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While the Acer Aspire Ethos 8943G is certainly a stunningly designed, well equipped and capably performing laptop, at such a large price we can't help but feel that it should have been better.
Despite its high-quality design, glorious HD screen, great usability and suitably future-proofed specification, the fact that you can buy an equally powerful laptop for a third of the price is a tough pill to swallow and is a great hindrance to this otherwise impressive laptop.
If you're seeking one of the best-equipped laptops you can buy and money is no option, then there's a lot to like here, but more cost-conscious consumers can get far more for their money by looking elsewhere.
We liked
With its stunning combination of brushed metal and black plastic, the Acer's huge chassis looks every bit the high-end media centre. Coming as close to matching the quality of Apple's MacBook Pro range as any laptop we've seen, this is a luxurious laptop for the money.
The high-definition resolution and vibrant 18.4-inch screen provides the perfect canvas for enjoying movies via the integrated Blu-ray drive. Brightness, colour and contrast all impress, bringing photos and videos to life and making this a great home entertainment machine.
By packing almost every conceivable feature you can think of into its surprisingly light chassis, the Acer Aspire Ethos 8943G is a great machine to future-proof yourself against the years ahead. If you're after one of the most feature-packed laptops around, this is the one for you.
We disliked
At such a high price, we expected a level of performance to put all other laptops to shame, but the Acer fails to deliver. While there is no doubt that this is a very powerful machine, the fact that equally capable laptops can be bought for a third of the price is a huge blow to its value.
While the Acer's powerful components inevitably need frequent cooling, the constantly running fan on the chassis' left-hand side is a slight irritation. Although it is not the loudest fan we've heard, it does run even when the laptop is sitting idle, which can prove quite distracting.
Verdict
As a stylish, big-screen media centre for enjoying high-definition entertainment, the Acer Aspire Ethos 8943G is a fantastic laptop and effortlessly puts many of its rivals in the shade. At such a high price, however, we expected an equally unbeatable level of performance and, unfortunately, the Acer failed to deliver.
If you're seeking a feature-packed desktop replacement to future-proof you against the years ahead, there's no denying that this is a great laptop to choose – just bear in mind that you can get similar power for far less money.
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