Any Reason NOT to buy TM4400 or TM4200

[daedalus34r]

Im dead set on ACER, they can give me what i want for a very reasonable price.

Now should i go with:

Travelmate 4400 [~$1050]
-1.6ghz ML-30 turion
-512mb ram
-100gb
-the rest of the goods

[If i look at Travelmate 4404, i get 1.8ghz turion+ 1gbram, 120gb hd for $1130]
OR

Travelmate 4200 [~$1250]
-1.66 Core Duo
-1 gb ram
-100gb
-the rest of the goods

Those are the main comparison points. Another important factor is that the turion is 64bit, so its futureproofed.

What im looking for in this laptop is mobile word processing, excel, autocad... stuff like that. its so i can do my homework on the go. Other things i will do is listen to music, internet surf and watch videos and dvds from to time. Basic multitasking items, NO GAMES. Battery life is kinda high on my list, but i read i can get almost 3 hrs on these units, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Does anyone know of a reliable/reputable dealer that sells the higher capcity batteries?

Is there anything i shoud know [quirks, problem, oddities] about these laptops ... and which one should i get. I'm assuming the turion should be plenty fast for what i need it to be... and it can run vista when it comes out. Should i be looking at the 1.6 or 1.8 ghz turion?

Let me know, thanks!! :thumbup:

[CoolHotCold]

I would personaly go with the Core Duo. The 64bit revolution will not be mainstream for another 3 years at least.. And im note sure but there is a chance you could upgrade the 4200 with a 64bit duo when Merlion comes out (i think). and you said yourself that you would be doing multitasking items..

[PorschePRH]

Gee, for $50 more you could get the 5670 with 2mb / 120mb hard drive....I got mine at CompUSA for $1300...

[Rastlin]

I would personaly go with the Core Duo. The 64bit revolution will not be mainstream for another 3 years at least.. And im note sure but there is a chance you could upgrade the 4200 with a 64bit duo when Merlion comes out (i think). and you said yourself that you would be doing multitasking items..

Windows Vista should be the start of 64 bit as main stream, (yes there will be 32 bit versions.) Vista is coming later this year, and should mark the beginging of significant transition to 64 bit, I would say within 3 years that most programs are going to be devloped in 64 bit, and some will no longer get ported down to 32 bit.

The 4200 has GMA 950 integrated graphics, The 4400 has Radeon X700 mobility graphics, I doubt the ability of the 4200 to run Windows Vista's new DX9 GUI well if at all.

[wynand32]

If the entire market has shifted to 64-bit processors in three years, then I'll agree with you. However, since 64-bit is in the vast minority yet today, and likely will be until the end of this year, I doubt that this will be the case.

Dual-core's been out for some time now, and few applications are yet optimized for it. Nobody makes such a serious committment to a platform until the vast majority of systems out there support it.

Personally, I know that I'll be replacing my notebook in two years or so, and therefore it makes sense to go with Core Duo today. By the time 64-bit is all that important for what I (or, I'm guessing, most people) do, i'll be ready to spring for that quad-core 64-bit processor that will be midway through its lifecycle... ;-)

Edited for clarity: Actually, I suspect that by the end of the year, 64-bit will _still_ be in the vast minority. It might, however, be the bona fide choice of early adopters by then.

[wynand32]

Also, I agree with Porsche: go with the 5672. I've been using it for a week or so, and given its price point, it's a great system. In fact, it's a great system for significantly more money than even I paid for it ($1585, but at a reseller with a very liberal return policy). For $1300, it's a steal.

[PorschePRH]

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=336978&pfp=NOTEMAIL

Plus $400 worth of extra goodies that they threw in...And good goodies too, not bundled crap... (see my other message about this computer)

[daedalus34r]

thanks for replies so far. HEres some other info that'll help you help me decide:

I chose TRAVELMATE group of laptops sine they have MATTED screens, i absolutely despise glossy displays. i cannot deal with their refliections [ i honestly dont know how other people do]. With matted screen, i can do whatever wherever and not have to worry about lighting conditions.

I have seen the 4200 [core duo] display in compusa and i thought it was satisfactory, i believe i would have no problems using it

Further clarification ... i looked at the turions since they are 64bit, but i do have a 64bit ahtlon X2 [powerful] desktop, so im not doing any monster number crunching[on the laptop]. However, i do want to keep this laptop for sometime ... so i dont want to have to worry about vista or anything like that.

I'm trying to purchase something as close to 1grand as possible, something basic but wont be obsolete the moment i open the box. With these points said ... should i be leaning towards any specific travelmate model?


thanks for the replies!! :thumbup:

[wynand32]

Wow... That's a heckuva deal. I've pretty much decided to "upgrade" to an 8204, but for anyone considering a midrange system, that deal can't be beat. I'd love to convince my wife that she should get one to replace her aging Sony...

