Great review. It was great to have thorough review of a quality budget PC. I did see that one of the popular US Magazines gave this 4 stars because it has respectable keyboard, screen, cpu.

[@user-lc6hs6rr7z]

Четыре заезды из каких ?

[@HarryMyhre]

Thanks!

[@JaydynDavis-ue8ez]

is it good for programming?

[@raboija]

Keep up the good reviews!

[@BenjaminLee2009]

What do you think of the screen? I have the exact laptop too with an lcd panel. Sure it's not oled but it's bright enough, it's sharp enough. I have seen better displays but I am happy with my purchase.

[@goochigoochs3836]

That CPU is 1 and half faster than my i7-8550U from 6 years ago and I still play games and run Visual Studio with ease on that one until now. Just like smart phone now-a-days, laptops are more than capable than most people can throw at it. Competetion is always great and consumers always win!

[@raymonbadongen459]

been looking for the acer aspire a315-59-598K review maybe you can make one

[@lumsdot]

i remember laptops less than 10 years ago with a 600 cpu benchmark celeron with just hd display, now we get 10k cpu benchmark and full hd ips displays for same money

[@ojchief33]

this review was really great not boring or anything. very well made

[@OmiSido]

Thanks 🙌

[@mrpicky1868]

about dual channel u sure? would realy be great to see some tests. also noise test. throttling udner load test

[@_NanasWorld]

Is this good for college students?

[@jeffkoe310]

I have a little Acer thin and light given to me by my employer. I got it new. Within a few months the headphone jack stopped working. The trackpad has really poor palm rejection ability. Acer used to be better because I have a big old Acer with Intel gen 7 i3 processor and it seemed better built, but then I don’t use it daily for hours like my work laptop.

[@mamdouhmoustafamegahed5217]

Professional Acer AMD This products laptop very beautiful

[@asan1050]

Thanks Much ! Lisa

[@marthabethlewis7348]

Thank you! And it's GREAT to see a woman reviewing tech for a change. Thinking of this computer bcs it was minimum #, but you gave me the idea I can get by w my Chromebook if I replace the lost charging cable. Still want something new, tho - ha ha! The bad thing about the keyboard - besides the low keydip - is placement of Del and Bksp next to each other. Thx again for your exceptional review! mb

[@sonomute]

what kind of sexist comment is this? what's the difference if it's a woman or a man or a donkey doing the review, as long as they're good at it??

[@bernz8429]

Can i make the ram dual channel? Or is it not upgradable?

[@BOBBIEVALINTINE]

This will be perfect for ground school

[@candykid5135]

i got the acer aspire 3 AMD 14'' model at target, and it's really good for daily office work and light gaming

[@Ashlengg]

does it have a backlight

[@candykid5135]

it does

[@Ashlengg]

@@candykid5135 how i cant open mine

[@candykid5135]

there are some models without backlight and less specs, the model i have A314-23P-R3QA

[@rodprogramdev9253]

I'm wondering why battery life only lasted for 2 hours during a ms teams call? Is that normal? Thanks

[@JareeeedTT]

I'm getting this laptop in a weeks time

[@mrengler1]

how does the iGPU compare to intel 8th gen UHD 620? i have a thinkpad T480, and i'm wondering if this one will do better at games. the 1080p IPS screen, quadcore processor, and USB-C charging interest me.

[@boredcompsciguy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2Sve56barSigsU

[@fuszz]

Is it good for gaming?

[@TheGMan.]

Great video

[@aeshmabarba]

Does it have a keyboard backlight?

[@gavinadoespranks58]

I’ve bought one brand new 2 days ago and out of the box it was really slow it was so slow it took a min and a half to open up Microsoft edge and then another minute and a half to search up a website I’ve tried to restart it hard reset it and it’s still really slow help

[@ej_tech]

That CPU is so odd. It's using cutting edge TSMC 6mn, a DDR5 only memory controller, RDNA integrated graphics, but the microarchitecture is Zen 2 for some reason. We're on Zen 4 now for reference.

