Laptop Choices...?

stockwellphotography

Hi Guys,
Following on from my other topic, I've decided that I'd like an Acer, as their customer service reputation is good, and Dell, the other contender, aren't amazing.

The following are my options really:
Model 1:4072lmi
# Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology
# Intel® Pentium M 740 (1.70Ghz)
# 1
# DVD-Dual Double Layer
# LAN 10/100, Wireless 802.11b/g
# 56Kbps Modem
# Intel® 915GM integrated 3D graphics with up to 128MB Shared memory
# 4-cell Li-ion battery
# Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional
£495

Model 2: 5102wlmi
#Mobile AMD 64 Turion X2 TL50 1.6GHz
#15.4" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD Display
#100GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive
#1024MB DDR II RAM
#DVD-Super Multi Drive
#ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 integrated 3D graphics with up to 256MB of shared memory
#Fast Ethernet 802.11b/g WLAN
#0.3MP Orbicam built-in webcam
#Bettery: 6 cell
#5-in-1 Card Reader
#Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition and MS-Works
£560

Model 3:5612wlmi

# Mobile Intel® Centrino™ technology
# Intel® Core™ Duo processor T2300 (1.66GHz)
# 15.4” WXGA CrystalBrite Widescreen TFT display
# 1024MB DDR II RAM
# 80GB Hard Drive
# DVD-SuperMulti Double-layer drive
# Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator GMA 950
# WLAN 802.11a/b/g
# 6-cell Battery
# Microsoft Windows XP Home & Microsoft Works
£615

Which would be your choice?


I've got a budget of £600, so, if you can find anything better, please let me know!!

Cheers,
Sam

nickmack

Model 2. For £65 more this is a much better machine.

Lord_Chris

umm.. id take the second one without a doubt...

- amd are generally better than intel (in my opinion at least)
- the second option comes with 1024 ram instead of 512
- larger capacity hard drive in the second
- has a 6 cell battery, which is likely to have longer life than the 4 cell.
- the first comes with xp pro which is a waste of resource sif you dont need it. xp home is fine.

stockwellphotography

How about now I've added #3?
Sam

nickmack

Sneaky Sam!!

Well if your budget is £600, then the third option is over. How far do you plan to stretch it?

If you're buying now I'd still keep with option 2. Unless you have a strong preference for dual core in which case you might want to wait until duo core prices have settled a little.

Lord_Chris

i'll second what nickmack is saying... the second one is better value UNLESS you need a dual core (i.e. your running multiple applications simulataneously... and that doesn't include several internet explorer windows :P)

stockwellphotography

I'll stick with #2.
I could stretch my budget a bit, but there's no point, really.
Does anyone know just HOW reflective the CrystalBright screen is?
I looked at a couple in PCW to get the idea of the glossiness, and they seemed very shiney - mind you, there's LOTS of harsh / bright lighting in there.
Any opinions appreciated,

Tar,

Sam

stockwellphotography

Yay - cheers for the help, all - I've bought one of the Acer 5102WLMIs - Model 2.
Cheers
Sam

nickmack

sberlyn wrote:

Yay - cheers for the help, all - I've bought one of the Acer 5102WLMIs - Model 2.
Cheers
Sam

Nooooooo, I meant whatever you do, don't buy model 2 - it's rubbish!!!

Only kidding, hope you enjoy your new purchase!

stockwellphotography

Oioi - I almost had a heart attack then!
T'is handy that it has an inbuilt card reader etc... and the webcam's a bonus :P
Sam