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Acer 1557 or Compal CL56

post #1 of 25
6/29/04 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
Hi everyone

First time posting here, been reading up a lot on laptop reviews here. I just sold my old clunky alienware 51m and was looking to buy another laptop that was lighter and had better battery life and I think i've narrowed it down to the Acer 1557 or Compal CL 56.

I game often and the fact that their the only ones with the ctrl keys in the right area is a plus. I'm also going to use this for college after the summer is over so the battery life for both is good too. They have pretty much the same stuff inside em so I couldnt decide which would be better. Could you guys give me the pros and cons comparing the two (and any bugs or drawbacks of the 2 that could need fixing)? Also how does the Acer 8000 series stack up against it? I'm looking for mainly long battery life, good lcd quality, decent/high power of the notebook, and low weight. Thanks guys.
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post #2 of 25
6/29/04 at 11:44pm
I think the cl56 from mwave is pretty hard to beat. The Aopen1557 (I think u mean Aopen, not acer) seems to be a solid laptop, but there are just some things that dont seem to be totally fixed yet, such as the shoddy cooling and seemingly flimsy frame. The cl56 is a more solid seeming laptop, and from mwave, a good cl56 config of a p-m 735 with a gig o pc2700, and a 60gig 5400rpm (they dont offer 7200) is not much over $1500 (Like $1525).
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post #3 of 25
6/30/04 at 6:02am
I will buy a Aopen 1557 next week but I don't really have the choice as it's ne only barebone notebook avariable in my area.

But if I'd have the choice, I would certainly buy the CL56, it has better build quality.
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post #4 of 25
6/30/04 at 6:20am
Shoddy cooling on the 1557? You wouldn't say! (that could explain why my laptop is in the repair shop a second time in three months).

Seriously, I'm getting quite concerned with my AOpen -- I'm just hoping it acts up at the repair shop so that we can look at exchanging it. I know I've said overall I like the machine, but this was before it conked out on me the other day. I've already lost one CPU to this laptop.

So, for now I'd recommend the Compal -- if only because I know the AOpen could potentially be problematic if I'm not alone in seeing heat-related issues crop up.
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post #5 of 25
6/30/04 at 6:35am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply guys! Since some are having problems with their aopen (heh, yea, put acer on accident) im considering the Compal more now. Considering getting one from hypersonic so i could get a paintjob on it, wanted the aopen because ibuypower does paintjobs for it for only 100 bucks. If ibuypower did paint for their Compal i'd be all over it. For a Compal CL56, would getting the best warranty be neccessary or would 1 or 2 year suffice? Also does anyone know how the Acer Travelmate 8006 stack up to the Compal? Thanks again
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post #6 of 25
7/1/04 at 12:26am
Thread Starter 
I've read a bunch of Aopen reviews and they said it was pretty good. Do you know of anyone else having problems with their aopen Guru? Also does anyone know if getting the absolute best warranty be required or desired for the Compal or any other laptop? Havent had too many laptops in the past and the alienware didnt give me any problems so not sure if i should spend the extra for an extended warranty
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post #7 of 25
7/1/04 at 12:28am
If I had to buy another laptop now it would be either the aopen1557g or compalcl56 again...

both meet my stringent criteria :P
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post #8 of 25
7/1/04 at 12:30am
Thread Starter 
Hehe yea, i know what you mean rince, they both have everything I want in a laptop right now. What GuruX said about his Aopen kind of worries me though, if I was to own it for a long time (too bad, the Aopen is a really sexy looking laptop). Now if only ibuypower or another reseller did cheap paintjobs for the Compal
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post #9 of 25
7/1/04 at 1:12am
my 1557 is fine.... I've had mine for 6 months and I've had no over-heating problems. (I play Far Cry all the time.) but I will say that the keyboard is a bit soft compaired to other laptops, but it really doesn't bother me. Also, the speakers are a bit weak, but overall it has been a great laptop, and a great value.
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post #10 of 25
7/1/04 at 1:20am
Thread Starter 
thats good to know jordan, maybe the 1557 isnt as bad as I came to believe. How is the build quality on it though? Does it flex or feel flimsy or is it fine?
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post #11 of 25
7/1/04 at 1:26am
it does have some flex, I'd say the build quality could be better. But I'm compairing it to an IBM w/ a magnesium body....It just doens't feel like one solid piece like the IBM does, but it hasn't been a problem at all. I personally don't concider the keyboard flexing (which really is minimal) or the body flexing a problem at all. In fact my only complaints are that the speakers suck, but I still use them....
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post #12 of 25
7/1/04 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
Oh ic, yea, I'm just a tad concerned about build quality. Dont want my laptop to fall apart on me in a year. I think the CL56 has better build quality but it is also a little more expensive. Does the CL56 and 1557 have the same battery life as well as LCD display?
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post #13 of 25
7/1/04 at 9:30am
I think battery life is a little bit better on aopen than cl56
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post #14 of 25
7/1/04 at 3:06pm
I think it is better on the AOpen but I think its only a minimal difference, like a few minutes or so.
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post #15 of 25
7/1/04 at 6:26pm
Thread Starter 
Oh ok, then the build quality is the only thing that concerns me on the Aopen now, anyone else with a 1557 that can tell me about the build? And is it just me or did Hypersonic raise their prices for paint jobs on the CX5 and added a new color called Omniscient red/black sapphire metallic?
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post #16 of 25
7/1/04 at 6:47pm
i emailed hypersonic about getting another color paint job on the cx5 model a few weeks ago (i.e. black, silver, etc). they said they would do it, but for $499

$623 for the red/black metallic is just ridiculous, and now it's $423 for red and blue?

there must not have been enough of a demand for the paint for them to justify offering them at any kind of affordable cost.
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post #17 of 25
7/1/04 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
damn them, i wanted a paint job badly on whichever new laptop i choose Its a good thing i still cant decide yet DECISIONS DECISIONS, someone help sway me to just choose one already Build quality on the Aopen still worries me but now its even more expensive to get paint done on the CX5
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post #18 of 25
7/2/04 at 2:32am
Thread Starter 
k, i've decided to go ahead with the CL56 since ibuypower doesnt have 2 year warranty. How is powernotebook's warranty compared to hypersonics? And who has better service?
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post #19 of 25
7/2/04 at 2:28pm
AH! Its the two I have come down to! Anyone have any comments on the LCD's of these two? That and perhaps weight are the only two deciding factors left for me at the moment. Which one has the better LCD? I dont mean res, I mean overall quality

*edit*

Or for that matter, if you can think of a reason (the heat issues have apparently been resloved? for the aopen) to get one over the other, that would be good
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post #20 of 25
7/2/04 at 3:28pm
the heat issues are definitely resolved go back, and search recent posts on the 1557 for exact info

the cl56 is a sturdier notebook if you look closely in pictures you'll see it's square all around and generally more solid that the aopen (kb is also a little better). i believe the 1557 weighs a little bit less however, and might be slightly thinner.

a choice between these laptops is really just preference on the chassis, they are essentially identical otherwise
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