[@DeepteshLovesTECH]

It's what's there in the Steam Deck with lower CU count for the RDNA2 iGPU. I believe it's called Mendoccino.

[@RidwanGosal]

​@@DeepteshLovesTECH Nope. Steam deck uses custom chip with Zen 2 and RDNA2 but on Tsmc 7nm. Mendocino is on improved 7nm fab.

[@RidwanGosal]

Because you don't always need cutting edge performance for day to day work. If you could sacrifice a few to get cheaper laptop, why not? The problem is sometimes the compromise is too much. Like subpar display, bad TouchPad and bad keyboard.

[@DSDSDS1235]

AMD just likes mixing and matching IPs for some reason

[@diablorojo3887]

Is to cut cost on RND, just glue together some modular components on the die, and to be honest, apparently works well

[@tangchuengkhai]

:) 61k views. Proven need more mid tier laptops. Not everyone needs top tier laptops for everyday used.

[@PoluKhandakar]

Does it have led on keybords

[@dianeb8988]

Thank you for this review! I bought this computer. Can you tell me if it is okay to always keep it plugged in, like a desktop, or do I have to unplug it when it reaches 100% charge? I want the longest battery lifespan. Thank you:)

[@gsmtechzambia3985]

keep it plugged in, you will be using power from the charger once battery is full

[@rokko_hates_japan]

thanks for the review! the funny thing is, this processor and ram and ssd runs circles around older computers... but M$ just can't help themselves when making Windows a bloated resource hog hell bent on making your hardware run slow and collecting and much telemetry and tracking data as possible.

[@Wowzersdude-k5c]

Wipe it and install a Linux distro.

[@purevanillacookie6534]

How do the Type C USB port work i tried mine charging but it wont work

[@sebastiaocosta4449]

the version of mine wich i buy last december (and pretty happy) is AMD RYZEN 5 RADEON GRAPHICS 7500 SERIES 8GB RAM 512 STORAGE

[@pritidongardive7645]

Hey how it's working now? I want to buy it tell me

[@rev_pizzaguy8530]

I have this laptop, main issue I have is the cut down PCIe lanes on the Ryzen 3 7320U. It only supplies a PCIe Gen 3 x2 to the SSD, so even with a faster drive, you'll only top out around 1700MB/s. I swapped in a SK Hynix P31 Gold I had laying around to bump up the capacity, but no reason to swap for speed reasons.

[@calvinji7651]

How's thermal and fan noise for this laptop? Thanks

[@rev_pizzaguy8530]

@@calvinji7651 Thermals are great. Under load, the CPU hits the max 4.1GHz turbo and is able to maintain a steady 3.7GHz clock. With a longer load (Cinebench R23), I hit a max of 92C with CPU wattage settling around 23W. That said, I repasted the heatsink with Arctic MX5 and saw a significant reduction in temps. After the repaste, I was getting a max of 80C under longer Cinebench R23 loads and holding a steady 25W. The fan does kick up under heavy loads, but under most normal usage, it doesn't even kick on. If it does kick on, it's very quiet and not bothersome at all.

[@calvinji7651]

@@rev_pizzaguy8530 Thanks for the reply. That's super helpful. The repaste sounds promising. I don't know why the review left out the thermals performance. This channel usually covers it.

[@rev_pizzaguy8530]

No problem! The tJMax on the Ryzen 3 7320U is only 95C, where the previous versions were 105C, so I imagine that's why I was seeing it throttle the wattage a little at 92C. With the extra headroom the repaste job gave it, it stays comfortably away from the tJMax and keeps the frequency up nicely.

