Ferrari 4005 or Aspire 9500?

[Azraelian]

I'm thinking about buying my first laptop. Up to now I've only owned desktop computers, and I use them for playing games, as well as your standard web surfing, word processing, etc. I'm looking for something that can hold its own when playing games (World of Warcraft and the occasional FPS~), while still being a laptop. I don't travel a whole lot either, so size isn't really that much of an issue.

Skimming these forums, I see a lot of posts concering the Ferrari 4000 series but next to none about the 9500 series. I found the occasional "any pics of 9500" post, but no reviews or anything to that amount.

Ferrari 4005 WSMi

AMD® Turion 64 ML37 processor
1024MB(2x512)
100GB (5400rpm)
15.4" WXGA+ TFT (1680 x 1050)
ATI X700 128MB

Aspire 9504 WSMi

Intel® Pentium® M 760 processor (2 MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 533 MHz FSB)
1024MB (2*512) DDR2 RAM
120GB ATA/100 5,400rpm hard disk drive
17" WXGA TFT Display with Acer CrystalBrite Dual Lamp (500 nits) (1440x900)
256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X700
Hybrid TV Tuner + Remote control

They're both priced fairly evenly.


My thoughts:

The Ferrari sports the 64-bit AMD Turion, while the 9504 has the 32-bit Centrino (about which I've heard praise about its power-saving capabilities, but not having owned a laptop myself I wouldn't know). AMD also brags about the Turion's PowerNow! thing, though. Allegedly, the Ferrari's batteries are supposed to last "up to 3h", while the 9504's should last "up to 2.5h".

The 9504's screen is bigger; 17" vs. 15.4", while the Ferrari supports higher resolution. As a side effect, the 9504 is wider - so Acer fit the model with a full scale keyboard (with a real numpad ).

Both models rely on ATI Mobility x700 for graphics, but the Ferrari only has 128mb of video memory while the 9504 has 256mb. I vaguely recall reading that the Ferrari could 'tap into' the RAM memory for extra video memory, somewhere on these forums. I haven't found any official statements about that though. Uh, can it do that?
-- Edit: Found the quote:

Originally Posted by FerrariZoid

If you are concerned about gaming, go for the Acer Ferrari 4005...the Ati card is clocked faster, and although the onboard vram is 128mb, it will allocate up to 512 depending on your ram. 64 bit AMD turion. hey?

As for extra fluff, the Ferrari looks sweet. On the other hand, the 9504 comes with that "Acer Arcade" thing (which, from what I understand, is something like a Media Center clone) as well as TV Tuner capabilities. I also read a bunch of negative stuff about the Ferrari, including high fan noise, palm area growing alarmingly warm during use (to the point of applications crashing if you don't underclock stuff), etc.

I can't escape the notion that both laptops cost about the same, but in the case of the Ferrari I'm paying extra for its design, while I'm spending the same amount on the 9504 for bigger harddrive, larger video memory, TV tuner, and other extra features. Or does the 64-bit Turion make *that* much of a difference? Or is it the size? The Ferrari is almost a kilogram lighter (3.8kg vs 2.86kg, according to my sources), partly due to the difference in screen size, I guess.


Got any helpful advice to help tip the balance?

[jilchev]

Hi Azraelian,

I recently got the ACER 8104 as alternative to Ferrari 4005same casing in greanish silver
but cost me 600$ less for almost identical specs including 1680X1050 screen (my must have option!)

Diferentces are:
DVD is clasic not like ferraris$
a lot of power saving optios you can turn off almost everything that consumes power
Intel WiFi
preaty low noice
and no heat issues
so far (1 mouth)

J.

[Azraelian]

I glanced at the 8104, but it seems less appealing. It doesn't have the strong points the Ferrari has (64-bit processor), nor those of the 9504 (bigger screen, more vram, Arcade/TV fluff). Sort of a go-between, I guess.


What part of the Ferrari makes it better than the 9504 at games?

[rocnhorse]

It depends on what you're going to use it for. I travel alot so size and weight are more important. If you don't mind the extra weight then get the 9504.

The heat issue you mention is from one bad machine not systemic on all 4005s. If you search the forum you will find lots of people gaming on the 4005 with no problems. Also the older Ferraris had a heat problem not the 4002/4005.