Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 3D Notebook Review

Dec 1 2009, 12:00am CST | by Shane McGlaun

Today I am checking out the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 3D notebook. This notebook has built-in 3D technology and requires the use of passive 3D glasses like those you might wear at the movie theater. Read on for all of the details on the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165.

Gallery

6 images

Benchmarks

Specifications
The Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 has a 15.6-inch TriDef 3D screen, Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 processor, 4GB of RAM, 320GB of storage, and graphics via Mobility Radeon 4570 GPU. The machine also has built-in WiFi, memory card reader, webcam, and a modem.

Benchmarks
The Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 was subjected to my Battery Eater Pro test, iTunes encoding test, and my Windows Media Encoding tests. Battery Eater Pro showed that at maximum performance the machine was good for 77 minutes of run time per charge. With the screen turned down to 50% brightness the battery lasted 82 minutes.

Using iTunes to encode an MP3 album of the Stone Temple Pilots Core CD form MP3 to AAC format took the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 1 minute and 49 seconds. That is a good time for the category. The Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 took 4 minutes and 4 seconds to encode the HD Magic of Flight video to DVD quality with CD quality audio for download.

In Use
After the benchmarks were done, I started using the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 as I would use any other notebook. The machine has a chicklet style keyboard that has good typing feel and well sized keys. The key spacing is good and typing feel is top notch. You can type on the keyboard for extended periods with no issues at all.

The screen and its associated TriDef 3D technology is where the big draw for the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 comes in. Acer uses technology that allows the machine to take any content and make it 3D. That means you can play your plain old DVDs in the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 optical drive and it will make the movie into 3D.

The 3D effects that the notebook provides are surprisingly good. The viewing angle has a lot to do with the quality of the 3D though. If you stray from directly in front of the screen the 3D quality declines. When directly in front of the computer screen the 3D effects are very good and add a new dimension to your favorite films and games. The screen has good color reproduction with good skin tones and contrast when in 3D mode and normal mode.

The track pad is decent with good size and the accuracy and sensitivity that you expect from a notebook track pad. The track pad also supports gestures. The sound system is good with ample volume for watching movies and playing games without a headset. Overall, the Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 is a well-rounded notebook with good 3D effects at a price that is surprisingly low for its feature set.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Good performance
3D technology
Good screen

Cons

Lots of screen glare
Only includes one set of 3D glasses

Verdict
The Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 is a great little notebook that works very well for general computing use and multimedia fans will like the 3D tech built-in as well.

9.0

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.