Buying Notebook Help

[hrtrulz]

I am looking at buying a notebook computer, I want it to have a 80gb HDD, 512MB Ram and preferably no shared memory between video and system. I have found 2 computers that suit what I want could any give me thoughts on which one to choose or tell me of any other notebooks with similar that are good.

ACER ASPIRE 1691WLMI-PRO $2849 RRP
- INTEL CENTRINO MOBILE TECHLOLOGY, INTEL PENTIUM M 730 (1.6GHZ, 533MHZ, 2M L2 CACHE)
- 512M (2 X 256M) RAM
- 80G HDD (4200 rpm)
- 15.4" CRYSTALBRITE WIDE SCREEN (1280 X 800)
- ATI RADEON X600 PCI-E WITH 128M
- INTEGRATED BLUETOOTH
- 3 X USB 2.0
- BUILT IN 56K MODEM
- 10/100/1000 LAN
- 802.11B/G WIRELESS
- WINDOW XP PRO
- 1 YEAR RTB WARRANTY

SONY VAIO VGNFS18GP $2999 RRP
- Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology, Intel® Pentium® M Processor 740 (1.73GHz, 533MHz, 2MB L2 CACHE)
- Main Memory: 512MB DDR-SDRAM (1x512MB) (partially shared with video memory)
- Hard Drive: 80GB
- Wireless LAN: IEEE802.11b/g
- Optical Drive -: Reading Speed: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-ROM: 8x / DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R DL (Double Layer): 4x / CD-RW: 20x / CD-R, CD-ROM: 24x
- Optical Drive -: Writing Speed: DVD-R, DVD+R: 4x / DVD+RW, DVD-RW: 4x / DVD+ R DL (Double Layer): 4x / CD-R: 24x / CD-RW: 10x
- Graphic Accelerator: NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 6200 with Turbocache™ 128MB*
- Display: 15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT colour display (Clear Bright LCD)
- Interfaces: USB 2.0 x 3, 4-pin i.Link (IEEE1394) S400, PCMCIA Type I/II x 1(Cardbus Support), RJ45 Ethernet, RJ11 Modem, Headphone jack, Microphone Jack, Monitor HD15, Memory Stick/Duo Size Compatible Slot, Port replicator connector
- Modem: V.90/V.92/K56flex compliant
- Ethernet: 100 Base-TX/10 Base-T
- Audio: Intel® High Definition Audio Compatible, 3D audio (Direct Sound 3D support), Built in Stereo Speakers
- Keyboard/Input Device: 19mm Key pitch / 2.5mm key stroke, 86 keys, Intelligent Touch pad
- Battery: Up to 2.0 hours of use with supplied lithium-ion battery
- Warranty: 12 months standard

Also does anyone know the speed (RPM) of the Sony HDD???

[alex zorrilla]

Well, looking at the descriptions, they do seem roughly comparable. It may come down to the features you want. Here are the main differences, as I see them:
CPU: Sony is somewhat faster.
RAM: The Acer already has both its RAM slots filled. The Sony has room to expand. Whether this is an issue with 512 RAM is up to you.
hard drive: Comparable. I cannot find any mention of the RPM or model of Sony's hard drive.
screen: Probably comparable. I have not seen these particular screens in person, though, so it is hard to say for sure.
graphics adapter: Roughly comparable.
CD/DVD drive: I do not see what comes with the Acer.
common: USB, ethernet, wireless ethernet, modem
Acer has: Bluetooth
Sony has: Firewire port (IEEE1394), Sony memory stick reader, PCMCIA/PC Card slot (or the Acer does not mention the PC Card slot, anyway)
I can say that I bought my Mom an Acer Travelmate 2303 for Christmas this past year, and it is pretty nice. Much nicer than what I expected, given its cheap price. My uncle saw it and ended up getting one of his own. After a couple of weeks, the Hitachi hard drive in it failed. He called up Acer US Support. They correctly identified the problem and mailed him a replacement Toshiba hard drive. He has been very happy ever since.

Both of these do look like fine computers, though.

--Alex

[q9]

Personally, if I was choosing between these two, I'd go the Sony.

Whatever you get, I'd definately consider getting the extended 3 year warranty. Notebooks have a habit of getting dropped, etc.