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Acer Ferrari 3200 review (just a few pics/couple benches) - Page 5

post #81 of 1272
6/20/04 at 3:39pm
if you own this laptop, how is the keyboard? Adam said that he had mixed feeling about it but didn't go into specifics so does anyone have some insight as to whether or not it is good for heavy gaming?
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post #82 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:01pm
How does the 1.6GHz "Low Power" Athlon 64 processor in the Ferrari 3200 compare with something like a 1.7GHz Pentium-M Centrino, in terms of raw power (disregarding graphics processing)?
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post #83 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kieran
How does the 1.6GHz "Low Power" Athlon 64 processor in the Ferrari 3200 compare with something like a 1.7GHz Pentium-M Centrino, in terms of raw power (disregarding graphics processing)?
If I'm right the "Low Power" Athlon 64 processor, the 2800+ has 1,8 GHz.
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post #84 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:36pm

Help!

Hello,

At the moment, I'm in serious need of assistance.
I will be making a purchase for a laptop, but currently
I'm split down the middle between two options I have:
One which is the Powerbook 15" SuperDrive and the other is the Acer Ferrari 3200.
The specifications of the Acer is probably well known amongst you people,
so I will post the powerbook qualifications:

PB
--
• 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory (Radeon 9700)
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 15.2-inch TFT Display

Both these machines are very comparable in stats, yet the powerbook seems to be a little more costly.

I intend to use this machine throughout university/college (and at home), for design/graphic purposes
/with little video editting.

So I desperately need your help on which machine would be best,
thank you.

P.S. At my university and college, they use G5's
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post #85 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:42pm
1) are you thinking of doing a lot of gaming? 2) are you required to use any windows programs at school? if the answer to q#1 is yes, forget the powerbook. If the answer to #2 is yes, would you have access to a windows computer in order to use those programs? if not, go with the ferrari, as you won't be disappointed with it at all. but if you're not much of a gamer and don't have to do much on windows, then go with the powerbook. why? OS X is the , period (from my experiences with it ), and macs are, by nature, more adept at the uses that you require. Also, try to get a single 512mb module in the powerbook, as it leaves you some room to upgrade in the future.
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post #86 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:51pm
I think it would all depend on which operating system you're more comfortable with, though if your school uses macs you might want to stay compatible with them. I'm not familiar at all with macs, and thus I prefer not to use them... The ferrari is also kind of flashy so could be a security hazard, heh.
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post #87 of 1272
6/20/04 at 6:57pm
yes, that's true, but you could try and find a notebook sleeve/slipcover/whatever to put over it like i'm gonna do (if i eventually get one) and then it might not be such a risk... or maybe not, i dunno. this would be the first laptop that i've ever used for more than an hour at a time, the first one that i will have owned, and my second computer ever, so i'm not too sure about theft risks and whatnot.
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post #88 of 1272
6/20/04 at 7:11pm

*Thank you so far!*

Well as I said,
I'll be using this strictly for design/graphics with little video editting.
The school does use Macs (G5's)
and files from Photoshop/Illustrator/Flash/Etc. are compatible with both Macs and PCs... So importing my files from one machine to the other isn't a big problem..
I' know basics for Macs, as long as they're working, I'll be able to operate on them. But once something goes wrong... I wont know what to do!
I've personally always used a PC, but I actually don't mind either brand.
It comes down to the price difference, and it's about $650 more for a powerbook.

edit
----

*everytime you guys mention the flashyness, it's actually an insentive to buy the acer

reedit
------

*i've done the student discount, it's 10%
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post #89 of 1272
6/20/04 at 7:15pm
you can try and find a student discount for the apple, but it probably won't be too significant, but once again, how would i know since i am but a wee 13 year old?
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post #90 of 1272
6/20/04 at 7:37pm
Well... It's also not about when it's in the sleeve it's when it's out of the sleeve that matters, heh. I don't like macs because it's options are limited... I always found PCs to have more variety being able to do different things, in the future as well. But as you're only using it for a few things I don't think that's a concern.

