Need a speedy Chromebook? The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is more likely to land close to the highest of your seek. Powered through AMD’s six-core Ryzen 5 5625C processor, the Spin 514 gives an alternative choice to competition with the Intel Core i5-1240P and delivers giant good points over Chromebooks with Qualcomm or MediaTek {hardware}. On the other hand, the ones in quest of price range computer thrills might to find the Home windows choices extra interesting.

Searching for extra choices? Take a look at our roundup of the most productive Chromebooks.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Specifications and lines

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is powered through AMD’s Ryzen 5 5625C, a six-core, 12-thread processor that incorporates AMD Radeon Graphics with seven graphics cores. It’s beefy {hardware} for a Chromebook, and the configuration examined represents a top rate style. Acer sells a number of much less tough variations of the Spin 514 with Ryzen 3 processors.

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5625C 
• Reminiscence: 8GB LPDDR4X
• Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics 
• Show: 1920 x 1080 IPS Touchscreen
• Garage: 128GB 
• Webcam: 720p
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 with Energy Supply and DisplayPort Exchange Mode, 1x USB-A three.2 Gen 1, HDMI, 3.5mm Audio-out
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capability: 39 watt-hour
• Dimensions: 11.81 x 9.25 x .64 inches
• Weight: 3.31 kilos
• MSRP: $699.99

Top rate {hardware} comes at a top rate value (for a Chromebook). The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 with AMD Ryzen 5 5625C will set consumers again virtually $700 at MSRP. Much less performant fashions are more cost effective, then again: variations with the AMD Ryzen 3 3250C and part as a lot RAM and garage are below $400 at some on-line outlets.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Design and construct high quality

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 isn’t a lavish computer, and doesn’t glance distinctive: if now not for a chrome Acer brand at the lid, most of the people would by no means know who made it. But it’s useful, strong, and modestly sumptuous. A lot of the chassis is constructed from steel, the show bezels are skinny, and the internal gifts a sublime distinction of silver and black surfaces.

As its identify implies, the Chromebook Spin 514 features a 360-degree hinge and touchscreen. The show folds again to be used as a pill, or to make use of the keyboard as a kickstand for the show. This versatility is preferred and in truth helpful. I incessantly use 2-in-1s as a pill when reclining in a chair and breezing in the course of the day’s headlines. 

On the other hand, the Spin 514 is simply too huge to switch a pill in lots of scenarios. It weighs over 3 kilos and measures .64 inches thick, making it more or less two times the dimensions and heft of a 12.9-inch iPad Professional, and over thrice heavier than an iPad Air. It’s awkward to carry with one hand and clumsy to make use of as an e-reader when mendacity in mattress.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Matthew Smith

Thankfully, the Chromebook Spin 514 is a significantly better computer than this can be a pill. Actually, the Spin 514 is a brilliant computer for elementary, day by day use.

Credit score the keyboard. The Spin 514’s chassis supplies considerable area for a large keyboard structure with huge, simply situated keys. The left-side Shift, Keep watch over, and Alt keys are large, and the serve as keys (which come with strengthen for the standard Chrome OS serve as row shortcuts) are higher than the ones discovered on Home windows or Mac choices. 

Key really feel is superb, too, with deep shuttle and a company, tactile backside motion that ends with a mild however pleasing click on. Contact typists will fly around the keyboard in no-time, whilst those that take the hunt-and-peck manner will briefly to find the right kind key. A backlit keyboard is same old, making keys readable in a gloomy room.

The touchpad is superb, too. It’s spacious, measuring about 4.75 inches broad and three.25 inches thick, and has a clean low-friction floor. Multi-touch gestures are simple to make use of (regardless that Chrome OS helps fewer than Home windows or MacOS). And regardless that the touchpad is pleasing, the touchscreen gives another choice that may be helpful when navigating Android apps or internet apps constructed for cellular units.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Show, audio

IDG / Matthew Smith

Acer ships the Chromebook Spin 514 with an IPS touchscreen that boasts 1920×1080 answer. This isn’t the most productive show you’ll to find on a Chromebook from Acer: the Spin 513 has a extra pixel-dense 13.5-inch 2256×1504 display screen, which is as crisp and engaging as a recent potato chip. Nonetheless, the Spin 514’s show seems masses sharp.

Solution apart, Spin 514’s symbol high quality is just right however now not nice. The most important downside? Brightness. I measured a most brightness of simplest 312 nits, which is masses for day by day use indoors however insufficient when used outside or close to a sunlit window. The show’s shiny coating doesn’t assist issues and displays transparent, brilliant reflections that distract from what’s on-screen. Put merely: the Spin 514 is a computer very best left indoors (and clear of home windows).

The show’s distinction and colour efficiency are ok for a contemporary computer. 1080p video content material seems lifelike and shiny. On the other hand, the IPS show is harassed through new laptops with OLED displays, a few of which might be priced only one to 200 bucks upper than the Spin 514. OLED laptops be offering an growth against this and colour efficiency that most of the people will simply realize and like. The Spin 514’s low brightness stays a priority: LCD computer displays are incessantly brighter than OLED, however that’s now not true right here.

A couple of upward-firing audio system give you the Spin 514’s audio. They’re now not superb, however loud sufficient at most quantity to fill an place of work with sound. The audio system paintings very best with podcasts and video content material, as loud track may cause unsightly distortion. 

