Acer Aspire 5755-6482

Acer Aspire 5755-6482

If all you have to spend on a laptop is $600, you might think there's not too much you can get for your money. But the Acer Aspire 5755-6482 ($599.99 list at Staples) is proof that you may be wrong, with components that outstrip those you can find on other machines in this class, and even some useful software thrown in among the typical bloatware flotsam. You can get better performance by spending just a little more, and better battery life without shelling out any extra dough at all, but the 5755-6482 is overall a good value proposition for budget-conscious shoppers. DesignThe 5755-6482 has a glossy, lightweight plastic lid that's colored dark gray and decorated by a series of wavy black lines and a silvery Acer logo in the center. It's a low-key but eye-catching look that continues when you open the lid. The bezel around the 15.6-inch, 1,366-by-768-resolution display is black (and, as usual, there's a webcam embedded in the top section), but everything else is rendered in shades of gray or slate. You'll see two variations of the latter color, either shiny or matte, around the edges and in between the keys on the keyboard deck. This includes the touch pad, which features a single stiff button to use for both left- and right-clicking; we found this a bit inconvenient to use.