Should i go for an Acer Laptop?

I suppose it all depends. First thing anyone needs to do is to know your own needs. When you know what you need, you figure out if you can get that for a price you can afford. After that, I look at things like customer support and styling.

In my case what I needed and what I could afford were at the low end of the scale. I got a value model Acer (Aspire 3004LCi). I've heard a lot of people say good about Acer and Acer customer service, and I've heard some people say bad. I'm very pleased so far, but I've only had my machine about 3 weeks. So far I've had zero problems with it, though I immediatly upgraded the memory to 768 M and gave graphics 128 M of that.

If you like the computer, it meets your needs, and you can afford it, go for it.

The fact is, you're only going to see 2 kinds of people posting here: enthusiasts and people who have had problems with their machine and are looking for help. This is not necessarily indicative of the general user base.

I am hard on my computers. I run a graphic design and consulting company and I work 12--18 hours per day, 6-7 days a week, every week. I'm usually running 10+ heavy duty applications at once and I switch between them constantly. My two choices for laptops were the 8204 and the MacBook Pro. Had Adobe gotten their shit together, I would have gotten the Mac (especially now with Bootcamp), but I chose the Acer because of the performance, specs and value.

It is an awesome computer. I had a few problems out of the box, but after some help from the kind folks here, I'm up and running with no issues. I would definitely recommend an Acer. It's better than any Dell I've ever used, and only slightly lower on the totem pole from a Powerbook or Thinkpad. I know you're looking at a lower-end model, but I'm very impressed with my Acer experience so far.

I got a Travelmate 4010 at Circuit City appx. 6 months ago,and have had absolutely zero problems with it.
I didn't know anything about Acer when I bought the laptop,It was just what I could afford at the time,so I figured wtf,I'll give it a shot,and it so far has been the best computer I've owned .
As far as Acer customer service is concerned,I can't say,since I've never had to use them,But from my experience with this thing,I would recommend Acer to anyone.
A month ago,I bought am Aspire 3003Wlci for my daughter,and so far she loves it.(in fact,her cat knocked it off the table onto the floor,and it still works fine)
I'd say go for it-best bang for the buck out there today!

My dad has an Acer Extensa (sold exclusively in Taiwan, I think), and it runs great. When my Dell fried its GPU I had to use the Extensa for about a week, and I loved the overall build quality of the machine, though the keyboard felt ever so slightly flimsy, but that's probly just me. I've played with a few of the other Acer's at my local computer stores, and I'm very excited to see what Acer has to offer with the Turion X2 so I may get my hands on one of those... ^^
And yes, I would recommend Acer to anyone.

its all about price performance looks
on price/performance acer are extremely competitive and their current machines look great.

when compairing its difficult to find machines with exactly the same spec, for example there will be an asus with a better graphics card but not as much ram or hdd.

build quality of laptops is generally very similar these days. unless you are after a rugged laptop and dont generally hammer the machine, any manufacturer is suitable.

so once you have found your spec, price range and appearance choose your favourite.

I think my acer is excellent, but I also love ASUS and Toshiba machines
Toshiba tend to be the most solid but are often the thickest machines.

Good luck choosing

Acer have really good support. My hats off to them. End of the day though I don't want to be a beta tester. The screen is subpar, if you disagree you haven't seen enough. (I compared six 8204's against 5 other notebooks)

Viewing angles are the biggest problem, coupled with secondary brightness issues as well.

Just ordered a MBP 2ghz, 100gb (7200rpm), 2GB ram.. can't wait. Thank god for bootcamp.

I suppose we'll never rid ourselves of the screen issue... For some people, it's relevant, for others (like myself) it's not. My 8204 is the best system I've yet owned (and, I've owned 10 notebooks in the last 6 years), an opinion I base primarily on performance and overall feel.

I played with the MBP and found it pretty and nicely-sized, but a bit lacking for my own needs. I didn't like the keyboard feel (but I'm very particular there), didn't like only two USB ports, didn't like the lack of a PC Card slot, and just can't get comfortable with the idea of purchasing a notebook that I know _won't_ be heavily supported. Say what you will about Acer, but I'm 100% certain that they'll provide better support than Apple will for users running Windows XP. And, I didn't find the screen to be that much better than the one on my 8204, and was also concerned about heat (which I'm not sure Apple has solved even on the newest revisions and particularly running under Windows XP, hence the serious underclocking of the X1600).

