Acer V Fujitsu Siemans Laptop.Advice needed!

maniac886

I will be using the laptop for writing reports etc for uni. On some modules I may need to use Flash/dreamweaver.

I do use my laptop for playing games now and again but I will use it a lot listening to music and watching films!

P.S I will take my laptop to uni now and again so weight will be a factor but its a big worry if its heavier than normal.

frogman_2

Pentium M was a mobile part designed for use in notebooks while Celeron was a generic processor adapted for notebook use. Since then the Centrino and now the Core range have taken over in Intel's range.

I'd go for the Pentium M, unless budget is really a huge issue. A cooler processor means a more reliable system both for day-to-day use as well as for lifetime issues.

Acer is a sound, decent manufacturer who has been around for over 20 years making notebooks for other brands. As you may know, very few brands make their own PCs (called OEM or ODM) especially at the budget end of the market. Nearly all budget notebooks are built by Taiwanese/Chinese suppliers such as Arima, Quanta, Mitac, ECS, ASUStek, Compal, etc. Typically they produce a chassis that brands can then customise; the thermal characteristics of each chassis are critical. So it is better to check out how hot these notebooks run then worry about how reputable the brand is. The brand issue is critical for service & support and that is what the MSE community should be able to help with...

maniac886

Yes I will definately be going for a Pentium M. Does anyone know how good the Intel GMA 900 graphics controller is ? This is in the Acer Aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop. I am just wondering what sort of games it will be able to handle? I dont mind upgrading the laptop to 1gb . 512mb notebook memory ,which i will add isnt too expensive nowadays.

ms01ma_2

maniac886 wrote:

Yes I will definately be going for a Pentium M. Does anyone know how good the Intel GMA 900 graphics controller is ? This is in the Acer Aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop. I am just wondering what sort of games it will be able to handle? I dont mind upgrading the laptop to 1gb . 512mb notebook memory ,which i will add isnt too expensive nowadays.

depends what games but it isnt that good in my experience

nickmack

maniac886 wrote:

Yes I will definately be going for a Pentium M. Does anyone know how good the Intel GMA 900 graphics controller is ? This is in the Acer Aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop. I am just wondering what sort of games it will be able to handle? I dont mind upgrading the laptop to 1gb . 512mb notebook memory ,which i will add isnt too expensive nowadays.

Most laptops are poor for games. If you want to play new games, you need to get a desktop with a recent video card or a laptop gaming machine.

The GMA 900 is a basic chipset and will not handle 3D games at all well. It relies on software emulation for some features and as a result is not suitable for modern games.

Blacksheep1979

ABH wrote:

If you send your acer away for repair, expect for it to be away for anywhere between 1 and 3 months, they aren't that quick and always busy for some reason. Make of that what you will.

Well that'll be down to the fact that acers are notoriously unreliable - personally I would avoid them like the plague. However the other one that you mention (OP this is) spec wise is quite a bit behind, I wouldn't bother with celeron processors as you will notice a performance laga s soon as you start to do more than one thing at once (or especially if you have norton installed)

maniac886

Oh well ill play the games on my desktop....the games are really not that important. I have now finally chosen this one. I will refrain from the games and just use it for uni tasks. If anyone can spot a better spec laptop for around the same price i will be happy to have a look.

And thanks everyone so far!

xzibit

maniac886 wrote:

Yes I will definately be going for a Pentium M. Does anyone know how good the Intel GMA 900 graphics controller is ? This is in the Acer Aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop. I am just wondering what sort of games it will be able to handle? I dont mind upgrading the laptop to 1gb . 512mb notebook memory ,which i will add isnt too expensive nowadays.

I have the aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop, and I'll think you'll find it is already 1024mb of ram.

edited to say there looks like there's 2 versions of that laptop, a newer and an older one. The newer one has 1024mb of ram, and an 80gb hardrive. £469.97 from here http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_1600_Series/prod.asp

lau_dicker

My Acer laptop is great, the service I received from them when the screen went off (my own fault, I dropped it) was amazing, it was picked up the day after I rang and was back in about 3 or 4 days. And they polished it up and fixed the mouse pad surrounding which I didnt even ask them to do! I've never had a problem with it in terms of spec ... but I don't play a lot of games. My boyfriend had an Acer laptop and he used Dreamweaver and other programs for uni (he does Business Computing) and it was fine. I'd have another one anyday!

maniac886

xzibit wrote:

I have the aspire 1642ZWLMi laptop, and I'll think you'll find it is already 1024mb of ram.

edited to say there looks like there's 2 versions of that laptop, a newer and an older one. The newer one has 1024mb of ram, and an 80gb hardrive. £469.97 from here http://www.acernotebooks.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_1600_Series/prod.asp

Is the one in the link the older one then...as it has 60gb and 512 ram?

P.S i think i am gonna spend that little bit extra and get this one from comet.