Like the M3, the M5 has all of its key ports located in the rear: three USB ports (two 3.0, one 2.0), an ethernet jack, an HDMI-out port, and a Kensington lock slot. The left side of the machine is reserved for the M5's tray-loading DVD drive, and the right side of the machine sports an SD Card slot and a combination headphone/microphone jack. The power button is located on the front of the machine.

The biggest draw--and regrettably, the biggest disappointment--of the Timeline Ultra M5 is its 15.6-inch screen. The M5's big display has a native resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels--the same resolution you'll see on much smaller computers, such as the . On such a large display, that resolution leaves individual pixels easily visible and makes text and other lines look a little fuzzy. I'm not sure why Acer decided to keep the resolution so low, especially given the processor upgrade and the nice graphics card.

Once you gt past its low resolution, the screen looks pretty good. Colors seemed accurate, though a bit washed out at times (especially at higher brightness settings), and off-axis viewing angles were solid. Video looked and sounded fine on the M5, with virtually no artifacting or noise, even in darker, action-packed scenes.

The Timeline Ultra M5's audio was especially impressive, managing to sound both loud and full-bodied at the highest volume setting.