The Timeline Ultra M5 runs on a newer but weaker processor than the M3 used, and Acer pulled the older model's speedy 256GB SSD in favor of a 500GB HDD with a 20GB SSD boot drive. The result is slower overall performance, which is reflected in the 50-point difference in the systems' WB7 scores.

Another disappointment: Acer shortchanged the Timeline Ultra M5's 15.6-inch screen with 1366-by-768-pixel resolution--a huge letdown on a system with nice graphics performance.

The only real upgrades are in the ports, and those aren't great. You now get two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port (the M3 had one USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports), and the headphone/microphone jack is now located on the right side of the machine (the M3's jack was located, inconveniently, on the rear). But these minor port upgrades aren't enough to justify calling the M5 a winner.