Pros: Looks great, slim
Awesome specs for the price
Upgrade-able**
USB 3.1/Thunderbolt is cool (although not overly useful currently)
Decent sound

Cons: Upgrading is not as simple as other PCs. Some may be intimidated taking this apart.
Touchpad has some tap/gesture recognition issues.
Heat issues that I will talk about below.
Slow HDD (about what you'd expect with a 5400rpm drive)

Other Thoughts: Let me start off by saying I am an Electronics Engineering Tech, so I have a great knowledge of computers, electronics, etc. (It is my job). The overall design and specs of this laptop are great. The 4GB 960M GPU and i7 CPU for this price point is a great deal. It comes with a single 8GB RAM stick, leaving the second slot open for another 8GB should you wish to add. Also has an unused M.2 2280 slot for adding an SSD as well (which I certainly recommend).

The 1TB HDD gives you lots of storage space, but is quite slow and I added a crucial mx200 SSD in the available slot to run Windows and software/games on. This was a massively noticeable difference in speed (boot times went from a few mins on the HDD to a few seconds on the SSD, but this is no surprise.)

The main issue with laptop, which is mentioned in countless reviews, and the reason I ended up returning this PC, is the heat.
It would overheat to the point where it would freeze completely and the only way to unfreeze was a hard reset with the power button. The odd part about the overheating is that it would not reach critical temps for CPU or GPU, although they would reach 85C+ under heavy loads (Witcher 3 for example). I think it is possible other components on the motherboard may have been overheating from the residual heat that it would cause the PC to freeze. I tried many, many different things to fix this issue as I really liked this laptop and did not want to return it, but nothing could be done. (Tried manually maxing out the fans with software, under-volting cpu and gpu, reapplying arctic silver thermal paste, complete format and reinstalls of windows several times, bought a cooling pad, forced throttling at as low as 75%)

After all of this I was still willing to give this PC a chance with the hope that the one I got had some sort of hardware defect. I sent it back to newegg for a replacement, but they would not replace and told me it works just fine. I have no idea what kind of tests they do, but speaking from my experience and knowledge as an electronics tech, I know 100% for certain there is some sort of hardware issue. Whether this is a problem with all or I had a lemon I am not sure. I will never know because since they would not replace it with a new one and would only send me the same unit back. I tried several times to explain WHY I wanted a replacement but to no avail. At this point I just simply wanted a refund, to which they told me I would have to pay a $200 restocking fee because it was now a used laptop and according to them there is nothing wrong with it! After a lengthy phone call to customer service I managed to get the restocking fee waived for accepting the refund as store credit. I have now purchased the Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK, which has similar specs at a similar price point, and hoping I have better luck with it.

In summary: This is PC has a great spec sheet and WOULD be a great deal, had it performed properly. I only give this 2 star instead of 1 because in theory it should be a great laptop, and I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume mine was a lemon. Maybe I had a lemon with a hardware defect, or maybe the heat management is just too poor. I gave it the absolute best chance it could get and went above and beyond what the average consumer would do to try and get this working. Some reviewers have had no issues with this PC while some have had similar problems to me. If you decide on this laptop, just be prepared to be disappointed and hope for the best.

Pros: - Nice bright screen (the bluelight shield is really easy on the eyes)
- Really good battery life (I've had it last 4.5hrs on heavy use at full screen brightness - 6.5hrs on low screen brightness and wifi off)
- Lightweight and easy to throw in a bag
- The back lit keyboard is neat...but I usually turn it off.
- Expandable/customizable (I will be adding an SSD and more memory in the future)

Cons: Like some complaints mentioned before:
- Picks up oil like no other computer I've seen. I look like I have potato chip fingers...and I swear they're clean...
- The hard drive is extreeeemely slow. I'm definitely investing in an SSD.
- Because of that slow HD, startup time is very slow. It's comparable to my computer (I'm replacing) that's 5 years old.
- It's also weird that it doesn't save previous settings. For example: if I put the computer into sleep mode, or shut it off, the keyboard lights (which I turn off) turn back on and the number pad is always locked, unless I unlock it before use. VERY annoying when I'm in the middle of typing a document, as it shoots my cursor to a weird spot in the text when locked.
- Pro-loaded with all kinds of bloatware, but that could be a Microsoft issue...although there is some Acer stuff on here also.
- I've noticed something weird about the display of some programs. Most of the time everything is very crisp on the screen, but several times the edges have looked fuzzy and blurry. I'm not sure if that's an issue with that particular program in relation to some ratio of the screen (or something)

Other Thoughts: Overall I'm actually very pleased with this computer. I compared and debated for a very long time and finally got this one when it was listed at a great deal around the holidays. So, simply because of the price I'm completely happy with what I got. I probably wouldn't have been as happy if I spent the full list price. It's going to need a little tweeking to be the machine I really want, but I appreciate that it is expandable and will probably last me a long time due to that.
This computer will get a LOT of use for school work, as I'm a full time college student. I also dabble in photo editing, and it seems like it can handle the Adobe suite well. I assume it'll be much better once I switch to an SSD.


UPDATE 1/20/2015
I am lowering to 3/5 stars. After using the computer for several weeks I started seeing more and more issues.
- I dislike that the speakers are underneath the unit. The sound is very muffled. It was especially annoying when trying to watch movies while laying in bed. I had to prop up the bottom of the computer to be able to hear better.
- As mentioned above, the number pad seems to always be locked. I use this quite a bit and it's become specially annoying to have to remember to unlock it before using the keypad.
- I also had a malfunctioning touchpad. Several times it was too sensitive and began fluttering. After doing this a few times it went completely nuts and started flying all over the screen. I had to go into the settings and disable the touchpad and use a USB mouse. This is NOT practical if I want a portable computer, so I'm in the process of doing an exchange with Newegg.

