8204 screen issue - widespread?

Getting ready to order an 8204 but just a little curious about some of the articles I've read in the posts so far....hopefully some of 8204 users can give me their opinions...

1. The screen leakage, the pictures from the review seems to show quite a bit of leakage from the bottom of the screen - is it pretty bad?

2. The screen noise - any idea on if its caused by software issues or is the actual screen itself?

3. Is there a specific build I should be looking for? I don't think I'll have much control over what I get if I order it from buy.com or anywhere for that matter, but I figure I'd give it a try. suggestions on where to order would be great to0...buy.com has good price on it w/ free shipping.

4. How well does that bluetooth Voip phone work?

Seems like the screen is my biggest concern I'd have with this laptop as that is the single most important item you are looking at when using the laptop. I'd be using the laptop for documents, spreadsheets, games, and movies...

thanks much in advance!

cheers!

 

I think it boils down to "your mileage may vary". I have a January build, and my screen is fine, though a bit un-bright (no bad pixels, no light leakage, no screen noise I can discern).

The BT phone works, though the sound isn't the greatest.

As far as build goes, try for April or later - they seem to have fewer issues.

 

EdF,

I guess you must have one of the good ones then...I am glad there are no dead pixels...when you said "a bit un-bright", how unbright is it? I don't intend to work under the trees in the park or on the beach, but I do frequently work in coffee shops and restaurants....

Thanks!

 

Mine built 06/10, march I think. 1 dead pixel on the top of screen. doesnt bother me at all. A bit leakage, wont notice, no LAN issues, no other issues, gaming just fine, movies also fine. Screen noise, dont know what thay r talking about. It just screen is not so bright for out door usage.

 

samuderaindia, where did you order yours from?

thanks!

 

I bought in singapore, harvey norman store. Cash and carry.

It took one day to confirm the availability of stock. The good thing is if U dont satisfied with the stock, U can just walk away.

 

I just got mine in Singapore (about 2+ weeks ago) and it's great. No probs, or not that I can tell at the moment anyway.

 

The brightness is ok as long as you're more or less looking at it straight on. I don't think you'd have a problem in normal indoor conditions. Forget about outside though.

 

Mine is build date 0603.

Basically everything is perfectly fine. The screen is just as bright as any of my friends' laptops (HP, Alienware, Toshiba).

The light leakage is there, but only on black screens, and even then if you are in a lit environment, you won't notice it.

There isnt any noise coming from the video card or whatever. The speakers aren't the best so I just bought some Logitech ones.

The bluetooth phone basically is crap. You can go about 10 feet away with it, but its always real quiet and echoey. I have however called someone just using the speakers and built in mic, and it was perfectly clear!

The webcam is decent but nothing spectacular. Was it worth the 2 grand? It depends. For me it was because it will surely last for my entire college career. The performance is awesome, and overall I give it a 9.9/10.

 

Just placed my order with buy.com for the 8204WLMi w/ 3 year additional warranty with Acer!!!! It'll be here next week.....bummer have to wait that long....

sooooo.....now that I ordered it....I heard there is an issue with the 8204's LAN card, that it resets constantly; and that there is a fix for it too....hmmm...is there anything else I should know and be aware of when I get it? like updating windows (which would probably mess it up) or drivers...etc? what NOT to do's?

Cool....thanks in advance for any heads up!

Cheers!!!

waiting to leave the Sager 4780 at home and travel with the Acer 8204

 

That's awesome, congratulations!

I'm also waiting right now for mine to arrive from buy.com, the suspense is killing me. I ordered 3-5 day shipping but because of the July 4th holiday it's going to end up being about 7 days.

I've already bought a bunch of games for it as I've missed out on gaming for the last 2+ years because I was a poor highschool kid using a crappy P4 desktop.

Now I just need to figure out where to get the latest BIOS updates and I need to decide which drivers to use, although right now I'm leaning towards the Omega.

 

Mine's a mid March 06 build and haven't faced any probs thus far

 

Just got my Audigy 2ZS card in the mail and bought a few more games for the 8200, I can barely wait for this thing to finally come...