4501 Feedback

I have been looking at various laptops the past few weeks and am seriously considering the Acer Travelmate 4501. A local reseller mentioned it replaced the Aspire 2012 (discontinued). While the specs look great, I would like to hear from actual users. What is your experience like, is it easy to upgrade parts (HD, memory), pro/con...?

 

I don't know if there are a lot of users who have this model. I did recently look at this unit (online) and according to the specs, they're pretty much identical to the 2012WLMi. This unit seems to be a better match to the 2012WLMi than the 1681 models people have been looking at. If the quality of the 2012's are any indication, I say this unit will be just as good. Looks like a definite winner.

-Vb-

 

I just ordered one from PCNation for 1246.00 out the door. No tax or shipping.......I hope this laptop gets here soon!!! I can't wait to play.

 

Do you know if PC nation ships to canada?









<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by photomel

 

How did u get it for only $1246 from PC Nation, PC nation is now selling it for $1402.66 [V]. If any one finds the 4501 at a disscount price please let me know.





<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by photomel

 

He obviously bought a 4001 which are priced at 1246. The cheapest i have found a 4501( and trust me I spent a lot of time looking) is around 1340 at pagecomputers.com

 

i got the 4501 4 days ago. i love it.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by hoopsallusionz

 

www.pcconection.com

$1450, no tax for me beacause i live in California.

 

i bought it at newegg for 1405 shipped!
thanks to all who helped!
bye
shr
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by hoopsallusionz

 

can either of you guys write a review on the 4501.
how the preformance, can you tell the difference with the dothan?
Does it run hot...how hot?
how's the sound? the look? feel of the keys, are they stiff?
any dead pixels?
does the unit seem sturdy, or cheaply made?
How's the screen quality.. is it bright?
is the dvd drive slow, fast? does it take long to burn stuff?
Does it have the folio desgine?
How's the wireless connection?
is the unit heavy?
Does it come with an extra battery?
What does the unit come with?
And anything else you can tell us, plus if you have pics of it that would be great.[ ]

 

can either of you guys write a review on the 4501.
how the preformance, can you tell the difference with the dothan?
Does it run hot...how hot?
how's the sound? the look? feel of the keys, are they stiff?
any dead pixels?
does the unit seem sturdy, or cheaply made?
How's the screen quality.. is it bright?
is the dvd drive slow, fast? does it take long to burn stuff?
Does it have the folio desgine?
How's the wireless connection?
is the unit heavy?
Does it come with an extra battery?
What does the unit come with?
And anything else you can tell us, plus if you have pics of it that would be great.[ ]

 

sorry it posted twice




<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by sugar_150

 

I was looking at the acer site to compare the differences between the designs of the 1681 and the 4501, they look the same except on the acer site it says the 11681 has an all in one design and the 4501 has a modular design what does this mean? When i was looking at the pics they showed the two looked the same except the 4501 has this wiered thing attached to it[:0]. http://www.acer.ca/app/akc/internet/rwpgslib.nsf/graphic+files/TM4500-27/$FILE/TM4500-27.jpg
What is it and does it come with the system?

 

Holy crap! I didn't notice that huge attachment on the 4501 either. Now mine is set to be delivered tomorrow. I assume they thought this would be a benefit so you could leave all your devices plugged in at your desk and then just carry the laptop around with you for ease, but I think I would rather have the all in one design so as not to have to carry around an extra piece between achool and my house. Oh well, I will let you know about it when it arrives. Later all

Joe

 

In the case of these notebook, "All-In-One" design means that the optical drive is built into the unit and not removable, "Modular" means that there are some removable parts (eg. optical drive). Some manufacturers have options like, a 2nd HDD, 2nd battery or even a FDD. I'm not too sure what options are available with the Acer notebooks.

The device attached to the notebook is a Port Replicator. I don't know if this item is included or not. Normally, it's an option. Most of the ports you normally use are also on the notebook, but there are a few that aren't (parallel & serial, plus a few more). Currently, most people don't have parallel/serial devices anymore, they're all USB. But mainly things that would attach to this port rep would normally stay at home anyways. I checked Newegg's site and they have content pictures, and it doesn't list the port rep as an included item.

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?style=album

This is an optional accessory. Just goto the Acer site for this unit and click on Accessories beside the picture.

If you're concerned that it doesn't have a parallel/serial ports built into the unit, you should take a look at the 1681. This unit doesn't even have the option for the Port Rep. The case design is exactly the same as the 4501, but not port for the Port Replicator.