[Krista]

Just want to confirm... Intel still isn't making 64bit? The http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=336978&pfp=NOTEMAIL

duo core isn't 64 bit?

I think I'd jump on it if it were.

Krista

[Krista]

Is there anything i shoud know [quirks, problem, oddities] about these laptops ... and which one should i get. I'm assuming the turion should be plenty fast for what i need it to be... and it can run vista when it comes out. Should i be looking at the 1.6 or 1.8 ghz turion?

Let me know, thanks!! :thumbup:

The 4404 comes with a 4200 rpm instead of 5400. The 4402 comes with a faster drive, but slower processor and less memory *shrug*.

Krista

[daedalus34r]

The 4404 comes with a 4200 rpm instead of 5400. The 4402 comes with a faster drive, but slower processor and less memory *shrug*.

Krista

you sure? zipzoomfly notes the 4404 having a 120gb 5400 rpm drive... but it could be some packaging error on part of Acer... pls let me know.

[PorschePRH]

Wow... That's a heckuva deal. I've pretty much decided to "upgrade" to an 8204, but for anyone considering a midrange system, that deal can't be beat. I'd love to convince my wife that she should get one to replace her aging Sony...

I was set on getting the 8204, but I just couldn't justify the extra $1K. The 5670 is just not that far down from the 8204 to make it worth almost double. The 5670 has the same chipset, bus, memory, harddrive, and add on features. The processor speed is a little less, and if you're not gaming (like me), the video card doesn't matter.

I am guessing there are matte screen covers that could be used to make the glossy screen better for office stuff and then remove for multimedia???

[daedalus34r]

I was set on getting the 8204, but I just couldn't justify the extra $1K. The 5670 is just not that far down from the 8204 to make it worth almost double. The 5670 has the same chipset, bus, memory, harddrive, and add on features. The processor speed is a little less, and if you're not gaming (like me), the video card doesn't matter.

I am guessing there are matte screen covers that could be used to make the glossy screen better for office stuff and then remove for multimedia???

Yea, i saw that too, the aspire 5670 had alot of great features for relatively low price.

[mr.mauo]

...a note on the 4404 i just got one and its great for the $$ i paid but it does come with 4200 hdd instead of the 5400 that every website who offers it or reviews it says it comes with. I have been going round and round with acer and according to them buyer beware they have the right to change spec at any time...pc connection where i bought from told me they got there info from acer so no liabilty there...i am debating on returning it just because i was so turned off by acer.

[daedalus34r]

i just wish acer made more 14" WXGA models... cuz thats the size i really need.

So it looks like im im sticking with the 4402, 1.6ghz turion. Core duo will be unnecessary speed since im looking for something cheap, not a DTR.

[Rastlin]

If the entire market has shifted to 64-bit processors in three years, then I'll agree with you. However, since 64-bit is in the vast minority yet today, and likely will be until the end of this year, I doubt that this will be the case.

Dual-core's been out for some time now, and few applications are yet optimized for it. Nobody makes such a serious committment to a platform until the vast majority of systems out there support it.

Personally, I know that I'll be replacing my notebook in two years or so, and therefore it makes sense to go with Core Duo today. By the time 64-bit is all that important for what I (or, I'm guessing, most people) do, i'll be ready to spring for that quad-core 64-bit processor that will be midway through its lifecycle... ;-)

Edited for clarity: Actually, I suspect that by the end of the year, 64-bit will _still_ be in the vast minority. It might, however, be the bona fide choice of early adopters by then.

AMD has been making pretty much nothing but 64 bit CPU's for some time now, in case you are wondering they are currently just over 20% of the market. Intel Also has transitioned the Pentium 4 6xx series to 64 bit. The Pentium 4 D's are also 64 bit. Merom will also be 64 bit. I belive that of new CPU's being sold 64 bit should be over 80% of the pie by the end of this year. And of course they will all come with 64 bit Windows Vista.

One of my friends bought the TM 4402 a month or so ago, he could not be happier, may it serve you well.

[daedalus34r]

heh, thanks, i hope so too. Acer seems to have nice THIN 15.4" laptops. a think 15.4" shouldn't be any more of a hassle than most 14" laptops. Plus, i get everything from 100gb to dvd burner.

[Krista]

you sure? zipzoomfly notes the 4404 having a 120gb 5400 rpm drive... but it could be some packaging error on part of Acer... pls let me know.

Yes, I called Acer. they had the wrong information out originally. Check out the thread in the reviews section. Two people who've purchased it have confirmed this.

Krista