Is this a good laptop?

[Hawks]

I'm looking at an Acer Aspire Timeline... From amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-Timel ... 979&sr=1-3 ), it's $550 (though I'd like to buy it from an actual computer place/site if cheaper)

 

 

 

Specs copypasta'd from Amazon...

 

[hide=]13.3-inch LED-backlight widescreen display 1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and 200-nit high brightness

 

Energy efficient, single core 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium SU2700 processor with ultra-low voltage for extended battery life

 

320 GB hard drive

 

4 GB of installed RAM with 1066 MHz speed

 

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1700 MB of shared video memory and support for DirectX 10 games

 

Multi-gesture touchpad supporting circular-motion scrolling, pinch-action zoom, page flip

 

Thermal-efficient cooling innovation ensures the notebook achieves comfortable skin temperature during use.

 

Crystal Eye webcam supports Acer PrimaLite technology, which consists of a premium sensor, firmware and lenses to provide superior video performance under low-light conditions. A built-in digital microphone helps keep background noise levels low and minimizes echoes.

 

Backup Manager software and easy launch backup key for scheduled and as-needed backups of your most important digital files.

 

Draft-N Wi-Fi wireless networking (802.11a/b/g/n) with SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency

 

Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)

 

5-in-1 memory card reader

 

HDMI (with HDCP) and VGA video output

 

Stereo speakers with Dolby Sound Room audio enhancement transforms the experience of movies, music, and games.

 

Energy-sipping laptop thanks to low-power components and efficient technologies.

 

Windows Home Vista Premium operating system

 

Up to 8 hours of battery life with Acer PowerSmart Manager enabled and depending on configuration

 

Dimensions: 12.67 x 8.97 x 0.9/1.13 inches (WxDxH)

 

Weight: 3.5 pounds

 

Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty[/hide]

 

Also comes with: McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version); CyberLink PowerDVD; Google Desktop; Acer Backup Manager; Acer GridVista; Acer PowerSmart Manager

 

 

 

I have no idea what is good in a laptop and what's not at the moment. I would be buying this as-is with no additional stuff (perhaps a USB mouse) and adding a firewall/free AV plus random programs. I assume that you could run RS on high detail without any visual lag. Can someone also explain to me the Wi-fi on this? What does N-whatever mean? And does anyone know how many USB ports are on this? It looks like 2 from the Amazon pics, are there more?

 

 

 

And for kicks, how does this compare to this Dell Inspiron 9300 laptop?

 

It's a 17" laptop, almost 9lbs and about 2" thick...

 

OS: WinXP Professional

 

Model: Dell Inspiron 9300

 

RAM: 2048MB

 

PSU: Intel Pentium M 2GHz

 

Hardrive: 89GB

 

Optical drive: External LG Super Multi Rewriter and Internal something that a) doesn't work anymore B) came with it

 

Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800

 

6 USB ports.

 

 

 

And I wouldn't be buying this immediately. Would you imagine it would still be a good choice (if it is one now) this time next year?

 

 

 

EDIT: It has 3 USB ports plus this stuff:

 

3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players

 

1 HDMI output for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable

 

Analog video output: 1 VGA

 

5-in-1 card reader compatible with MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card

 

1 headphone/line-out jack (with SPDIF digital audio support), 1 microphone jack

 

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet

[Nadril]

If you're not buying for another year why even ask? Technology changes so rapidly that who knows what will be out then. Both laptops you posted aren't very good for what you want at all.

[Jernlov]

Why would anyone want to buy a laptop with a 16:9 resolution? I've never understood why people would choose less screen area. Unless you're primarily going to be watching movies, I don't see why you'd choose it over a 16:10 aspect ratio - the latter seems to have more practical use due to a larger screen area.

 

 

 

And it's as Nadril said: tech is changing so fast that it would be better to ask nearer the time.

[Sbrideau]

Plus Pentiums and the Nvidia 6800 are very outdated. Also the Intel graphics accelerator on the first laptop won't even be able to deal with RSHD imo.

[PastyGangsta]

Plus Pentiums and the Nvidia 6800 are very outdated. Also the Intel graphics accelerator on the first laptop won't even be able to deal with RSHD imo.

 

 

 

Also, make sure no matter what you buy doesn't have any preinstalled anti-virus, it gets so embedded into your system that if you no longer want it... good luck getting rid of it. McAfee especially, it can destroy your registry and basically drive you to reformat.

 

 

 

Nothing against the big anti-virus companies, just when they're preloaded.

[nerdattack16]

Let me tell you, if you want to play games other than Flash games and RuneScape ON LOW DETAIL, then do not buy this laptop. That's an integrated graphics card and it can't run crap. I have one in my laptop, but only because I don't game other than really old stuff (Fallout 1, CS:S, Halo). I can't even play RuneScape in HD without constant lag and choppiness. I tried playing WoW on my laptop... didn't work very well.

 

 

 

The processor is kinda slow. Only 1.3 ghz? You should probably be looking for at least 2 ghz, dual-core, especially if you're running Vista.

 

 

 

Basically, if you're only doing really basic stuff, like Web browsing, YouTube, RuneScape, etc. then it'll be fine. But if you do buy it, don't expect a lot out of it. You should wait a little while and buy a better one - it would last you longer.

[n64jive]

I payed $650 for a similiar one, however with nvidia 8400 series, 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 2.4ghz intel core duo.

 

 

 

I would make sure that you can upgrade to windows 7.

[Laura]

That machine is outdated today, there's no telling how obsolete it will be tomorrow. I also doubt Amazon will be selling that laptop this time next year.