Acer 4202WLMi

Discussion in 'User Reviews' started by harakim, Feb 23, 2006.

  1. harakim

    harakim Big Geek

    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I've been thinking about getting a laptop for a long time. I did a lot of research and decided to wait until Yonah came out. I was between an Acer and a Lenovo because I had an Acer computer until about 3 years ago (P1 133) which I loved and an IBM T30 laptop, which was pretty good. When CompUSA had a sale, my hands were tied.

    I paid $1189 (1000EUR) for it and got a $250 (210EUR) dollar rebate which will be mailed 21 days from purchase unless I return it.

    First, I'd like to say CompUSA wasn't as bad as I thought. Ya, their salespeople don't know anything and ya they try to pressure sale you, but their rebate program is pretty easy (so far...) and they did have a good deal.

    Now for the laptop specs:
    Intel T2300 @ 1,66ghz per core
    1GB ram
    100GB hard drive
    Integrated Intel 950GMA Graphics
    Dual-layer DVD/CD burner

    I'm not sure about the audio, it's either Intel or RealTek.

    The sound is pretty good, not the same as my Audigy 2, but it's as good as a cheap $50 sound card. The speakers are loud, but they aren't very high quality. Some cheap Sennheisers really bring out the quality.

    The screen is widescreen and really clear. The contrast is excellent. It's a little bright for my taste, but not intolerably so. No dead pixels.

    The wireless gets a good connection, I usually get a better connection than everybody else, but it's nothing life-changing.

    The computer is fast! This is aided by some Acer software that let's you decide how you want it to perform. Their Empowering technology is really pretty good. I'm sure it would come to a halt with FEAR on medium or high settings, but it wouldn't be because of the CPU.

    Unfortunately, it comes with some other software like a CD/DVD burner, Power DVD, and Norton Anti-Virus. It doesn't install these until you start the laptop. The first time you start it you set up windows, then it starts installing software. You should be prepared for this. Until it's done, don't do anything that needs to be saved because it will restart at the end. After that, it's really easy to use and any features you can't figure out are clearly described in the manual. It has buttons for email, empower, web browser, and an extra one. You can program these to anything you want and it is really easy.

    The hard drive is big, but already comes partitioned and uses Fat32. I don't really care, but you might. A nice feature is the ability to encrypt files with eSecurity.

    As for battery life, I get 3,5 to 4 hours. I think I got lucky, because most people seem to be getting 2,5 to 3. It is easy to alter settings to extend battery life. Also, all 4202s have fixed the USB error that causes short run times.

    I have heard some good and a lot of bad about Acer service, but this laptop should pretty much take care of itself.

    I really can't explain how I feel about this laptop. It's very easy to use, very fast and it was cheap. The software makes it very quick and easy to control vital functions, but for the most part it stays out of the way. The battery life is good enough for me. You've got to admit, $939 (790EUR) for a Yonah laptop is pretty damn good.

    P.S. Don't touch the Euro key. Firefox has especially odd reactions to it.
     

Share This Page