Acer Laptop Aspire 5 i5-8265U, 8GB Memory, 512GB SSD 15.6" only @ Newegg- $499.99 + FSSS

For reference only , it was $480 last month

https://slickdeals.net/share/iphone_app/t/13732550

FP at $530 2 months ago

https://slickdeals.net/share/iphone_app/fp/509227

Just to clarify, there's two RAM slots on this laptop, one soldered on 4GB and one replaceable 4GB? So I can replace the 4GB stick with a 16GB stick? I don't know how RAM works but would it not be as good as 2x 8GB RAM for light gaming?

Quote from Odds27 : Just to clarify, there's two RAM slots on this laptop, one soldered on 4GB and one replaceable 4GB? So I can replace the 4GB stick with a 16GB stick? I don't know how RAM works but would it not be as good as 2x 8GB RAM for light gaming?

You can replace the 16GB stick to have a total of 20GB. There would be no difference in performance between 2x 8GB of RAM.

Is it a good dealt though??

No IPS?

Quote from JZ1989 : You can replace the 16GB stick to have a total of 20GB. There would be no difference in performance between 2x 8GB of RAM.

And that's because both channels need to be the same, or else the system defaults to the highest channel of RAM?

TN panel, otherwise specs aren't bad. MX250 is not a great GPU but it is better than integrated. Should handle 720p gaming (looks like there are 2 versions of MX250, unsure which one is in here). It does have 2gb of GDDR5 for the GPU so the included 8gb of system ram won't get chewed up too badly. If you want a real gaming laptop you need to aim higher.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVI...341.0.html

CPU
Intel Core i5-8265U 1.60 GHz
Screen
15.6" FHD
Memory
8 GB DDR4
Storage
512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Graphics Card
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Video Memory
2 GB GDDR5
Communication
Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Dimensions (W x D x H)
14.31" x 9.86" x 0.71"
Weight
3.97 lbs.

CPU
CPU Type
Intel Core i5 8th Gen
CPU Speed
8265U (1.60 GHz)
Core Name
Whiskey Lake
Turbo Frequency
Up to 3.90 GHz
Number of Cores
Quad-core Processor
CPU L3 Cache
6 MB

Display
Screen Size
15.6"
Touchscreen
No
Wide Screen Support
Yes
Display Type
Full HD
Resolution
1920 x 1080
LCD Features
TN Panel

Operating System
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit

Graphics
GPU/VPU
NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Video Memory
2 GB
Graphic Type
Dedicated Card

Storage
SSD
512 GB
Storage Spec
512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD

Memory
Memory
8 GB
Memory Spec
4 GB onboard + 4 GB x 1
Memory Slot (Total)
1
Memory Slot (Available)
0
Max Memory Supported
20 GB (4 GB onboard + 16 GB x 1)

Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type
No

Communications
LAN
10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN
802.11ac WiFi featuring 2x2 MU-MIMO technology (Dual-Band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 4.2

Ports
USB
1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C (up to 5 Gbps)
2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (one with Power-off Charging)
1 x USB 2.0
HDMI
1 x HDMI
Audio Ports
1 x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack

Audio
Audio
Acer TrueHarmony Technology
Acer Purified.Voice Technology with Two Built-in Microphones
Compatible with Cortana with Voice
Speaker
Two Built-in Stereo Speakers

Input Device
Backlit Keyboard
Backlit
Webcam
HD Webcam (1280 x 720)

General
Style
Thin and Light
Type
Mainstream
Usage
Consumer

Power
Battery
Lithium Ion
Battery Life
Up to 9.5 hours battery life

Dimensions & Weight
Dimensions (W x D x H)
14.31" x 9.86" x 0.71"
Weight
3.97 lbs.

Features
Package Content
Aspire 5 A515-54G-54QQ Notebook
Lithium Ion Battery
AC Adapter

Additional Information
Date First Available
July 15, 2019

This is not a good deal.
I've seen $500 laptops with better GPU's for gaming.

If you don't care about gaming, the Acer Spin 3 has the same specs (minus the crappy GPU), is an IPS touch screen, convertible laptop, and was only $350.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13807871-acer-spin-3-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i5-8265u-14-1080p-ips-touchscreen-8gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd-win-10-349-99-ac-free-shipping-staples?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

Anyone with any knowledge of current laptops and deals: Is this a good deal (It's available to me via a work discount):

$470 for HP Pavilion 15t - 10th Gen i7, Iris+ Graphics, 12 GB RAM, 256 SSD + 16 Optane

Upgradable:
Nvidia GeForce Mx250 2GB or 4GB ($70 or $170)
16 GB RAM ($30)
512 SSD + 32 Optane or 1 TB ($150 or $310)
IPS Screen ($130)

Seems like a good deal and I was thinking of upgrading RAM and Screen for a total of $630. I will mostly use at home recreationally and for work (not a lot of taxing processes) and for movies and maaaybe some light gaming. Mostly concerned about optimizing for movies and future-proofing a bit.

