Acer 8943g - questions from potential buyer

I'm considering to buy the Acer 8943g, but I would like some advice, particularly from current owners. The more you can tell me the better, but if you have experience enough to tell me about a few things with this computer, I'd appreciate that too.

Thanks in advance!!!




1. Are you happy with it?

2. What are the biggest drawbacks/faults?
(I've heard that wifi problems no longer apply with newest shipments due to updated drivers - if that's not right, please comment)

3. Why should I choose it over the Toshiba Qosmio X505?

4. How would you describe the keyboard quality?

5. Is the trackpad good quality? (I've seen negative reviews for this one.)

6. Are the speakers good? Does anyone know how they compare to the Harman/Kardon speakers on the Toshiba Qosmio?

7. Does the chassis tarnish/get dirty easily?

8. Do you have experience with customer care from Acer? Any good for this model?

Questions about upgrading:
********************
I've heard that everything on the 8943g is upgradable and easily accessed, including RAM, HDDs, and even the processor. My theory is that I would buy the i5 or the cheapest i7 model and upgrade as/when needed. However, being only a moderately experienced computer user who last build a desktop 7 years ago... I need some hints.

9. Can someone tell me if the i5 processor is quad or only core 2 duo, and how do the i5 and i7 compare, and when the difference will tell. For example, will it make a difference to my gaming (e.g. Civ5, Football Manager, Assassin's Creed 2)?

10. The supplied RAM with the 8943g is 1066 Mhz. Is that the fastest it will take, or can the motherboard handle more in the future if I need?

11. I've heard advice that I should buy the 1TB model so that it comes with the second HDD already. Apparently, installing a 2nd HDD is hard... something to do with the disk not fitting properly and requiring a different bracket. If this is true, what would I need to install a second HDD if the need arose. For example, if I need additional components, where would I buy them, how much do they cost, is the installation easy? Could I install a SSD in the future? Are SSD drives similar size to the 5400 rpm drives I'm already familiar with on laptops?

Finally, let me know if you think I should wait a bit and hold out for additional features the 8943g will come with in a few months (e.g. USB 3.0). Is USB 3.0 even worth it?


I will be using this laptop for writing, keeping multiple MS Office (and similar) documents going at the same time, surfing, and playing the above mentioned games, as well as listening to iTunes, and watching many movies.

 

Intel Core 2 Duo and Intel Core "i" are different. If you mean is the i5 dual core, then your answer is probably going to be yes. You get dual core i7's too, if you want quad core you're looking for the suffix "QM" Which I believe means Quad core Mobile. Lowest end Quad i7 is the i7-720QM. If you're going to buy a new laptop, you'd be foolish not to get a quad core.
As for the games, dunno about Assassins creed or football manager, but I can tell you Civ5 will use a quad core. RTS games love multiple threads.