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Acer 4404WLMi

post #1 of 41
1/18/06 at 5:14pm
Thread Starter 
It looks like they've come out with an update to the 4402WLMi. It's the 4404.
Does anyone have this yet?

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Acer_...ook,__15660812

Krista
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post #2 of 41
1/25/06 at 11:05pm

Just got here...

I jujst received mine today. Sweet little machine! Anything you want to know?

I have to give props to L7Frost for his 4402 review. When I first heard of the specs I wasn't sure the price could be real...it seemed I had found the holy grail of mid-range gaming laptops: plenty of power, great for college, decent battery life, and a price under $1300. Of course, I didn't want to buy without a good review, and as anyone who has seriously considered the 4400 series knows, there are barely any user reviews, and no professional reviews(AFIAK). L7Frost's review was exactly what I was looking for.

I almost got the 4402, and then they came out with the 4404. Less than $100 more and well worth it.
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post #3 of 41
1/26/06 at 6:43pm
Thread Starter 
Saw your post in the 4402 thread first The only thing I'd like better is if they'd put 128 meg memory on the X700s. I think it's a waste, considering it wouldn't cost them that much more. Of course, I think they're trying to push people into buying the Ferrari's. Sorry. I'm not going to spend a thousand more for looks! (yeah, I know there are a few other things... but not worth a 1000 more than this machine).

I mainly want to play WoW without any problems. If it can do that, then its the machine I want. But people have complained about heat during gaming with the 4402. What do you think? Also, is the lcd good?

Krista
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post #4 of 41
1/26/06 at 9:54pm
It gets.....toasty...during gaming. I don't mind myself, although it could get uncomfortable over time for some.

Funny thing is, WoW was a main consideration for me too. It has absolutely no problem playing WoW(and I'm pretty picky). Doing so in widescreen is pretty cool too. The LCD is fine. I was a bit worried that having a non-glossy screen would be a problem, but it's great.
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post #5 of 41
1/26/06 at 11:38pm
Scair,

Is it true that the 4404 does NOT have a DVD burner, but just a DVD Reader / CD Burner???

I almost orderd the 4404 today, but discovered that little detail at the last minute.
I now went with the 4402 which has a DVD burner for sure, according to all the spec sites I have seen. I will just buy a 512 Mbyte stick to make it 1 Gig. I hope I won't miss the 200 Mhz in CPU speed, but I really wanted a DVD burner.

Greg
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post #6 of 41
1/27/06 at 12:31am
Looks like you might have jumped the gun; this has a DVD+R Dual Layer / CDRW burner.

If the place you ordered from is like most, you can still cancel the order and pick the 4404.
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post #7 of 41
1/27/06 at 2:03am
Weird, it is so confusing.

I hear different things from various websites. For example, this website says the 4404 only writes CD, NOT DVD.
https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produ...uctCode=265250

Even the offical Acer USA website says, that the 4404 writes CD only, not DVD. This site says it has a "DVD Dual Drive":
http://us.acer.com/acerpanam/page4.d...crc=3454106693

And according to this site it means this:
http://us.acer.com/acerpanam/page9.d...crc=3316314274

Quote:
Integrated variable-speed DVD-Dual drive (DVD+/-RW):
Read – 24X CD-RW, 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD-ROM, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW
Write– 24X CD-RW, 24X CD-R
Seems like there are slightly different versions out there, or all these website are wrong or not very clear about it.

Can't cancel my order anymore, it already shipped. I am sure I will be happy with the 4402, got it for $1,100.

Greg
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post #8 of 41
1/27/06 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gstewart512
Can't cancel my order anymore, it already shipped. I am sure I will be happy with the 4402, got it for $1,100.

Greg
Well, you can get the 4404WLMi for $1101.00 shipped, right now, from PageComputer. Their reviews on pricegrabber are so-so though. Next lowest from what looks like a reputable company is 1137.66 from PCNation, or 1143.97 from Techonweb.

I'm waiting until I get my W2 and find out if I have to pay in on taxes (did some consulting work beginning of the year that's going to get me) before I buy, but I'm definitely going to grab one if I can. It's cheaper than the 4402 was a week ago, and the 4402 is still going for 1079 or so.

Toasty for gaming... Hmm, warm I don't mind. Scalding is another issue... I move my character around with the keyboard (left hand) in WoW. I might pick up a laptop cooler or something if it gets uncomfortable.

Krista

Krista
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post #9 of 41
1/27/06 at 4:42pm
Yeah, you have to be careful where you order.
I order a lot of computer stuff online for my company, always from reputable places like newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com or buy.com.
I just don't want to risk it to order from a place with horrible ratings just to save $20. It's going to bite you in the long run.

The 4404 definitely would be the better deal, only $60 more for more ram, cpu and hd. If there wouldn't be the confusion about the DVD burner.

I will get my 4402 on Wednesday, can't wait. I will order a 512 Mbyte ram stick from newegg.com for $40.

I already checked on some CPU upgrades for later. The MT-37 (2 ghz) and MT-40 (2.2 hz) look interesting, that will work to give the notebook some extra punch in 1 or 2 years.

Greg
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post #10 of 41
1/27/06 at 4:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gstewart512
Yeah, you have to be careful where you order.
I order a lot of computer stuff online for my company, always from reputable places like newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com or buy.com.
I just don't want to risk it to order from a place with horrible ratings just to save $20. It's going to bite you in the long run.

