NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Other Brand/Manufacturers › Other Brand Discussion › I need a laptop for University and Gaming - I think I have it narrowed down to two
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

I need a laptop for University and Gaming - I think I have it narrowed down to two

post #1 of 6
6/21/04 at 9:26pm
Thread Starter 
Hey,

I am going to go into a computer software/hardware engineering program for University in Canada and I’m buying a new laptop. I have chosen two laptops I especially enjoy, the Acer Ferrari 3200 and the Acer Aspire 2025WLMi. My budget is about CAN$3300, and I need a wicked gaming machine, a fast processor, and portability. I will be running Linux on the laptop and I am aware that Linux has incorporated 64 bit technology. Here are the specs for each unit:

Acer Ferrari 3200-
Mobile AMD Athlon 64 2800+ w/ 1 MB Cache
Windows XP Professional
15.0" SXGA+ TFT LCD
512 MB DDR333 memory
Slot-load DVD-Super Multi drive
80 GB Harddrive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB
4-in-1 Card Reader
802.11b/g WLAN, BluetoothTM, Gigabit LAN, V.92 modem
http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/fr3200.htm

Acer Aspire 2025WLMi-
Intel Pentium M 1.8 Ghz w/ 2 MB Cache
Windows XP Professional
15.4" WXGA+ TFT LCD Widescreen
512 MB DDR333 memory
Slot-load DVD-Super Multi drive
80 GB Harddrive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB
4-in-1 Card Reader
802.11b/g WLAN, BluetoothTM, Gigabit LAN, V.92 modem
http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/as2020.htm

I understand that the Ferrari has poor battery performance, but the price comes out about the same if I were to get an extra battery for the powerhouse. What do you guys suggest? Is 64-bit computing going to change anything? Is 64-bit a lot of potential energy? Is Centrino all I need? If anyone has any suggestions on another laptop, then I’m open to opinion. Please keep in mind my budget . Thanks.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 6
6/21/04 at 11:43pm
64 bit will be no big deal for you since your graphics arent upgradable and 64 bit games will be too much for a 9700 (if it had axiom or mmx it would be a
a different story) as far as word processing/surfing go there will be no difference

edit:and if you need this for school, you cant wait for the upgradable gpus, unless youll settle for a desktop replacement with very poor battery life
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 6
6/21/04 at 11:49pm
64 bit will eventually be standard, but not soon enough for you to need to get a 64 bit cpu now. that's just what i think. so i recommend centrino, its waht i have.

i have the hypersonic cx5 (cl56) great notebook so far. Fast, powerful, yet quiet, light and long battery life. Superb.

Aaron
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 6
6/22/04 at 7:25am
Go with the Dell i8600. I paid $2100 USD for mine (check my signature for specs), and its fast (dare I say it?) "wicked" fast.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 6
6/22/04 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
I thought Dell's were ****ty.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 6
6/23/04 at 8:13pm
me too, buts that was before the 8600, 9100 and XPS systems (both desktop and laptop models for XPS). i know what you're thinking about the XPS desktop but my dad just bought the PCI-E version (3rd gen. model on dell site) and his friend has the one that came out before that (agp, socket 478) and OMFG it is so goddamned fast! he said that it was something like 90fps on halo, and even though i doubt him, that seems pretty fast.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Other Brand Discussion
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Other Brand/Manufacturers › Other Brand Discussion › I need a laptop for University and Gaming - I think I have it narrowed down to two