*[UPDATE 3/1/15]*
After a touchpad issue that was not fixable by reinstalling drivers and such, I requested an exchange. I dropped this rating to 1 egg because, after TWO MONTHS of dealing with the horrible exchange process, I'm getting my money back and avoiding newegg and this computer in the future. Good riddens!

Pros: I am an engineering student and I purchased this laptop to run various design programs (AutoCAD, Solidworks, etc) and also for some gaming on the side. I have had it for a little over a month and I am mostly satisfied with this purchase, with some slight changes.
Pros
-Graphics are great- I run Metal Gear Solid V regularly with the graphics settings on high and it runs fine.
-Good memory, runs Solidworks fine
-Love the backlit keyboard
-Good placement of USB ports
-Screen quality is nice, everything is sharp
-Speakers have nice sound, bass a little soft
-Windows 10 features nice, love broadcasting games from my Xbox One

Cons: I did have some issues, however, but they do not distract too much
-As soon as I unboxed the laptop, I noticed that my trackpad did not respond to any of my touches. It seems to be in working order (fully functioning hardware), but the mouse does not move with any stimulus. Talked to Acer customer support, and they suggested installing the mouse drivers again (didn't work). They then suggested returning it, but after hearing of hard drive issues that a friend had with the same model, I figured I got off lightly. This is only a minor problem for me, since I mostly use a mouse anyways.
-The battery life is a little short, but that was expected. With light use (only using Google Chrome or Office), the battery will last 4-5 hours with the right settings. If you buy this laptop, expect to get maximum use near an outlet.
-The finish, although it looks very nice, smudges with literally any touch. This is a minor irk, but still worth noting.
-The boot time is a little long, and after logging in, it is slow to respond for about 30 seconds. I don't know yet if this is simply because of pre-installed bloatware, or just my apps.

Other Thoughts: Overall, this is a very solid product for someone that needs a high performance/gaming laptop without spending more than $1000. I would reccommend.

Pros: - good config for moderate gaming
- hd display
- sleek model
- red back lit keyboard looks good although there the brightness of keyboard light is not variable
- USb type C socket
- latest wifi hardware

Cons: - Got trouble with dual booting while installing ubuntu on top of windows

Other Thoughts: Yes go for it its a very good deal if you get it for less prize

Pros: Nice hardware

Cons: WORST SUPPORT EVER!!! Purchased this laptop on Jan 14. Received it few days later but found out the windows was corrupted. Tried to restore windows 10 but failed to restore - windows 10 error - it stated failed to restore. I called Acer Support on Jan 21, after some troubleshooting, they agreed to send me a recovery media. I said Thank you. Then a week later, on Jan 28, i called up Acer Support again to check, a different guy told me... oh sorry, the previous guy didn't really order the media and that he will personally make sure a media will ship to me soon. and then a week later... Feb 4.. today.. what do you know? same answer. The last guy did not really place the order for the media and she will personally order one.... and so... I'll see what will happen next week

Other Thoughts: I really like the laptop but the support... oh man..

Pros: Great screen.
Sturdy, good looking build.
Minimalist design, no red, metallic jagged edges protruding everywhere.

Cons: The touchpad sometimes left double clicks on its own.
Could use more USB 3 ports.

Other Thoughts: The 5400rpm HD as boot drive makes it almost unusable. I had a Samsung 950pro and 16GB DDR4 installed and now it's a screamer. For the money spent with the I7 6700HQ, 950pro Nvme, and ddr4 it's more advanced than my PC.

Pros: - DDR4 Memory
- Dust Filtration System
- Amazing Speaker
- 2 Speed Fans

That sums up the good about this laptop

Cons: - Very Slow
- Prone to Blue Screensjavascript:Biz.Review.SearchReview.addReview(false)
- Can take up to 5 minutes to open up a program like adobe photoshop cs6
Trackpad is terrible.
Gets hot really easily even on high fan speed mode
- Display color calibration out of the box is too yellow

Other Thoughts: - I do not recommend this laptop at all. For the price, they should have included a better trackpad and a 7200rpm HDD instead of a 5400rpm one. Blue screens a lot and is way to slow to be a productive laptop.

Pros: none. I want to return it

Cons: screen is not good and has screen tearing when i play shooting game and not smooth

Pros: ISP screen is very bright and vibrant.
Smooth finish
runs relatively cool
Thin and sleek
Good build quality
Best Wi-Fi performance i've seen in a network card.

Cons: The hard drive sounds scratchy and loud
Very hard to upgrade
Acer dumps a lot of useless software in this (you can uninstall)
Leaves scuff marks on keyboard.
Only 2 usb 3.0 ports and 1 usb 2.0 port.

Other Thoughts: The battery life is descent if you use it for very light tasks and you turn on the battery saving presets under light load ( 3-5hrs)
The track pad is okay. neither a pro, or con.
The speakers are average.
This is the best laptop to get that's under $1200

Pros: Pretty good hardware specs. Keyboard is nice.

Cons: Does not come with printed windows product key. If you do a fresh windows 10 install (for example, to remove bloatware), you will fail to get a digital entitlement to the device. Acer support has been very unsupportive in recovering the product key.