-Vb-

 

Thx for the explanation. I too looked at acer's site and newegg's after posting and all the ports i need are on the laptop itself. Mine arrives today, I cant wait.

Joe

 

waiting for someone to review it quickly!
1. WHat is the color and style? Does it compare to the vaio? What exactly is latchless design?
2. is it a 60GB or a 40GB HDD? Different websites show different things
3.How slim is it?

 

hey all
i just got it is a great plush dark grey streamlined finish.
it does have a latch[ ] but it is reallly good looking.
its pretty trim but not overtly so.
will write my next topic, a review of the 4501 over this weekend on that lappie
bye
shr

Acer Ferrari: I WISH!
singapore vs usa??

 

Hi I am despretly looking for 4501 with 60GB would anyone know where to get it for decent price???

 

in UK/ Europe/ Thailand

 

Do most notebooks have a plastic backing to support the LCD? And does anyone know if the Toshiba M30 series and the HP ZT3000 series has a plastic backing?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by sugar_150

 

have those guys who have the notebooks, pls do a review for us? atleast a brief one..

 

alright athreya
here goes:
this is an aesthitic and handling review- NOT a speed test/anything like that.
The laptop frame seems solid and sturdy. the keyboard is a beauty and typing on it is easier than on this dell pc at work!
the touchpad is a tad too slow and your fingers will ache if you move end to end[ ]
The front is really nice, the speakers are good but a tad underpowered (as you would expect for a laptop) and it seems wierd as directed at a -20degree from the horizontal so that is wierd.
the screen is beautiful and has almost no ghosting/traces.
i had no dead pixels as i checked with a program i found on the whatlaptop.co.uk forum- which incidentally has a list of 100+ small programs which are great for your system.
the GPU processing is excellent and i could play fifa 2005 with highest settings and no problems at all.
winamp visualizations which seem to test both the processor and the video was performing at full screen at max resolution and full quality with no hitches.
the battery life is easily over 4hrs but i did not let it run dry the first time.
the location of USB and others is very smart design and it is quite slim in profile from the sides.
it does have a kensington lock socket if any of you need it.
The laptop has a dedicated euro and a dollar sign though i cant imagin why-- imean who uses it that much!
but i guess it is a travelmate-hence business user is target?
i noticed a small detail which annoyed me a bit- the ac adaptor is by Linked in not by acer!
dont know if this is intended.
HENRY, can you tell me what brand your ac-adaptor is?
i am very pleased with newegg. order to arrival in 4 days with the cheapest shipping-fedex-saver !!
I want to test dvd-playback and dvd-rw as well as the burining of this laptop, but need to buy some discs, and all.
I also (as mentioned before) need to buy the case/sleeve and that has to be done soon. so any cheap (<30$) suggestions are welcome.
thanks a lot
bye
shr

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by athreya

 

shr30,

i just followed your direction to whatlaptop.co.uk and downloaded 'dead pixel buddy', which was simple and quite cool. After doing a quick search for some of the other '100 +' programs you mentioned, I came up with nada (granted, it was quick ...is there one particular link you could pass on from that website to help me along? i.e., are they all listed on one page somewhere?

thanks,

feeling a bit slow today [ ],

todd
btw, dead pixel buddy can be downloaded at: www.laptopshowcase.co.uk/downloads.php

 

just goto whatlaptop the goto beginners corner and then there is one topic list of programs or something like that
it is a forum topic.
aah the pleasure would be in finding it but i will give it to you any ways!!
http://www.whatlaptop.co.uk/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=93229

enjoy

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by toddy

 

Thanks for the mini review. Can you tell us why you chose this over the 3201? APart from the widescreen and S video out are there are other significant differences? Finally can you tell us the color, weight, and thickness and settle that for good?!

 

sh30 my AC adapter is made by LiteON. Overall this laptop seems pretty sweet thus far, however I havent had a chance to fully test it out as I became sick soon after receiving it and have not had a chance to fully test it out. I will post more if there are any specific questions, I do not know about the comparison to Sony mainly because sony was out of my price range and I didn't shop for them much. For the $$ I am happy with this notebook so far. I will probably upgrade the RAM and HD at some point if the modeling software Im planning on using ends up needing it.

