Which 4810 should I get?

Hello,

My GF and I are getting a new laptop, and the Acer Timeline 4810 is at the top of our list. It's almost $200 cheaper than the ASUS UL80. I know Best Buy is far from the best source of info, but the kid we talked to said that the Acer is basically no more than a word processing computer and internet-surfer. Given we don't need much more than that, but I'd still like to get the best processor in this model I can, but there are so many configurations!

Would the best and fasted computer in this line be the 4810tz-4508? Does anyone think I should pony up and get the ASUS UL80?

Thanks!

 

Well, thats quite unfair to say about the 4810 (my spec). I play games, run a virtual machine, surfs the net on wifi, even types a doc occasionally and that too multitasking.

If this is the machine( http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...?EdpNo=5483166&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs) you are talking about am quite sure that the kid is a kid.

But better also post on for what needs you are buying the laptop, that would help get more replies. And your userid is awsome

 

Thanks for the compliment

The Timeline that you linked to is the model I planned on getting. Is there any real difference between that one and the Olympic Edition besides color?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5611792

We don't plan on doing any gaming, and admitedly 90% of it's use will be interent-based. The other 10% will be some word processing / Powerpoint stuff and I'll do some basic light drafting (Sketchup).

Thanks!

 

Well if my laptop happens to get some Artificial Intelligence and read what you need the laptop for, it definitely would start complaining about how cruel I am to it. But it still doesn't know that I plan to be more brutal in the coming days.

Well as for the question, the answer would definitely be a yes.

The SU7300 processor on the Asus would be really good if you want to run virtual machines. But even on my SU 4100 I do that using VirtualBox.

The other difference is that the Asus got a switchable graphics card, would be worth for playing some hi-definition videos (Am not into that, but the details are available on this forum. There is a 4810 model with switchable ATI 4330 graphics card and there are threads on it in the forum.). That doesn't mean the intel 4500MHD on my laptop is any bad, I do play games often and watch movies.

 

Anybody else want to voice thier opinion on this?

 

I got the 4810-4120 (Costco's version of the -4508 but with 500gb drive and 2 year warranty rather than 1)

My wife and I love it thus far....nice small form factor, and has handled everything I've "thrown" at it which is honestly mostly web surfing. I did play some Hulu videos and they played without a stutter. I think the SU4100 will be fine for me.

FYI I came across the Timeline after already falling in "love" with the Asus UL80VT like you.......but the shiny plastic case of the UL80 was bothering me, plus when I stopped my techie "more is better" drive for a sec, I honestly realized that I will NOT be playing games on this laptop, so why is it really worth it to me to pay $200 more for the switchable graphics. Finally, there was lots of b!tching about the Asus keyboard flexing and squeaking plastic on the case. Plus the Acer is 1/2 pound lighter (primarily b/c the Asus has a bigger battery, which could be a positive, although for me 6-8 hours on the Acer is plenty fine)

I chose the Costco version because they have a 90 day return policy. Even though it ended up just a few bucks more than an online purchase of -4508 (due to tax) I wanted an out in case I didn't like this Acer. Plus you get a better warranty (including my Amex its a total of 3 yrs) and an extra 180 gigs on the drive.

I love the case on the Acer - it doesn't pick up any fingerprints. The touchpad is pretty good too - includes some multi-finger capabilities

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions


And to answer your initial question, I don't see a reason to get anything OTHER than the dual core (-4508 or -4120). I see SU2700 single cores popping at CircuitCity.com and stuff, but I've seen many people commenting that those are pretty slow in the processing dept. Perhaps if you're really on a shoestring, and in that case I'd go on Ebay and pick up one for a song. But for me, this is going to be my only laptop and I want it to last and not feel I'm compromising too much on performance, and I can swing the $629 to get the dual core.....obviously you can too if you're also considering the Asus......

 

is there much difference in the SU4100 and the SU9400?? I really want to get a 4810 but not sure what proccessor to go for.
at present in the UK the SU9400 is about £135 more, is it worth it?

 

Marginal increments of processor speed are always way larger than the actual cost fro chip manufacturers. The reaon is simple: People who really need 10% more processing power WILL pay for it.
E.G., you can overclock the SU4100 easily by 25% if you need it.
Plus, the 135 Pound are around one fifth or even more of the total price of the Laptop with the SU4100, so I would grab the cheaper one and save the money, e.g. for a sooner replacement that will give you way more features/speed.
Just my 0.02 cents
PS. Me is perfectly happy with my SU4100

 

ok, will do!

thanks