Acer 8103 - ferrari 4005 question

[spastis]

Ok guys. Here is the problem I have. I live in Greece and waited so long for the 8104wlmi model to come, yet it will never come to my country. Thus by now i have the choises of the 8103wlmi (with 80gb 4200 HDD, and 2x256Ram) and the ferrari 4005 (specs as known). The prices are respectively 1900 and 2030 euros. Should I go for the better overall performance of the ferrari? Or should I go for the 8103 and boost its memmory with the remaining cash? The only problem I have with the ferrari is that I think its too flashy for my rather conservative tastes.. Any comments - especially from ferrari owners?

[akis23]

I've used a TM8103 for the last three months and I sold it last week because the paint around the palmrest started to tear (the laptop looks terrible).Other than that it is a reliable and fast machine but the paintjob problem is a big issue for me.As far as I know all ACER's new models have a problem with the paintjobs durability.

PS: Apo pou eisai file mou?

[Redmumba]

Well, the Ferrari actually has a rubber coating all around the keyboard, so I don't think that'll be a problem. Anyways, all palmrests (that are painted) will start to rub out; even a Vaio I use has basically "grayed out" where I rest my palms. Its just one of those normal things, so its not exactly rare.

As for performance, the Ferrari will deliver better performance than the 8104, due to a higher clocked video card, but if gaming isn't your thing, just pick and choose. The Travelmate uses a Pentium-M, while the Ferrari uses an AMD Turion, so its your choice once more. What exactly will you be using this notebook for? If gaming isn't your thing, the 8103 will probably suit you fine. If you ARE looking for gaming performance, have you considered the (soon to be shipped) Z70Va? IT has similar specs to the Ferrari.

[spastis]

Well, the main purpose is not gaming. Yet I'd like the video encoding - editing and similar stuff to be done as fast as possible. Since I will use the laptop as my main pc, I am going to use quite a lot -meaning at least 5hours a day and would definetly NOT like its paint to wear off. As of money, which do you think is better (8103 -1940euros, 4005 - 2030)?
I'll look at the mentioned asus one also.

@Akis23 : Apo Thessaloniki file mou, esy?

[rocnhorse]

The difference between the two that I see is the 4005 has a faster processor (AMD Turion ML-37 2Ghz), 1 gig of memory and a faster, larger hard drive (100gb 5400).

[Redmumba]

Plus, if any of the mainstream video program companies start taking advantage of 64-bit, the Ferrari will definitely be a great choice.

[Wiz33]

The faster CPU, GPU, more RAM and the larger and faster HD is more than worth the price difference if you don't need long battery life (4 vs 3 hours).

[jff1625]

at those prices i'd go with the ferrari. only €100 more for better features all around. just the memory upgrade you'd want with the 8103 would cost more than that.

[spastis]

at those prices i'd go with the ferrari. only €100 more for better features all around. just the memory upgrade you'd want with the 8103 would cost more than that.

Exactly. For the time i am towards the ferrari.. Also i would like to ask : Are the cpu's soldered on the mobo? If not then they should be upgradeable right? And the ferrari dvd is also in a media bay right? I mean can it be replaced like on the 8100 series?

[naapukka]

What about the noise? I guess ferrari makes more noise. Is it too noisy? (really round question, but imagine quiet room and the laptop on, could somebody explain a little bit?)

Is the 810x noisy? Fan always on - like in ferrari?

Too bad I don't have a possibility to go and check the noise myself.

Thanks for your help!

[jff1625]

fans on quite a lot, especially on AC, on my 8104. but it's very quiet and not a problem for me at all.