This is my second Acer, and I'm very happy with it. At the end of the day, though, I think I've pretty much decided: when it comes to support, there isn't a company out there that's head and shoulders above any other. But, the 8204 remains the best-spec'd system on the market, and the performance leader.

I have an acer 3613WLCi and have owned it for 3 months from Staples. This is perhaps one of the best laptops that I have ever owned. I have an old hp compaq presario and wanted to upgarde to a laptop that I could use today and the days ahead.
I know that if I ever planned to buy another laptop, it would be an acer. It has been dependable and so far had zero problems with it at all. It paid $800 for the laptop and my opnion is the best $800 that I have spent to date.

acer seems to have some quality control issues still, but on price/performance they are hard to beat. I have a TM8104 thats been in for warranty repair 3 times already, and i'm thinking about sending it in again for a minor issue. but when its working - which is 99.9999% of the time the performance is great, and it's very solidly built.
acer's customer support is pretty good - up there with more expensive brands like HP and better than dell. repair turnaround times are usually very quick.
generally the ppl who have the most problems with acer laptops are those who get the newest latest and greatest machine, as acer seem to release these early before doing a lot of quality control testing. i think thats how they always release laptops with the newest intel and AMD cpu's before just about any other manufacturer.

also check ASUS. they seem to do thing pretty similar to acer, and they have a lot of fans - just chect ASUS forum here.

In january i bought my travelmate for 900dlrs. it was an awesome deal. the computer has never really failed except for a bad windows install but that got easily fixed.

The main issue i have with mine is the heat. im not complaining that it gets too hot and is uncomfortable, because i dont mind if the computer gets hot as long as it works. the problem here is that my cpu reachers 84ºC which then, as a fail safe the cpu underclocks and reduces temps. this doesnt affect everyday performance but it affects on heavy cpu usage programs such as games, because a game does run noticeable slower at 800mhz than at 1600mhz.

im trying to fix this soon, by undervolting the cpu and perhaps using some AS5 on the CPU so that it reduces further the temp.

and about in one month, i plan on getting an Acer 5672 with the x1600- it justs seems like a great deal.

my ferrari had prob but i had excellent customer service experience that still wants me to stick w/ acer. i love my laptop. runs smooth.

Dont get it if you ever will need support

I beg to differ

August 3, 2005 - Purchased Travel Mate 4652 from NewEgg.com

March 2006 - While attempting to convert an AVI to a DVD the laptop abruptly powered off. I powered unit back on and tried again, I experienced the exact same failure. I then attempted to determine the extent of the issue by testing various burn types. I found that independent of software no DVD type would burn successfully however CDs did burn successfully. I called Acer Technical support and was sent a new drive via RMA. The new drive enabled DVDs and CDs to burn successfully however, when I attempted to read media burned with the drive the following formats were un-readable. DVD-Bootable, DVD-Video, DVD-Data, CD-Bootable. The issue was not pressing enough to be without my laptop as I entered the finals period of my college courses. I optedto wait to send the laptop in to Acer when I finished the school year and chose not to use the drive until then.

May 2006 - By the time my college courses were over the issue of the laptop abruptly shutting off had extended to multiple programs. I calledAcer Tech Support and scheduled a pick up for May 12, 2006. So that the unit could be repaired while I was driving back to California from Buffalo, NY.

May 17, 20006 - The unit was sent back stating that no issues had been found and instructing me to attempt a "Soft Load" using the Acer SystemCDs. I performed the soft load as instructed and tested to see if the issue had been resolved. Again I had issue burning DVD-Bootable, DVD-Video, DVD-Data, CD-Bootable where the media could not be read afterit was burned.

May 20, 2006 - I spoke with Mathew in tech support and asked about having the unit replaced. He said that decision is up to the techs. I explained that I did not wish to send it in a third time. He assured me that it would be fixed and that he would perform a customer service evaluation. The unit was sent to Acer on May 23, 2006, it remained at the Acer depot for almost a month. I had not heard from Mathew at all during this time period.

