Budget laptops are often given parts that reflect their prices. A $600 laptop, for instance, will usually use a budget processor like an AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium and a hard drive no bigger than 320GB. You should consider yourself lucky if there's an HDMI port and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Acer, aggressive as it is, breaks this mundane cycle with the Aspire AS5745-7247 ($600 street), a desktop-replacement laptop sold at Staples that comes with a powerful Intel Core i3 processor, a 640GB hard drive, and lots of other features that you don't normally get at these prices. For breaking this mold, it replaces the Acer Aspire AS5741Z-5433 as the new Editors' Choice in the budget laptop category and takes its place as one the best laptops I've reviewed.

Design
There's the high-quality aluminum metal that Acer uses in its TimelineX series (i.e. the Aspire TimelineX AS5820T-5951 ($723 street, 4 stars)), and then there's the rest. The AS5745-7247 uses plastic to offset its premium components. The shiny, reflective surfaces collect fingerprints and smudges like a brand new mirror. Subtle line patterns are embedded into the plastic, similar to the In-Mold techniques (IMR) used by the Lenovo IdeaPad Z560 ($750 direct, 3 stars) and HP Pavilion dv6-3123cl ($599.99 list, 3.5 stars). The AS5745-7247 is as thick as its rivals, measuring 14.8 by 9.7 by 1.1 inches (HWD). At 5.2 pounds, it's lighter than both the Lenovo Z560 (5.5 lbs) and HP dv6-3123cl (5.3 lbs).

The laptop's 15.6-inch widescreen offers enough screen real-estate to enjoy a movie with two of your friends sitting beside you. The next step up would be a 17.3-inch widescreen, like the one found in the Dell Inspiron 17R-2248MRB ($850 list, 3.5 stars) and HP Pavilion dv7-4083cl ($999 list, 4 stars). Its 1,366 by 768 resolution is par for the course with every one of its 15-inch peers. Whether it's a $600 or $1000 laptop, Acer uses the same, comfortable keyboard across the board. It's of the chiclet style, made up of large square keys that are isolated from each other. And Acer even made room for a full-size numeric keypad for number crunchers. The mouse buttons make faint clicking noises, but the touchpad is roomy.

Features
Cutting corners to allow for a lower price point in budget laptops usually starts with the feature set. Acer, however, took a pleasant step in the opposite direction. The AS5745-7247 comes with a 640GB hard drive, eclipsing the capacities found in the Lenovo Z560 (500GB), Acer AS5741Z (320GB), and HP dv6-3023cl (500GB). A total of 4 USB ports is more than enough to support all your external peripherals, and an HDMI port, another feature that Acer could have easily omitted, can be found on the left side of the system. A dual-layer DVD drive is included, as well as all the usual slots and ports—VGA, Ethernet, audio jacks, and a 5-in-1 card reader.

Customers who buy this system from Staples can avail themselves of several services the retailer offers. This includes setting the new system up, data transfer from your old PC to your new one, software installation, and tech support and protection plans that range in price from $14.99 to $169.99.

Performance
This laptop has great components for the price. The AS5745-7247 ships with a 2.4GHz Core i3-370M processor, a stark contrast from the AMD Athlon II and Intel Pentiums found in the HP dv6-3123cl and Acer AS5741Z, respectively. It's a faster processor than the 2.13GHz Core i3-350M found in the Acer AS5820T-5951—a more expensive laptop. With 4GB of DDR3 memory onboard, the AS5745-7247 easily trumped the Acer AS5820T and HP dv6-3123cl in Handbrake (3:08) and Cinebench R11.5 (2.0) tests. PCMark Vantage scores (5,252) ranked the highest among its peers and came within striking distance of more expensive desktop replacements like the HP dv7-4083cl (5,677). The only task it doesn't really do well (and you wouldn't expect it to) is gaming, as its Intel integrated graphics will get you as far as online 2D gaming.

Battery life is a concession, but only if you're comparing it with the Acer AS5820T-5951, which comes with a big 62WH battery. The AS5745-7247 uses the same 48WH battery as the Acer AS5741Z (4 hours 20 minutes) and Lenovo Z560 (4:03), but lasted longer in MobileMark 2007 tests, scoring 4:37. It edged out the HP dv6-3123cl (4:38) by a minute, which came with a bigger 55WH battery. With the biggest battery in this group, the Acer AS5820T took top honors with a score of 7 hours, 37 minutes.

Acer squeezes prices like no other PC manufacturer. If it weren't for its cellar price, the Aspire AS5745-7247 would be a competent, but ordinary desktop replacement laptop. An Intel Core i3 processor, a 640GB hard drive, and good-enough battery are footnotes you wouldn't expect to find in this price range, and thus, it's the best laptop in the budget category.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
Check out the test scores for the Acer Aspire AS5745-7247

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Acer Aspire AS5745-7247 with several other laptops side by side.