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Which laptop should I buy? (DELL vs. ACER)

post #1 of 16
6/13/07 at 9:46am
Thread Starter 
Hi there,

I am looking to buy a 14.1" laptop. I've narrowed it down to two choices:

ACER (Futureshop) - $749.99
Intel Core 2 Duo T5300 1.73GHz
Intel GM 950 graphics
14.1" Acer CrystalBrite TFT
"Lithium Ion"

DELL Inspiron 1501 - $799.00
AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-56
ATI RADEON Xpress1150 Hypermemory
14.1" Wide Screen XGA Display
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion

Both have the same RAM and HD space, and everything else seem pretty similar. And the $50 difference is pretty negligible.

So which processor is better? How's the battery life on Acers? (The Acer battery specs only says "Lithium Ion".)

Which laptop would you buy?

Thanks very much in advance for your help.
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post #2 of 16
6/13/07 at 10:33am
The Dell 1501 is a 15 inch laptop, im assuming you meant Dell 1401. GO with the Acer. I dont like Dell anymore since the whole AC adapter fiasco. Im not sure on Acer quality, but i for one will not be owning another Dell. I think my next laptop will actually be an Asus A8JS or whatever there 14 inch gamer line is with the 7700 GO.
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post #3 of 16
6/13/07 at 10:45am
Considering Futureshop is a part of Best Buy, and having worked for Best Buy and knowing how bad their service is....I'd stay away. As for the whole AC Adapter "fiasco" that nissanztt90 is mentioning...I work on almost 1000 systems a year and have NEVER experienced anything wrong with the 2 prong AC Adapters nor have any of my customers ever made mention of any problems. That being said, the Core2Duo is a bit more potent than a Turion 64. The X1150 is only marginally better than integrated graphics.
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post #4 of 16
6/13/07 at 2:06pm
It wasnt so much the problem the AC adapters caused, it was the way Dell US handled the situation. Dell ANZ knew of the problem, and sent out new AC adapters free of charge to anyone who reported the problem. Dell US blew everyone off. They also started something to see who might be interested in getting an AC adapter at a "discounted" price, which also never happened.

That being said, i am not a fan of Best Buy either. I wanted to return a POS camera that had blue specs on the photo after the picture was taken, pictures were also blurry, they wouldnt let me. After fighting with them they said there "tech guy" would look at it. They brought it around back and set it on the counter, i saw them set it down through the door, and they came back out in 5 minutes saying they couldnt find anything wrong with it, when i watched the camera simply sit there for 5 minutes.
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post #5 of 16
6/13/07 at 3:18pm
It is really up to you. I would buy the acer because I hate dell with a passion, but that's just me. If something goes wrong with the laptop I'm guessing Dell will have better support.
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post #6 of 16
6/13/07 at 7:43pm
I would go with the Dell because of their support, I've had several problems with my laptop and they have sent me new parts and addressed my issues immediately, I'm not sure how Acer is with their policy
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post #7 of 16
6/13/07 at 10:08pm
Go with Dell, make sure to add more warranty which will pay itself off in time.
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post #8 of 16
6/14/07 at 6:35am
My dell (43months old now) has been holding up extremely well. Only things wrong now:
one media button (very minor)
never got the infrared to work (may be software)
The AC adaptor! I should be receiving my third one in a day or two. in my case, adaptors will work forever but every year they decide to stop charging the battery.

otherwise it's still a good machine (will be upgrading ram in a day or two as well from 256mb to 768mb)
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post #9 of 16
6/14/07 at 3:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACHlLLES View Post
Go with Dell, make sure to add more warranty which will pay itself off in time.
Do you realize you just indirectly put down the product your supporting? "The warranty will pay for itself in time" -Make sure you get the warranty, your going to need it, and it will be cheaper than paying for the repairs is definitely going to need- Not a very supportive statement in terms of the quality of the machine.
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post #10 of 16
6/14/07 at 6:00pm
Since jan 04,I have owned an 8600,D600,M60,M70,D610,M65 and bought a 9300 and 6000 for a couple of family members,and not one of them has needed warranty repair...lucky..maybe,but a large reason I buy Dell is for the warranty...just in case,most other brands you will lose your pc for a few weeks while it is being repaired.

Acer,along with Asus and Sony,have the crappiest screen hinges ever,and is the sole reason I won't buy them,its not so much the hinges themselves,but the way the hinges are attached to the body and screen which is where all the wobbling and flex comes from,even the expensive models like and Acer 8204 and Asus V1jp are like this,and when I was considering buying one of these earlier this year,I couldn't believe how brand new laptop screens could wobble around so much when compared to my,over a year old precision M65 which has been opened and closed numerous times a day and still has no sloppyness.

I agree that Dell have made some crappy laptops,Inspiron 8600 and 5150,spring to mind,but they are old now and people are unlikely to be buying them.
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post #11 of 16
6/14/07 at 8:30pm
I have to admit, ive also owned an 8600, 700m, D810, 9300, 9400, never had any issues either, although the HDD in the 8600 died onced. Wasnt a Dell product though so i cant really hold it against them.

Not sure why you say the 8600 was crappy, it was very solid for me for a good 2-3 years.
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post #12 of 16
6/15/07 at 2:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nissanztt90 View Post
Do you realize you just indirectly put down the product your supporting? "The warranty will pay for itself in time" -Make sure you get the warranty, your going to need it, and it will be cheaper than paying for the repairs is definitely going to need- Not a very supportive statement in terms of the quality of the machine.
Yes, I meant it, and I wouldn't of said it if I didn't mean it. Since you seem like a true Dell believer, you make sure not to get any additional warranty when you purchase your next laptop.
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post #13 of 16
6/15/07 at 7:12am
Placing the ac adaptor aside, my dell is a fantastic machine. It's bounced on dirt roads for three years and been dropped countless times. Quality-wise, Dells are great in my opinion (just make sure you can replace the adaptor now and then.)
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post #14 of 16
6/15/07 at 6:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACHlLLES View Post
Yes, I meant it, and I wouldn't of said it if I didn't mean it. Since you seem like a true Dell believer, you make sure not to get any additional warranty when you purchase your next laptop.
My issue it not with Dells quality, customer service, or warranty policy. Ive had excellent results with Dell laptops, they have been very solid, very powerful, and very inexpensive. As i already said, my issue is with the way they conduct their business now. They dont give a shit about end users like us. They have corporate contracts that bring them billions. We are nothing to them, and so that is how they treat us.
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post #15 of 16
6/15/07 at 6:59pm
I've seen quite number of 3-4 year old XPS generation 1 owners getting good spec'ed, or topped off M1710 replacements/upgrades. I also had a replacement E1705 (brand new, not refurb) after techs couldn't solve the problem I had. If Dell trully didn't give a shit about home users, I doubt they would even issue out a replacements/upgrades. I do know how it is hard to work/communicate with most of the Dell CSRs, but bottom line is they will solve, repair, or replace the whole system(if they can't solve the problem). I think if you are just going for initial limited 1 year warranty since you have to send the unit in, and it's not even guaranteed that the problem will be solved after such waiting period.

I forgot to mention that my M90 has gold tech support(business side of tech support I think), and they are not the sharpest supports neither. They are domestic supports though(how does this help in support?).
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post #16 of 16
6/16/07 at 3:26pm
Once again, you stray entirely away from my point. They have excellent warranty service, and most of their systems are built well. However, the way they have handled the AC adapter has completely turned me off to them. They blew everyone off.
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