June 20 2006 - I contacted customer escalation, and opened an issue with who assured me that he would have the unit sent to me overnight, he also promised that the warranty would be extended to October 15th and that he would send a spare battery and AC adapter as compensation for having the unit for so long. When I received the unit I again performed the media tests, the problem concerning burning DVD-Bootable, DVD-Video, DVD-Data, CD-Bootable where the media could not be read after it was burned had still not been resolved. However the heat issue had been resolved according to the letter I received with the unit. Still though the laptop's cooling fans are on all the time.

June 22, 2006 - I spoke with in the escalation center and informedhim that the issue was till unresolved. He suggested that I try to perform a system restore using new Recovery Discs that he would send overnight to me. This was on a Thursday, I did not receive the discs until the following Monday after he had left for the night. I performedthe restore with these discs and the burning problem remained unresolved, the fans remain always on.

June 27, 2006 - I spoke with again and asked what my options were.I expressed my wish to have the unit replaced because at this point I have lost faith in the ability of the technicians at Acer to correctly replicate, diagnose and correct the issue with my unit. He informed me that they not replace the unit, four different techs have been unable to replicate my problem. Prior to this call I had begun to develop the feeling that I was being blown off until my warranty periodhad expired. I had not seen anything from in writing about extending my warranty, he pointed me to the Acer website. I again asked about how to go about getting my unit replaced, he said Acer not replace the unit I need to send it in again. I explained that I felt it was an unacceptable solution, I had been assured by Mathew thatmy issue would be resolved. I do not feel sending my laptop to the repair depot three times is acceptable given that the issue is unresolved and that the technicians provide poor communication with the customer and hold the laptop for an unreasonable length of time. At this point he became increasingly hostile over time, when asked if I could speak with his manager because he was unable to resolve my issue adequately he informed me that he "answers to no one," "their decisionsare backed by the authority of the vice president," he "has no manager," and that I was welcome to call the San Jose corporate headquarters but they would just send me back to him. At this point I ended the call and called Acer Headquarters, the operator their transferred me to the Corporate Care where I opened a new incident and specified that I do not wish to have as the representative on this incident. I also called New Egg, the reseller I purchased the laptop from, they informedme that it is only replaceable by the manufacturer; however they noted my complaint about the poor service I have received from Acer. My last action was to call Acer Headquarters again and explain my issue to in reseller sales to ask for assistance on this issue. I explained my problems with the service level from Technical Support and Corporate Care to her because the poor actions of those departments effect sales, I cannot knowingly recommend Acer as a vender to anyone because of the awful service experienced by myself. She requested I send her an email detailing these issues.

It is my sincere hope that this issue can be resolved as quickly as possible, this issue has prevented me from creating a DVD of the videosfrom the last road trip my mother and I take in time to give her for her birthday. The long term unavailability of the laptop has also impaired my communications with friends and colleagues and negatively impacted my attitude and performance in the work place due to the constant attempts to resolve this issue at times where I could contact the individuals in Texas during their work hours. The technicians have insisted that this laptop is repairable. However, at the time of this communication the issue has been unresolved for three months now. It is my feeling that unit should be replaced with a known working unit, and any future attempts at repair should be at the expense of Acer and not at my expense. Sincerely, Michael Weaver

June 27 – July 25, 2006: Was not called back by . Made Several attempts to call, received several calls from requesting information. Unable to provide with a decision. I offered to allow to remote on to my system to verify that it was not my process or software that infact it was a hardware issue. Acer does not have this capability he tells me.

July 25, 2006 Received call from instructing me that he was closing my case because it is over a month old despite the fact that it is unresolved and still on warranty.

^Lousy support service. File in a complain about that support rep.

My Acers (I have three) are amazing. Wanna race?

Acer has an undeserved reputation I believe. This is probably due to the fact that they tend to concentrate on the lower priced markets with most of their products.

My Acer laptop beats the crap out of any other laptop I've seen dollar for dollar in performance, and I have not seen any of the so-called "quality issues" that others (most of whom have never owned an Acer) love to talk about.

You really need to try some stuff and decide for yourself. I used to think Acer was crap also until I bought one. Now I have three.

Yup, I'll take you on for a race

I deal almost on a daily basis with Acer, I see not much acer's comming back for faults, and the tech support (here in Eruope) is very friendly and rather good.

Did somebody say 'Race'. Vrooom!

Sticking with Acer, thankyou.