3201xci-xpp vs. 3201xci-xpp-sp2...differences, etc

I've been doing an exhaustive search to determine the best Acer model for me. My main criteria were Centrino 1.4 or greater and at least 64mb dedicated video graphics controller (preferably Radeon mobility 9700) Oh yea, I wanted to keep the tab under $1400 too. Well, at first I thought it was an easy pick. The 4502wlmi seemed to have it all. With an 80GB drive and DVD-rw to boot! Then is realized after further research on Acer's site that it has integrated graphics. Acer told me that it was possible to add the Radeon 9700 to the board, but someone here posted that it's soldered to the board. Not upgradable or interchangeable. I wonder why they included the 9700 with the 4501 and not the 4502? Seems silly. Oh well, that put me back on the search...I looked at the Aspire 1680 but there seemed to be a little negative feedback and the price is too over my budget to take a chance. Finally, I think that the 3201xci might be the answer for me. Although it has a 4 hour battery life and only a 14.1" display, I saw some pretty glowing reviews on it. There are 2 almost identical models. 3201xco-xpp (LX.T4806.040) vs. 3201-xpp-sp2 (LX.T4806.049). The latter obviously includes XP Pro Service Pack 2, but on www.newegg.com if you search for the manufacturer part #'s, they are two different laptops. The sp2 looks pretty cool, but I was wondering if anyone has any feedback that could help. Also...is it that big a deal to go with a 14.1 screen if you have good vision? I see comparisons between 15" and 15.4" where they say how much better the wider screen is. Does it really make that big a difference? Thanks in advance for your help and feedback.

 

i don't see the other model that you mentioned on newegg...

just this one... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=34-115-175&depa=3

they raised the price on it... it was as low as $1419...

however that doesn't matter now as you can get the same thing at computers4sure for $1243.95

http://www.computers4sure.com/product.asp?productID=2007092&info=More&tn=i#tabs

but according to resellerratings, the store looks pretty bad... even though it's suppose to be an office depot company... dunno how much i wanna risk it for such a pricey item... suppose to have terrible return policy... i guess if the item is in good condition then it's all good... but the but's gonna be a killa...

 

I think they are bassically the same with one having sp1 and the other having sp2. BUt about the screen...yes it certainly does make a difference from a 15 to 15.4 and a huge difference from a 14.1 to 15.4 no doubt. And talking about the negative feedback on the 1680, the 1680 and the 3200 or the 4500 are nearly the same, with the same design, so if the 1680 has some negative feedback I would suppose the 4500 or the 3200 would have the same , I may be wrong. I wouldnt be surprised if the motherboard and the circuits were sdame too. the only difference I could find is that the 1680 lacks the port replicator and dos not have a modular bay. And the 1680 certainly does look better, with the metalic silver finish!

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Acer Aspire 1683WLMi
1.7 Centrino (Dothan, 2MB Cache), 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9700 Dedicated, 60GB, DVD-Dual(RW), 15.4" Wide Screen, Bluetooth, 3 in 1 Card Reader, 8 Cell Batt (4+ Hours).

 

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

 

If you want to really know what the difference in screen size is you should
go to Best Buy or some store and look at the models they have there
regardless of brand, the screens are all the same.
I did that and decided that widescreen was not for me.
For one thing 15.4's native resolution is 1280x1600 and that's
way too small for me. I think compaq may allow you to make it
a square 1024x768 without distortion.
If you are going to run a lot of multimedia then you may want it.
Also they tend to use this new glass like
coating while the 15 and 14's are nonreflective.
Also the larger the screen the more weight you add so you need
to decide if that's a factor.
I got the 3201xci because weight and size were a factor!

 

The native resolution for 15.4 is not 1280 X 1600 BUT 1280 X 800 which is not small at all.

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Acer Aspire 1683WLMi
1.7 Centrino (Dothan, 2MB Cache), 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9700 Dedicated, 60GB, DVD-Dual(RW), 15.4" Wide Screen, Bluetooth, 3 in 1 Card Reader, 8 Cell Batt (4+ Hours).

 

I meant the text becomes very small.
Anything over 1024 is too small for me!
However I believe in the display properties it is possible
to enlarge the fonts.

 

Most notebooks will allow for the screen resolution to be lowered below the native resolution, but it then causes everything to become a bit fuzzy. Generally, you're taking a pxiel and stretching it so it fits the whole screen. You can turn off the stretching effect, but you will then get black borders on the edges of your LCD. A 15.4" Wide-XGA LCD (1280x800) will generally give you the same icon/font size as a 15" XGA LCD (1024x768), except that the LCD is just wider. That's what makes the 200+ pixel difference in the width. I'm sure you won't have any problems using a 15.4" Wide-XGA LCD.

-Vb-