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ACER TravelMate 8104 "Sonoma" Review - Page 2

post #21 of 293
2/3/05 at 5:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by urrutiaale
Check out my post in this thhread, it has a link to a great review of the x700 using the 8104. Really cool.

http://notebookforums.com/showthread...&page=35&pp=15
thanks for the link, the acer posts some pretty impressive benchmarks
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post #22 of 293
2/3/05 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lastdon
though u know this laptop is starting to grow on me
thanks for the pics, at first i was like ewww
but it looks thin too? not to thin but thin
enough e?
It is thin, but not too thin. It's actually slightly triangular in profile, like the 3-ring notebook binder-style I was referring to. It's not that small however due to the width of the widescreen. I haven't measured it. Still it's a very manageable light weight (6.6 lbs advertised?).

Interesting to note (I should add this to the main review) it is "back-heavy" (top-heavy in the rear portion of the laptop). The battery is in back and the back is the thicker part of the triangle. I had it sitting on that Bytecc cooler with about 2+ inches of overhang in the back. I started to push back the screen to adjust viewing and the whole thing easily rocked backwards because of all that weight in the back. I had to pull the front up over the leading edge of the Bytecc to get it more evenly balanced.
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post #23 of 293
2/3/05 at 6:45pm
Going a little off topic so my apoligies:

I have Nostromo Speedpad N52 as well I'm dissapointed in it's quality though . I wouldn't recommend it to any hardcore gamers until they refine the design. The keys are the old style before the softkey debuted and they don't always depress smoothly. The software interface kind of sucks too and makes it tough to set up certain macros. I would be willing to pay more money for a higher quality but just my opinion.

Congrats on the 8104 mine is due sometime this month
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post #24 of 293
2/3/05 at 6:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by srw101
Going a little off topic so my apoligies:

I have Nostromo Speedpad N52 as well I'm dissapointed in it's quality though . I wouldn't recommend it to any hardcore gamers until they refine the design. The keys are the old style before the softkey debuted and they don't always depress smoothly. The software interface kind of sucks too and makes it tough to set up certain macros. I would be willing to pay more money for a higher quality but just my opinion.
Pretty much agree. My Key 15 ("thumb" key lower right) is sticky. Also heck of a learning curve if you reprogram the keys (as you have to to between normal, red, blue, and green shift) to get full functionality. The big plus I see is compactness. It's an interesting concept.
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post #25 of 293
2/3/05 at 7:21pm
8100 reformatting question for the smart guys here who know. My 8103 should be here within two weeks. I'm going to buy the Hitachi 7200rpm 60gig to replace the stocker. I'll buy a 2.5" enclosure for the stock 100gig to hook up for storage via USB. First question is can you run applications from a USB external HD? If so, can I just leave everything on the seagate as it comes from Acer? I'll probably use a fresh copy of XPP to format the Hitachi since Acer doesn't provide a standalone copy. Would having two seperate OSs on two different HDs be a potential nightmare. If yes then should I wipe and reformat the seagate before I take it out or can I reformat once it's hooked up USB externally.

I just hooked up an external desktop 80gig Maxtor one touch to my work desktop which cam from Maxtor already formatted but FAT32. I was able to go into Administrative tools and then disk management and reformat to NTFS. Can I do this same thing with the seagate or does it need to be formatted but clean? I guess clean, I can't have an OS on the external can I?
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post #26 of 293
2/3/05 at 7:35pm
Something tells me that you just might want to reformat clean it before you stick it in the enclosure. If not, chances are you'll have a LOT of boot-from-USB issues if you start the machine with that drive plugged in as well as your 7k60.
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post #27 of 293
2/4/05 at 2:49am
Does the 8104 support component(Y/Pb/Pr) video output?
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post #28 of 293
2/4/05 at 3:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by IceMage
Does the 8104 support component(Y/Pb/Pr) video output?
You're out of my league on that one. Perhaps someone else can give a definitive answer. The 8104 has both VGA and DVI outputs as well as an S-Video output. I see numerous adapters on Google (VGA to Y/Pb/Pr) (pricey little devils) but you probably know whether they serve your purpose.
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post #29 of 293
2/4/05 at 3:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMsyvc
It is thin, but not too thin. It's actually slightly triangular in profile, like the 3-ring notebook binder-style I was referring to. It's not that small however due to the width of the widescreen. I haven't measured it. Still it's a very manageable light weight (6.6 lbs advertised?).