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

A 1080p webcam with a bodily privateness shutter is squeezed into the computer’s height bezel. It’s a pleasant improve over a 720p digicam and delivers a transparent growth in sharpness. Colour replica could also be just right in a well-lit room. Publicity used to be incessantly a little off, regardless that, inflicting giant swings in my pores and skin tone. 

The integrated is not anything particular, nevertheless it does the task. Backup noise will incessantly be picked up, however recordings of my voice presented just right quantity and appeared simple to grasp when performed again. It’s high quality for many video calls.

The computer doesn’t be offering biometric login.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Connectivity

IDG / Matthew Smith

Acer leans into future-proof connectivity with a couple of USB-C ports, one on each and every aspect. The computer ships with a USB-C charger and each ports strengthen USB Energy Supply, so both can be utilized to energy and fee the Chromebook. The ports even have DisplayPort Exchange Mode and can be utilized as video output to a USB-C observe (or different displays, with suitable adapter). 

The USB-C ports are joined through a unmarried USB-A port, HDMI-out, and three.5mm audio out. I’d want to look a 2nd USB-A port and a MicroSD card reader. Nonetheless, the Spin 514’s connectivity must be sufficient for most of the people.

Wi-fi choices come with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Wi-Fi efficiency used to be rapid and dependable in my checking out, reaching about 250 Mbps two rooms clear of my router and as much as 80 Mbps in an external place of work 60 toes clear of the router.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Efficiency

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is to be had with a number of AMD Ryzen processors together with the six-core, 12-thread AMD Ryzen 5 5625C. It comes paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of cast state garage which, once more, is top-notch for a Chromebook.

Unsurprisingly, the tough processor delivered superb ends up in benchmarks.

• CrXPRT 2 efficiency rating: 199
• Speedometer 2.0: 210
• Basemark Internet 3.0: 1024.38
• Kraken Javascript 1.1: 522.6
• Jetstream: 222.991

Those rankings defeat the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 with Intel Core i5-1135G7. In CrXPT 2, the Spin 514’s rating of 199 simply exceeds the Spin 713, which hit 164, and demolishes the Snapdragon-powered HP Chromebook x2 11’s rating of simply 52. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5 with Intel Pentium Gold 7505 additionally falls in the back of with a rating of 124.

The Spin 514 loses in opposition to the Framework Pc Chromebook with an Intel Core i5-1240P processor, nevertheless it’s a detailed contest. The Intel Core i5-1240P within the Framework is ready 5 % faster than the Spin 514 total. That’s now not a noticeable distinction and the 2 will appear equivalent in conventional use.

Actual-world efficiency feels as snappy because the Spin 514’s benchmark rankings counsel. Juggling many browser tabs isn’t an issue. New apps open in a blink. Information switch briefly. To be fair, the Spin 514’s is overkill for the duties maximum Chrome OS customers are more likely to ask of it, however the further efficiency headroom will assist future-proof the computer.

Whilst the Spin 514 plays effectively, the Home windows festival should be discussed. Acer’s Aspire 5 with Ryzen 5 5500U, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of garage may also be discovered for less than $700. The similar is right of Lenovo IdeaPad and Flex fashions, HP’s entry-level 14-inch and 15-inch laptops, and Dell’s Inspiron line. The larger RAM and garage in Home windows choices will permit them to perform duties the Spin 514 can’t deal with. 

What about video games? It’s a mixture bag. Android video games don’t seem to be dependable, most likely because of the Spin 514’s x86-based {hardware}, which differs considerably from that present in maximum Android units. Name of Responsibility: Cell crashed to the desktop after the release display screen. Pokemon Unite introduced, however I couldn’t get the sport previous the login display screen. Asphalt 8 used to be playable, a minimum of, and gave the impression to run at an appropriate body price.

Cloud gaming is a more sensible choice and works effectively over Wi-Fi 6. I introduced Nvidia GeForce Now to revel in an hour of Marvels’ Guardians of the Galaxy at 1080p answer with Extremely settings and ray tracing enabled. It regarded as beautiful because it does in the community on a high-end video card. On the other hand, GeForce Now works similarly effectively on much less succesful {hardware}, so the Spin 514 can’t take credit score for this outcome.

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Battery lifestyles

The AMD Ryzen 5625C is mighty, nevertheless it has a default thermal design energy of simply 15 watts and is in a position to sipping energy when wanted. The computer lasted 13 hours and 13 mins within the CrXPRT 2 battery lifestyles check. That’s proper on par with the Framework Pc Chromebook and simply quite wanting the older Acer Spin 713. 

In real-world use, the computer can remaining even longer in gentle use equivalent to streaming video or operating in Google Doctors with the show set at a low point of brightness. The computer can deal with an eight-hour workday with a minimum of a pair hours of battery left within the tank. 

Acer Chromebook Spin 514: Conclusion

The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 is one of the fastest Chromebooks these days to be had, defeated simplest through choices with Intel’s Core i5-1240P processor (and it’s a detailed name). The Spin 514 additionally advantages from a super keyboard, great touchpad, horny show, lengthy battery lifestyles, and helpful USB-C ports. 

Pricing is the impediment. The Spin 514’s ticket of virtually $700 feels dear when in comparison to Home windows laptops. The Acer Aspire 5, Lenovo IdeaPad 5, and HP 14 be offering identical processors at identical costs however have extra RAM and cast state garage. The Spin 514 is to be had in more cost effective configurations, then again. They’re a more sensible choice for most of the people, turning in lots of the Spin 514’s perks with a modest (and appropriate) relief in efficiency.