Joe

 

Joe
can you answer my query on the color, thickness and weight? Also why did you prefer this to the 3200? thanks

 

I chose the 4501 because I was initially interested in the 2012WLMi. I actually ordered the 2012 only to have my order cancelled by CDW due to its discontinuation. I didnt even see the 3201 when looking for a laptop. It looks nice. The color of my 4501 is a dark silver/grey "sparkly" color almost like some car paint. The weight is about 6.5 lbs, measuring ~14 x 11 x 1.5 inches (exact measurements can be found on newegg as well as plenty of nice pics. The 3201 does not have a dvd burner, but if you dont need that then it is no big deal. My 4501 is pretty large and I have had a tough time finding a laptop backpack that fits it correctly. Other than that, I love it when its sitting on my desk etc. I might have gone with a smaller laptop (such as the 3201) if I had really thought about how much I am going to be transporting it around etc. Hope this helps, feel free to ask any more ?s.

Joe

 

hey henry
which laptop bag did you get?
i am trying to find a sleeve to put into my ordinary backpack OR a non-descript laptop bag.
it has to be less than 40$ net price.
thanks
shr
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Henrythewound

 

I ordered a shinza zeroshock sleeve for ~30 + shipping (website claims it will fit a dell i8600 which is nearly the same dimensions). and I purchased a Swiss Gear backpack from Best Buy for ~70 (nice backpack, heres the link.....


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1077630481064&skuId=6564611&type=product


I will be riding my bike about 1.4 miles each way on a pretty regular basis so i wanted a lot of protection. The backpack has lots of padding and tons of pockets without looking TOO huge like some of the Targus bags. Hope this helps. For the sleeve go to www.shinza.com.

Joe

 

you would have to order the large, the medium is way too small. The dimensions are on their website and the large is still a bit small for this laptop. However, reviews on the site state it will fit a similarly sized dell, so we shall see. Shipping strts around the 15th for these, they have been backordered.

Joe

 

oh so you bought the shinza large or the shinza medium?
i think i have heard enough good reviews of this one that i decided to buy it
thanks


<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Henrythewound

 

Check out the size-finder at ebags.com

 

now people have got this notebook for several days...can someone post a review and some pictures?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by athreya

 

whoa--- he got the 60 gig one
how come??/

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Venombite

 

googled and checked it is sweden
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Venombite

 

This is the thing I really hate, why do manufacturers change their specs for different countries? [ !] Do they think it's too much HDD space for North America? It would be much less confusing if they were to release one set of specs worldwide, but I guess that's just too much to ask. [:I]

-Vb-

 

I think he got it from somewhere in Europe. The PICT1906 has a sheet on top from www.dustin.se, don't really know where the .SE comes from. I believe these models in Europe have the 60GB HDD's. Too bad they're not available in US/Canada with this drive. [V]

-Vb-

 

I live in Bulgaria. At a local seller, 4501 is equiped with 60GB HDD either.

However I have been looking at the pics and saw something weird. In the front panel next to the Speaker out and Headphone out jack there is another one. Can someone explain to me what is his purpose. (suspect there is surround sound support or something ?!)

 

There should be 3 jacks in total. A Blue, Pink & Green. The Blue (I think) should be the Line Out, the Pink is MIC In & the green is Headphone Out. If you take a look at Prozzerg's pictures, it shows the ports in PICT1913, but I can't make out the direction of the arrow for the symbol beisde the Blue jack.

http://bilder.prozzerg.com/index.php?album=2004-09-16+-+Laptop/

I compared to my desktop sound card and it's a bit confusing. It's either the Line In or Line Out on my desktop sound card. Can't really tell.

-Vb-

 

me thinks it is a line in, but laptop speakers?why?
so i might imagine it is for recording off fm/some other headphone out-headphone in so there is no loss (like a mic)
perhaps that is why.

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Venombite

 

If it is a Line In, I guess this gives people the option to record music from other sources. You can plug a tape player into it and backup all your old tapes to MP3 or CD. I guess that's not too bad of an option to include.

-Vb-

 

bump to ask henry if the laptop bag fits!! i am waiting for you to order mine since you have ordered yours anyways.
thanks
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Venombite

 

STill waiting on it to arrive. I will post w/ pics as sson as it gets here.

Joe

 

I got my 4501 it worth buying it. Its a great mashine.

 

My parents bought mine on tuesday, but i'm waiting for them to bring it to me, I'm so anxious to get it. I got mine from mymicro.com at a great discounted price.
Can anyone tell me what tests i should run and where to download the tests from, so that i know, that my notebook is in great condition/
Thanks








<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by rekoms