Interesting to note (I should add this to the main review) it is "back-heavy" (top-heavy in the rear portion of the laptop). The battery is in back and the back is the thicker part of the triangle. I had it sitting on that Bytecc cooler with about 2+ inches of overhang in the back. I started to push back the screen to adjust viewing and the whole thing easily rocked backwards because of all that weight in the back. I had to pull the front up over the leading edge of the Bytecc to get it more evenly balanced.

exactly like my sony vaio the battery is at the back and the weight is there
like the same design almost thin in the front and moves thick at the back
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post #30 of 293
2/4/05 at 8:59am
MrMsyvc:
That link to you bench mark isn't working, atleast not for me.
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post #31 of 293
2/4/05 at 9:49am
I've got to ask...how is the keyboard for typing? I do a lot of it and the massive curve to it brings back nightmares of those split curvy Microsoft keyboards...::shudder:: Is it comfortable for both heavy gaming and heavy/intensive typing? Does it feel nice and solid or does it have a resistance akin to that of chewed gum?
-Okle
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post #32 of 293
2/4/05 at 10:39am
I've purchased a few Acer notebooks at work and one thing really bugs me about them (some of you may think this is silly): that bloody sticker they put on the right palm rest! If I've purchased a laptop, I know what its features are - I don't really need a big sticker listing them. It makes it look like you picked up a display model from a retail store or something. I tried to take one off once and found that it was attached with a material very similar to maple syrup, so I just left it on.

Does this bug anybody else, or am I just weird? MrMsyvc, have you tried to remove that sticker?
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post #33 of 293
2/4/05 at 11:14am
For some reason all your pics and bencmarks arent working for me either.
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post #34 of 293
2/4/05 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by urrutiaale
For some reason all your pics and bencmarks arent working for me either.
Yeah, host web site is down. Sorry. 1and1 "free" web site.
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post #35 of 293
2/4/05 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Okle
I've got to ask...how is the keyboard for typing? I do a lot of it and the massive curve to it brings back nightmares of those split curvy Microsoft keyboards...::shudder:: Is it comfortable for both heavy gaming and heavy/intensive typing? Does it feel nice and solid or does it have a resistance akin to that of chewed gum?
-Okle
I think it's "satisfactory". I haven't exercised it that much, but the curve is not a problem and the "feel" is fine. Springy keys with a firm feeling underneath.
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post #36 of 293
2/4/05 at 4:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by urrutiaale
For some reason all your pics and bencmarks arent working for me either.
Working now. Moved all pix to SmugMug.com and it took 1/10th of the time it did to try and get them on my free website. It was worth a few bucks.
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post #37 of 293
2/4/05 at 5:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlastTyrant
I've purchased a few Acer notebooks at work and one thing really bugs me about them (some of you may think this is silly): that bloody sticker they put on the right palm rest! If I've purchased a laptop, I know what its features are - I don't really need a big sticker listing them. It makes it look like you picked up a display model from a retail store or something. I tried to take one off once and found that it was attached with a material very similar to maple syrup, so I just left it on.

Does this bug anybody else, or am I just weird? MrMsyvc, have you tried to remove that sticker?
That's not Acer specific (Sony, Compaq, Fujitsu did that too). I always remove stickers that I don't like. Centrino, Intel Incide, ATI stickers stay but they they will start peeling off in about a year. Removing sticker is easy. Here are my lappies without extra stickers: http://www.imagezilla.com/img.php?im...6_DSC00065.JPG
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post #38 of 293
2/4/05 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthAcer
That's not Acer specific (Sony, Compaq, Fujitsu did that too). I always remove stickers that I don't like. Centrino, Intel Incide, ATI stickers stay but they they will start peeling off in about a year. Removing sticker is easy. Here are my lappies without extra stickers: http://www.imagezilla.com/img.php?im...6_DSC00065.JPG
Agreed. Everything I buy seems like a walking billboard anymore.
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post #39 of 293
2/4/05 at 5:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Okle
I've got to ask...how is the keyboard for typing? I do a lot of it and the massive curve to it brings back nightmares of those split curvy Microsoft keyboards...::shudder:: Is it comfortable for both heavy gaming and heavy/intensive typing? Does it feel nice and solid or does it have a resistance akin to that of chewed gum?
-Okle
The only issue I have with Travelmate keyboard (both TM8104 and my previous TM8003) is that sometimes when you don't hit a key straight, there is a feeling as if it's about to break or something, and I'm always afraid to break keys. It misses characters sometimes for me if I don't push keys far enough, but that's probably my typing problem and not Acer's.

And with all that no key ever broke on Travelmate keyborards for me. I just happen to be very careful with computers, especially laptops, to minimize a chance of accident.
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post #40 of 293
2/4/05 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthAcer
Using builitn Windows power management, fan comes on less!
REF this quote from the other thread, how did you do this? Using the Advanced settings in SpeedSwitchXP or something else? My fan runs a lot, but I feel the temps are stable. Mobility Meter usually shows a CPU temp of about 57C, and it was at 63C right after the 3DMark2001 benchie, but went down quickly again. The HDD temp is usually around 37-39C.
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