My choice would easily be the Ferrari but that's 'cause I dislike the Mac OS...
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post #91 of 1272
6/20/04 at 7:48pm
I know, i was just responding to the security concern question. and i agree with the statement that pc's are more versatile than mac's, as OS X has a lot of minutiae hidden from the user. but in terms of simplicity and the resulting breed of elegance, OS X has a definite advantage, with no cluttered desktops, no confusing menus, and just a quick, large and easy to access core program bar at the bottom of the screen. and the screensavers look awesome! :-P
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post #92 of 1272
6/20/04 at 7:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharakkhal
Use Intel systems? Just kidding. Does it happen when using one specific program, or just randomly, no matter what you're doing? More info would definitely help there.

no, it just happens randomly. you would think it would be something where say I load up a game and it does it, but thats not the case (have had no problems running games at all), it has been more like, I open itunes, open a webpage in IE, etc. I haven't been able to reproduce it all. its quite frustrating, because this is obviously unacceptable.

the keyboard is okay, I definately wish it was full-size. Thankfully even though it is small, it doesnt make too many key position mistakes like other laptops do. I would say a full size keyboard, and a screen with better viewing angles would be the biggest improvements I would ask acer for.
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post #93 of 1272
6/20/04 at 8:03pm
but i could pretty much get by without an external, fullsize kb for a while?
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post #94 of 1272
6/21/04 at 2:40pm
just a question:

can you work with the 3200 over your legs??? or it warm's too much in the bottom side to do it? Also, can you put the pc over the bed or the sofa without danger?

thx
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post #95 of 1272
6/21/04 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Okle
as OS X has a lot of minutiae hidden from the user
Wha?????
OS X is a Unix system. Everything is available if you want to play with it.
Editing configuration files might be a pain in the ***, but have you ever even considered mucking around in the Winblows registry?
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post #96 of 1272
6/21/04 at 6:00pm
exactly my point! you have to mess around in the registry, which for most people is a "pain in the a**" correct? do keep in mind that "hidden" does not mean "it's not there."
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post #97 of 1272
6/22/04 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kieran
How does the 1.6GHz "Low Power" Athlon 64 processor in the Ferrari 3200 compare with something like a 1.7GHz Pentium-M Centrino, in terms of raw power (disregarding graphics processing)?
Quote:
Originally Posted by greenlizzard
If I'm right the "Low Power" Athlon 64 processor, the 2800+ has 1,8 GHz.
Correct Read the details about AMD's low-power Mobile Athlon 64 processors over here.

GamePC benchmarks Pentium-M 1.7, 1.8 & 2.0GHz and compares them to Athlon 64 2800+ over here:

Quote:
The Dothan Pentium-M chips aren’t at the top of the performance spectrum, but they’re still very fast chips. Unfortunately, in the confines of notebook designs with limited graphics, audio, and expansion capabilities, we’re only left to wonder what these chips are truly capable of. Nevertheless, they do very well in their native notebook environments in comparison to other mobile processors. The chips can handle gaming, media encoding, and applications just like any other high-end desktop CPU.

Unfortunately, Intel’s new Pentium-M 755 (2.0 GHz Dothan) is an extremely expensive little processor, which isn’t incredibly surprising considering that it’s new to market and availability is low. The P-M 755 has a similar price tag to that of the 3.2 GHz P4 Extreme Edition, the 3.06 GHz/1MB Xeon, or the Athlon64 FX-53 CPU – all ultra-high end CPU’s for their respective markets.
Athlon 64 processors with the same rating will also perform exactly the same, like previous benchmarks of mobile vs. desktop processors from AMD have shown
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post #98 of 1272
6/23/04 at 12:21pm
You can easily work with it on your lap - if your gaming you might want to put a tshirt or something under it as it get pretty warm, but I don't think over 45-50 oC.. Its also pretty light so not much strain carrying it around from room to room
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post #99 of 1272
6/23/04 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedSky009
You can easily work with it on your lap - if your gaming you might want to put a tshirt or something under it as it get pretty warm, but I don't think over 45-50 oC.. Its also pretty light so not much strain carrying it around from room to room
Is that better or worse than most other notebooks?
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post #100 of 1272
6/23/04 at 4:20pm
I'd just like to thank Snorre for those links - very helpful indeed. Thanks!

PS > Blimey, the Athlon 64 did pretty damned well in the comparison tests, didn't it! - Do you know if that was the desktop Athlon 64, or the mobile/notebook version in the test?

Thanks
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