The 4404 definitely would be the better deal, only $60 more for more ram, cpu and hd. If there wouldn't be the confusion about the DVD burner.

I will get my 4402 on Wednesday, can't wait. I will order a 512 Mbyte ram stick from newegg.com for $40.

I already checked on some CPU upgrades for later. The MT-37 (2 ghz) and MT-40 (2.2 hz) look interesting, that will work to give the notebook some extra punch in 1 or 2 years.

Greg

Hmm, I've never upgraded a cpu in a notebook. Are you sure the motherboard will handle it all right?

I'd love to put more memory on the video card, but I suspect that's not possible.

Krista
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post #11 of 41
1/27/06 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krista
Hmm, I've never upgraded a cpu in a notebook. Are you sure the motherboard will handle it all right?

I'd love to put more memory on the video card, but I suspect that's not possible.

Krista
As longs as you stick with a Turion it shouldn't be a problem.
Check out the AMD Turion website (http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/..._12658,00.html), and you will see that the Turion ML series all have the same TDP (35 Watt). The MT series actually has an even lower TDP, only 25 Watt. So if you put an MT-40 w/ 2.2 GHZ in your notebook, it is going to perform better AND even run cooler than the ML-30 or ML-34.

Of course you probably are going to void you warranty if you open up your notebook, so I wouldn't try that during the 12 months warranty period.

I think the VRAM is put right on the motherboard, not on a socket. So you can't really replace it. Too bad.

Greg
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post #12 of 41
1/27/06 at 5:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gstewart512
As longs as you stick with a Turion it shouldn't be a problem.
Check out the AMD Turion website (http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/...12658,00.html), and you will see that the Turion ML series all have the same TDP (35 Watt). The MT series actually has an even lower TDP, only 25 Watt. So if you put an MT-40 w/ 2.2 GHZ in your notebook, it is going to perform better AND even run cooler than the ML-30 or ML-34.
You better be sure about the cooler part. I've read forums where people have cautioned against upgrading the CPU unless you're completely sure the heatsink/heatpipe/whatever it has/ can dissipate the extra heat. I beleive this specifically referring to mobile AMD CPUs.
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post #13 of 41
1/27/06 at 5:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scair
You better be sure about the cooler part. I've read forums where people have cautioned against upgrading the CPU unless you're completely sure the heatsink/heatpipe/whatever it has/ can dissipate the extra heat. I beleive this specifically referring to mobile AMD CPUs.
That shouldn't be the problem with the Turion though. A ML-40 does not generate more heat than a ML-30 by design. Just check the AMD link I posted earlier. They have all the same TDP.

The cooling system of the 4402 is designed to handle the TDP of the ML series, and therefore should be able to handle all ML and MT series CPUs.

The Mobile Athlons are a whole different league, these chips have a TDP of 60 Watts and more, and I never would try to put them in a notebook that was designed for a Turion.

Of course the BIOS support could be a problem, not sure if the 4402's bios is recognizing the faster / newer chips. Might need a BIOS update.

Again, I am just stating facts that are on the official product website, and theoretically it should work. It might not though.
Of course Acer will tell you that you can't do that, because they want to sell you a better notebook.

Greg
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post #14 of 41
1/27/06 at 5:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gstewart512
Of course Acer will tell you that you can't do that, because they want to sell you a better notebook.

Greg
Of course Well, so long as no games come out in the time between now and when I'd want to upgrade the processor, that I just HAVE to play (I'm not a big gamer, pretty much just WoW these days), that the X700 with 64meg on it can't handle, then that sounds like a great idea.

Thanks!

Krista
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post #15 of 41
1/30/06 at 5:40pm
One note about the heat: prop the back of the laptop up at least a half-inch on anything and watch the temps drop 2-3C.

WoW before propping: 73-75C
WoW after propping: 70-71C

You might look at a laptop cooler for gaming sessions or long LAN parties. I might actually rig my own; I've got a basic design that should be cheap and easy.

Oh, and get a screen protector. I've already got some key imprints on mine.
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post #16 of 41
2/3/06 at 1:41am

Just got my 4404

I just got a 4404 and so far so great....one question..what up with the Fat32 over NTFS file sys?? I tho't with no True winXp disk can you convert over?
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post #17 of 41
2/3/06 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
Supposedly it has something to do with the restore software they use (shrug). I'll probably wipe it all out and install on NTFS.

Has anyone bought from digitalhotbuy.com ? Their reviews on pricegrabber are good and they seem to have the best price.

Krista
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post #18 of 41
2/3/06 at 1:06pm
I believe they did FAT32 because the eRcovery backup software can't handle NTFS(or so I've been told).

That said, you can convert the drive to NTFS with one easy command. Go to Start, Run, type cmd, hit enter. In the command prompt that pops up, type convert c: /fs:ntfs. Substitute the drive letter if you want to convert another partition. With the 4404, you'll have to reboot; there is only one drive and Windows can't convert the drive with the OS on it while the OS is running.
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post #19 of 41
2/3/06 at 1:08pm
Just as a heads up for current or prospective 4404 owners: I'm looking into an issue with the laptop that may affect you. I'll be calling Acer today, and I'll post something when I see how they respond.
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post #20 of 41
2/3/06 at 1:58pm
Thread Starter 
Please let us know what the possible issue is ASAP. I have a co-worker who's looking to buy really soon, and I recommended this system to him. He was just about to buy it at digitalhotbuy.com for (with shipping) about $1124.

Krista
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