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While there's no denying the Acer Aspire 5738DZG is a unique and, above all, affordable entry into the burgeoning 3D laptop market, there's also no hiding from it flaws.
With its polarised screen making us feel far too queasy for our liking, we cannot say that we'd be comfortable using it for long periods of time.
Despite its strong performance and decent specification, this is what ultimately prevents the Acer Aspire 5738DZG from a higher recommendation and if you have the budget to buy an Nvidia 3D Vision powered machine, you're sure to find it a far more usable alternative to this flawed entry-level 3D machine.
We liked
At such a low price, this is a great way to enter the 3D market. With its vibrant screen and stunningly effective 3D screen creating an immersive way to enjoy your photos, videos and games, the Acer Aspire 5738DZG truly brings a new world of entertainment to your home.
Despite its comparatively low-powered components, the Acer Aspire 5738DZG is a surprisingly powerful laptop for the price. Whether you want to use it as a home office machine or an entry-level family media centre, there's plenty on offer for the whole family to enjoy.
Acer's unique user interface makes the Aspire 5738DZG a pleasure to work on at all times. The spacious keyboard and large touchpad are easily accessible, consistently responsive and always accurate, making it easy to keep working over extended periods of time.
We disliked
By trying to trick your brain into seeing a 3D image that doesn't exist, the Acer Aspire 5738DZG's polarised screen quickly made us feel dizzy and nauseous – an uncomfortable feeling that managed to last long after we took off the 3D glasses and switched the laptop off.
Despite its gallant efforts to turn basic 2D photos and videos into 3D, the Acer Aspire 5738DZG's TriDef 3D software failed to make much of an impact. Adding the most basic 3D effects at best, we found most images just became blurry and pixilated by the software.
By using older Intel Pentium processor technology and DDR2 memory to keep costs down, the Acer Aspire 5738DZG is already showing its age. While it excels as an affordable entry into the 3D market, this is not a machine to future-proof yourself against the years ahead.
Verdict
While the Acer Aspire 5738DZG must be commended for bringing 3D technology to the entry-level laptop market, it can only really be seen as a proof-of-concept, rather than a full 3D home media centre.
Despite its strong performance and stunning screen, its polarised technology proves far too uncomfortable to use for long periods of time, making it very hard to recommend against the many excellent Nvidia 3D Vision equipped laptops already on sale.
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