I received my Ferrari 4000 from newegg this past week and I have to say, they sure got it to me fast. Props to them and FedEx on delivery. Here are my first impressions. (informal, nothing technical)
PROS
Screen - 15.4 widescreen is a big plus. It looks a lot bigger than it is. I thought about a 17 in laptop but I’m happy I stayed with the 15.4. Even though it’s not a trubrite/xbrite/anysortabright screen, I don’t have any complaints.
Size - The laptop is quite light. I plan on taking it out of my dorm a lot so I’m happy about the low weight.
Keyboard - Keyboard feels fine to me. Other reviews have commented on the 5 degree angle but I find it helpful. The clicking noise associated with some of the keys isn’t much of an issue. A standard desktop keyboard is much louder.
Speed - Very fast boot up time. I haven’t been able to run any real programs yet but I’m sure they will run fast as well, I feel safe saying this after seeing other reviews and benchmarks.
Sound - Speakers have good sound, but without a subwoofer, any sound system is lacking. Fine for casual listening. I plan on getting real speakers anyways.
Battery - Good battery live considering how much power the Ferrari has.
Looks - The machine is a thing of beauty. It’s exterior design is unmatched by any other laptop I think. I’ve never seen another machine with carbon fiber and the Ferrari red is real pretty. You’ll definitely stand out with the prancing horses, which is good and bad. Get a lock or something.
CONS
Noise - The fan constantly runs and personally, I wish it were quieter. It is a little too much for me to simply pass over. With music and/or background music is should be ok, but in a quiet room it annoys me. At least the vents are on the side vs the bottom. Don’t have to worry as much about airflow.
Features – I wish it had a few more features such as the ePowerManagement, RealTek, and Smart Card found on the TM 8104.
Hardware - Since the laptop is supposed to be a top of the line flagship type I would have expected at least ddr400, maybe better graphics (the x700 is still great nonetheless), and a 7200 rpm hard drive. ddr333 just feels like you’ve been cheated out of some money. The Ferrari does have a hefty price tag.
Buttons - Media controls would have really been helpful. The Inspiron series has nice buttons on the exterior which I liked a lot, some of the HP’s have remotes, and several Toshiba’s have controls next to the keyboard. This shouldn’t really be something to make the difference in purchasing one though.
I’ve read some of the same opinions in other reviews so I’m glad to see that it’s just not my own personal opinion. I still would highly recommend the Ferrari to someone looking for a laptop with such great specs. A few questions I have
1)I love the carbon fiber, but on my laptop something must’ve happened in the factory because it is slanted at an awkward angle. The checkerboard doesn’t run horizontally and is tilted. It’s just…off. Hard to describe, but my eyes can’t ignore it.
2)When looking at my general system information, it reads AMD Turion 64 Mobile Technology ML-37 1.6 GHz. The ML-37 is a 2.0 GHz processor. Sandra verifies that my processor speed is 2.0, so I don’t get why system info reads otherwise.
Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far and thanks in advance for any responses.
PROS
Screen - 15.4 widescreen is a big plus. It looks a lot bigger than it is. I thought about a 17 in laptop but I’m happy I stayed with the 15.4. Even though it’s not a trubrite/xbrite/anysortabright screen, I don’t have any complaints.
Size - The laptop is quite light. I plan on taking it out of my dorm a lot so I’m happy about the low weight.
Keyboard - Keyboard feels fine to me. Other reviews have commented on the 5 degree angle but I find it helpful. The clicking noise associated with some of the keys isn’t much of an issue. A standard desktop keyboard is much louder.
Speed - Very fast boot up time. I haven’t been able to run any real programs yet but I’m sure they will run fast as well, I feel safe saying this after seeing other reviews and benchmarks.
Sound - Speakers have good sound, but without a subwoofer, any sound system is lacking. Fine for casual listening. I plan on getting real speakers anyways.
Battery - Good battery live considering how much power the Ferrari has.
Looks - The machine is a thing of beauty. It’s exterior design is unmatched by any other laptop I think. I’ve never seen another machine with carbon fiber and the Ferrari red is real pretty. You’ll definitely stand out with the prancing horses, which is good and bad. Get a lock or something.
CONS
Noise - The fan constantly runs and personally, I wish it were quieter. It is a little too much for me to simply pass over. With music and/or background music is should be ok, but in a quiet room it annoys me. At least the vents are on the side vs the bottom. Don’t have to worry as much about airflow.
Features – I wish it had a few more features such as the ePowerManagement, RealTek, and Smart Card found on the TM 8104.
Hardware - Since the laptop is supposed to be a top of the line flagship type I would have expected at least ddr400, maybe better graphics (the x700 is still great nonetheless), and a 7200 rpm hard drive. ddr333 just feels like you’ve been cheated out of some money. The Ferrari does have a hefty price tag.
Buttons - Media controls would have really been helpful. The Inspiron series has nice buttons on the exterior which I liked a lot, some of the HP’s have remotes, and several Toshiba’s have controls next to the keyboard. This shouldn’t really be something to make the difference in purchasing one though.
I’ve read some of the same opinions in other reviews so I’m glad to see that it’s just not my own personal opinion. I still would highly recommend the Ferrari to someone looking for a laptop with such great specs. A few questions I have
1)I love the carbon fiber, but on my laptop something must’ve happened in the factory because it is slanted at an awkward angle. The checkerboard doesn’t run horizontally and is tilted. It’s just…off. Hard to describe, but my eyes can’t ignore it.
2)When looking at my general system information, it reads AMD Turion 64 Mobile Technology ML-37 1.6 GHz. The ML-37 is a 2.0 GHz processor. Sandra verifies that my processor speed is 2.0, so I don’t get why system info reads otherwise.
Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far and thanks in advance for any responses.