Quote from Identity_Crisis : Anyone with any knowledge of current laptops and deals: Is this a good deal (It's available to me via a work discount): $470 for HP Pavilion 15t - 10th Gen i7, Iris+ Graphics, 12 GB RAM, 256 SSD + 16 Optane Upgradable: Nvidia GeForce Mx250 2GB or 4GB ($70 or $170) 16 GB RAM ($30) 512 SSD + 32 Optane or 1 TB ($150 or $310) IPS Screen ($130) Seems like a good deal and I was thinking of upgrading RAM and Screen for a total of $630. I will mostly use at home recreationally and for work (not a lot of taxing processes) and for movies and maaaybe some light gaming. Mostly concerned about optimizing for movies and future-proofing a bit.

If you're willing to go up, this is a better futureproofing gaming deal: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Laptop-FHD-GTX-Windows-Black-Intel-Nvidia-Display-i7-9750H-16GB-Tuned-10-... [walmart.com]

If you want to stay in the same price range, this is better: https://slickdeals.net/f/13814393-msi-gl-series-laptop-9750h-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-699-ar-f-s-more?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

Also good: https://slickdeals.net/f/13812737-msi-gf63-thin-15-6-gaming-laptop-i5-9300h-8gb-512gb-ssd-gtx-1650-and-more-638-99?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

Note that some of the above deals have expired, but they are still good deals at the current prices (~$50 more than deal prices)

Quote from pdinc : If you're willing to go up, this is a better futureproofing gaming deal: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Laptop-FHD-GTX-Windows-Black-Intel-Nvidia-Display-i7-9750H-16GB-Tuned-10-... [walmart.com] If you want to stay in the same price range, this is better: https://slickdeals.net/f/13814393-msi-gl-series-laptop-9750h-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-699-ar-f-s-more?sr... Also good: https://slickdeals.net/f/13812737-msi-gf63-thin-15-6-gaming-laptop-i5-9300h-8gb-512gb-ssd-gtx-1650-a... Note that some of the above deals have expired, but they are still good deals at the current prices (~$50 more than deal prices)

hmmm, i may have overstated the gaming aspect. it's unlikely but possible. mostly looking for quick machine with good display.

Quote from Identity_Crisis : Anyone with any knowledge of current laptops and deals: Is this a good deal (It's available to me via a work discount): $470 for HP Pavilion 15t - 10th Gen i7, Iris+ Graphics, 12 GB RAM, 256 SSD + 16 Optane Upgradable: Nvidia GeForce Mx250 2GB or 4GB ($70 or $170) 16 GB RAM ($30) 512 SSD + 32 Optane or 1 TB ($150 or $310) IPS Screen ($130) Seems like a good deal and I was thinking of upgrading RAM and Screen for a total of $630. I will mostly use at home recreationally and for work (not a lot of taxing processes) and for movies and maaaybe some light gaming. Mostly concerned about optimizing for movies and future-proofing a bit.

I would go for it over any of the three the other person posted. The 10th gen processor is great and integrated Iris plus graphics are good enough for light gaming even some AAA titles with lowest detail settings.

Quote from JakeW3302 : I would go for it over any of the three the other person posted. The 10th gen processor is great and integrated Iris plus graphics are good enough for light gaming even some AAA titles with lowest detail settings.

Fair, but unless portability is a key factor, OP's budget goes into a level where he/she can get more bang for their buck, even on the screen, relative to a Pavilion. The 10th gen offers minor to no CPU advantage over the 8705H and 9750H.

Quote from pdinc : Fair, but unless portability is a key factor, OP's budget goes into a level where he/she can get more bang for their buck, even on the screen, relative to a Pavilion. The 10th gen offers minor to no CPU advantage over the 8705H and 9750H.

I really would have preferred a 13 in, but only ones available to me are an:

($515) HP Envy x360 with AMD Ryzen 3 and AMD Radeon Vega 6, 8 GB RAM
or
($660) HP Spectre x360 with 8th Gen i5, UHD 620 and 8 GB RAM

The original deal for the pavilion seemed better than either of those.