Technical Details
- Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300 2.1 GHz
- 17.3" HD+ Widescreen CineCrystalTM LED-backlit Display
- 4GB Memory / 320GB hard drive / 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
- Integrated Acer Crystal Eye Webcam / Acer InviLinkTM 802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit / 6-cell Li-ion Battery; Up to 3 hours, 30 minutes of battery life
Bought this for just under $500 on sale, and am happy with it. Keep in mind it's not a gaming computer, the graphics card is low end and while it has some ability, it's not going to run new games. There's no "Nvidia control panel" here, or options to improve performance or tailor graphics settings outside of games. It did run older games just fine such as Warcraft III and Star Wars Battlefront I maxed out, but even Battlefront pushed it to it's limits. Those games looked very nice and you can certainly play your RPG, Strategy and 4+ year old games with no problems.
The laptop's value comes into play via the 17" widescreen monitor, which is glossy and colorfully bright, the Dolby surround sound, more than adequate stereo speakers, HDMI-out, and all the other typical options in a mid-range laptop (3 USB 2.0 ports, card reader slot, 320GB hard drive, Windows 7, 4 GB of memory).
It's a big laptop, but sturdy and well-built like most Acer products I've owned, it's also quite sharp and sleek looking. So if you're looking for privacy in public areas, not the best option. I will have to see if it's reasonable to open on a plane, for instance. But having a nice music/video machine for hotel stays, vacations, road trips and even classes, is nice, despite it's width (it's thin, but wide).
The keyboard is comfortable, large and quiet, although the raised keys lend themselves to crumbs and dirt getting inside. The trackpad is adequate, but not the best I've used, like most Acers. I don't use two finger scroll nor the scrollbar option on the right-hand side of the pad, and prefer a USB cordless mouse any ways.
The HDMI-output is a huge plus, hooking up easily to my large screen Plasma TV and 5.1 THX sound system via an HDMI switcher box I had laying around.
There's no Blu-Ray drive or true HD capabilities here, but it will play high res videos back effortlessly, and the included Pentium T4300 processor keeps the price down, while allowing for very fast performance in Windows and with audio/video playback.
It's a good value for all you get, just don't expect to play demanding games on it, but it is like owning a portable entertainment system with fast, easy to access Wi-Fi capabilities, and the speed and stability of Windows 7. It also boots up quickly, runs quietly (even the DVD drive) and again is just an all-around great value.
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