[@rev_pizzaguy8530]

My benchmark results: 3DMark Time Spy v1.2 602 Overall, 526 Graphics Score, 3343 CPU Score PassMark v10.1 2565 PassMark Rating, 9235 CPU Mark, 309 2D Graphics Mark, 1224 3D Graphics Mark, 2009 Memory Mark, 11524 Disk Mark CPU-Z V2.0.1 401 Single Thread, 1965 Multi Thread Cinebench R23 1035 Single Core, 4769 Multi Core CrystalDiskMark v8.0.4 1203.26 MB/s Write, 1759.58 MB/s Read (SEQ1M Q8T1)

[@GlitchEmpireBrett]

Does this still hold up in 2024?

[@Dobrufusnoretro]

It charges via usb c for sure? As a truck driver it would help a lot as I got a 65w usb c car charger which I use on my surface go 2...but broke its screan hence why im looking for a replacement device... If it does indeed charge via de usb c port then its perfect

[@Dobrufusnoretro]

@@destructodisk9074 nope still dont know

[@MrQuay03]

Yes, charge via usb c

[@MrFrankieMatarrese]

Yes this charges via USB C

[@f2mel2]

Sow as heck, and I'm upgrading from a 15 year old model. 30 hours of setup time. The sound on my headset is half that of my old laptop.

[@justaguy-69]

i have that with 32 gigs ram and 1.5 gigs of ssd hd. it flies...

[@cajsalindahlmusic]

Ok, I have a stupid question I think… I am a student and on a budget and thinking for getting this laptop, but not only for studies. I do study streams on twitch and I wanna be able to steam that from this computer, but will it be able to handle that? Not stream games, I know I need a gaming laptop for that, but simple “just chatting” study streams. I tried to ask in the store and they thought it could handle it but it was an “I think” in there so I am unsure.

[@Ice0395]

It's not a stupid question. This will handle simple streaming of that sort just fine. Cam isn't the best though, would recommend an external. They aren't that expensive these days.

[@cajsalindahlmusic]

@@Ice0395 thank you so much for an answer! Yes, there will be another cam and probably mic as well. :)

[@johnv3750]

Can anyone tell me if it’s an SATA SSD or M.2 drive before I tear it apart? Edit: it says soldered m.2, so no chance at upgrading the drive?

[@z00mer]

Anyone run Citrix Workspace on this? I want to use it for work.

[@RileyPiley69]

How can I disable S mode

[@natskar]

I was really hoping it was RAM upgradable, I do love the price, but I don't think 8gb could keep up long term

[@llowe1503]

Why does mine have noticeable lags when simply opening non heavy multiple windows? Should I get a RAM upgrade 16GB?

[@reboxtherapy]

well, the last acer I bought claimed to have an SSD, but it was not.

[@prismaticbeetle3194]

400 $ and below this looks like a great work laptop

[@NintenAirwaves-uz4it]

Will it work on triple a games while streaming on yt?

[@MrFrankieMatarrese]

No, this is very barebones. It's not a gaming system

[@diablorojo3887]

Looks a good machine to put Linux mint and go, BUT Acer track record on design flaws ....

[@bryandiel6773]

what is a good laptop my daughter can do schoolwork on, but still do light gaming like Minecraft and Roblox, and stream you tube videos and music??? She always uses headphones so speakers do not matter.

[@user-wi7gf2sn7r]

ME TOO HAVE YOU FOUND ONE? Please I worked hard for 800 dollars to get it I'm 15

[@nate6000]

@@user-wi7gf2sn7r Acer has these for on sale for $300 right now. Install Windows 10 instead of Windows 11 and this will be just fine if you're not a gamer.

[@tidus1ph]

Nice! 😁

[@TheAntiTryhard]

Perfect Laptop for university

[@cheezymoser]

I don't understand why they don't put the biggest possible battery in these half empty things. the battery life they would get would blow away the people buying something like that.

[@_Scorpionbabe_]

I just bought mine 3 days ago and when I say the battery life is 💩, I mean it. I charged it to 100% , turned on and went to do something for less than 5mins. I come back to 85 % battery left 🤨

[@shade221]

what i dont understand is all the unused room for additional ports. the battery isn't in the way obviously, so why not a few more USB A and C so we can plug in a keyboard/mouse and more without a hub?

