Acer Aspire 3003 "LCi"

Hello to all. I am a newbie at this forum, but I have a handle on computers for the most part. I recently bought the new Acer Aspire 3003 LCi laptop for Circuit City.

Specs:
Model: Aspire 3003 LCi
Processor: AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor (1.8 Ghz)
Memory: 512 MB DDR RAM (64 MB Dedicated for graphics)
Hard Drive: 60 GB (IN REALITY, ITS 2 "30 GB" DRIVES!)
Screen: 15.0" XGA TFT LCD Monitor
Wireless: 802.11 b/g Wireless LAN
Optical Drive: Mat****a DVD/CD-RW
Price after Rebates: approx. $625

I have been in the market this summer, and this laptop took me by surprise. All this power for such a low price is insane, but might just be worth it.

Pros:

Speed: Amazing
I have my own desktop running on a 1.3 Ghz Processor, 256 MB RAM, and 60 GB Hard Drive. I can say that the Acer 3003 LCi SMOKES it by far.

Lightweight: 6.1 lbs.
Staying under other models less than $800 is a nice plus. I believe the Surgeon General stated that nothing more than 8 lbs. should be on a back.
*Clarifaction would be appriciated*

Price: $625 after Rebates
Even though this is with a deal at Circuit City, this is an amazing price for such a powerful computer.

Cons:

Battery Life: 1.5 Hrs. MAX!
Identical to the WLCi, the battery life is distasteful. Its IMPOSSIBLE to watch a single DVD movie in one charge (even IF you have the brightness down all the way (which works well with the new Sin City DVD )). I have contacted Acer and has stated that there is a 8 cell replacement for around $99 dollars for the model, but still, a 6-cell should have been manditory.

Hard Drive(s): 2 different 30 GB!
I have never had a computer with 2 different hard drives, but does it mean I can only have 30 GB for my programs and 30 GB for Everything else???
*Input is appriciated*

Conclusion:
I have never heard of Acer before buying this computer. But in the end, its a nice computer for the price, but the downsides hinders its potential.

Now, if anyone can answer these questions...

1. Will the 2 "30 GB" hinder my program space? Is it really 2 differnet Hard Drives? If no, is there a way to reformat my computer to recognize it as 1 "60 GB" HD?

2. I want to purchase a PCI 128 MB Graphics Card. Will this elimiate the 64 MB requirement for the graphics and screen?

3. There is an option to have the fan run contiuosly. Is this advisable, or will it drain even more battery life?

Thanks for any input.

 

You might want to try ripping the DVDs to your hard drive. Hard drives consume less power than optical drives. Also dimming the screen will help battery life since the screen is the biggest battery drainer on your laptop. You actually have one hard drive. It is partitioned so it seen as two. It is a nice notebook especially for what you paid. Upgrading to a faster hard drive will help system performance. It is unlikely you'll be able to upgrade the graphics card. Thanks for the info.

 

Well, actually I wanted to use my PCI slot to add on a Video/Graphics card. Im just wondering if I could focus the system requirements on the Video card instead of the system RAM. Thanks for the suggestions!