The Acer Aspire 5740-6378 parks itself next to most midrange laptops. It feels fast enough for all common productivity applications; carries a big, 15.6-inch screen; and has nearly all the inputs and outputs you could want. But it never reaches beyond that middle ground. Its big screen makes it a good portable movie player, but without a dedicated graphics processor or 1080p resolution, it balks at gaming and high-end media. If you can get by with only adequate video performance--and matching audio, trackpad, and battery performance for that matter--the Aspire achieves its midrange aspirations: It's not too slow and not too fast. Many will want more, but for some, it will be just right. And at a price around $800, it won't break the bank.

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