[@christian3309]

@@_Scorpionbabe_ something is wrong with your battery, that isn't normal.

[@_Scorpionbabe_]

@@christian3309 that’s what I told them when I took it back. And it was a new laptop too but nope they just swapped me for the SAME one but “newer” but same battery issue 🤦🏾‍♀️ It’s the laptop itself too

[@christian3309]

@@_Scorpionbabe_ that's strange? Sorry for the bad luck with it.. That's no fun

[@LunaLiamYTchannel]

hi is this.good for gaming?

[@nicol2487]

I play Resident Evil 4 Remake, The new modern warfare 3 and world of Warcraft in it, so sure

[@alainbibi0047]

Hey, a thumbs-up even if you articulate like a blender👍😓

[@fiacassa]

How to enable keyboard backlight? I'm having a problem with it, I can't find it :

[@fiacassa]

Please, reply badly need

[@fiacassa]

thank you ❤

[@gsmtechzambia3985]

it's not available

[@melonlemon8548]

Can I put a video graphics card?

[@rottnmic]

No it's only for computers

[@melonlemon8548]

@@rottnmic thank you!

[@rottnmic]

Wait sorry im wrong i just researched and according to google " Yes, you can use an external GPU with a laptop, provided that it has a compatible Thunderbolt™ 3 or universal serial bus type-C (USB-C) port. This allows you to add extra graphics power to your laptop, improving its gaming and graphics performance" sorry.​@@melonlemon8548

[@davejohnson2134]

These cheap laptops always have to cut corners and the display is always going to be first corner to cut. The next corner is using plastic instead of metal. And finally they'll use older parts from the company's part bin.

[@mrmar-que6307]

What labtop would you recommend in the $500 range?

[@sophieedel6324]

My last AMD laptop was a battery hog, seems like nothing has changed. I'll be on the look-out for a Windows ARM laptop or Macbook that seem to have much better battery life.

[@Wowzersdude-k5c]

A Mac book will run you $1,500. Not really fair to compare it to a $300 laptop.

[@jasonbourne1076]

You look a lot like Leslie Winkle from Big Bang Theory.

[@racingheart92]

With so much space at front but still poor small speakers 😭

[@adityapatnaik7078]

Authentic

[@BVLVI]

AAANnd the steam deck is a completely capable pc for 360 bucks. Add adapters and screen and Bluetooth +200 and it destroys anything twice as expensive.

[@MrQuay03]

Not as user friendly carry all those around with you

[@Cccoast]

Lisa…. Did you just read my mind?!

[@aneeshprasobhan]

yes

[@jamminninja8924]

this laptop isnt worth 5 dollars . absolute scam. wifi constantly dropping when nothing else that uses it does. terrible .

[@user-wi7gf2sn7r]

CAN I PLAY ROBLOX ON IT?

[@Cleisthenes607]

I wish you could get a decent laptop under $500 but you really can't anymore.

[@stanislavsidorovich6242]

Vivobook 8/512 with an i3 1220p is sometimes on sale for ~500$ (X1502ZA-BQ875) in Kazakhstan. May be same goes for a country you are living in. At least it has a quite productive cpu for the price.

[@jameswhite7693]

Wh6 is she talking so fast, plus can she speak plain and clear english

[@gsm156]

So it's essentially a piece of junk!

[@vmafarah9473]

1700MB/s SSd is usable . and 4.1 Ghz turbo can help in apps require high single core clock. Premium looking, 15 Hr battery life. Its a good laptop for the price. GTA V 720p normal 60fps.

[@Allenzo04]

I mean it's a work laptop for office / media consumption, not a gaming laptop.

[@ArthropodSpidey]

Windows 11 in S mode :(

[@mobiletechreview]

Ours actually shipping in Windows 11 Home mode. But switching from S mode to Home can be done for free with a visit to Windows settings.

[@01322521959]

Thanks for this review. I am seriously thinking of buying this laptop. Great value and the spec exceeds my .. er 2009 PC running Windows 7!