Acer Aspire 3003 review? (3003WLCI)

Finally! i got the LC.BTP03.003 battery!. The battery has a rating of 4000mAh on mine, but my friend has 4400mAh on his anyways, so far, the battery lasts about 2.5hours. The battery time fluctuates due to the PowerNow technology or something like that as i was told. I would suggest that getting the battery from ebay is cheaper, because after i bought it from battery-collection.com, i saw a seller selling the same exact battery for about $70 cheaper! dang...

 

Has anyone else besides me had any problems with the A/C connection in the back of the computer? Sometime I have to wiggle the wire in the back to get it switch from battery to AC. And if I have the lap top on my lap and move the slightest bit the connection will switch to battery or if the battery is out it turns off on me. Doing this is exactly how I made sparks fly out of my HP laptop and burn up. I bought my Aspire 3003 after that happened and now the connection is going bad in my new one!!!

 

I just purchased the Acer Aspire 3003wlci for $849.00 Canadian , very pleased with it . I have noticed that the touchpad gets warm , and that the battery life short lived , b/t 1-1.5 hrs . This I can live with at the moment as it is my first laptop , and it was bought as a second home system . I am having trouble playing "Lord of the Rings-Return of the King" . Its installed , audio is Ok , but screen shows only shades of black . I had the same problem with my desktop (also on board graphics ) , but found a patch from the graphics supplier and the game worked perfect after that . Is there somewhere to find similar patches for the " sism760gx with Mirage 2 graphics controller " , or is there other alternatives . I did email Acer support waiting to hear from them ......... By the way great posts enjoyed reading them all . Helped alot.........

 

I can buy Aspire 3003 NWLCi here in Bangkok for 650 USD, similar specs as posted by Silent Stone from Singapore:

- AMD Sempron 3000+
- 256 MB DDR
- 60 GB HDD
- DVD/CD-RW combo
- Wireless 802.11b/g
- Linux for 3003NWLCi or Windows XP for 3003WLCi
- 15.4" TFT

It comes with SiSM760GX (teachers' edition) or at another retailer (70 USD more expensive, they recommend it for games) with "Integrated 3D AGP graphics with up to 64 MB". Does this make a difference?

I want to use it about 10-15 hours a day non-stop, mostly to play Maple Story, room temperature is about 31 degrees celsius. Is this a realistic expectation or should I buy a PC (or another notebook)?

 

Integrated graphics are not really meant for gaming and the Aspire 3000 series comes standard with the SiS Mirage2 graphics card. So, there should not be any differences in specifications between the same series(3003NWLCi).

Well, if you are keeping the laptop in one place and do not move around with it then getting a desktop might be a good idea. They will generally run cooler and can withstand high temperatures better than laptops.

 

Polaiirsman, I bought the better battery through e-bay. It's giving me about 2.5 hours. it cost around $100 including shipping on e-bay from vancouver vendor. The battery looks like the one in the computer. A lot cheaper than buying from acer.

 

Thanks Davetoronto I will check into it ,the price is right , buying from Acer and/or retail store is far too expensive .

 

i've ordered the ebay special too. i'll let you kids
know what i get for a battery life after i get it.
the thing's been great thus far. (minus the obvious
battery issue)

 

I'm in need of a laptop, but I don't want one that is cheap.

I have researched for weeks and found this Acer 3003 WLiC to be the best bang for the buck, but I'm still not sold.

Is the graphics card okay? Compare it to 32MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS (which i'm using). I want a laptop with good graphics but not the most expensive.

My friend has a tobisha and it has a really nice LCD, I don't know what it's called, but how does the Acer compare to it?

The Presario 3000+ Wireless G Notebook with and 14" Display,
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail~dpno~692053.asp
seems to be the same. Is the ATI graphics card better? Personally I would want the Acer, but if it's an even better deal.

If you found an even better laptop for less then $900 TELL ME.

 

The graphics card is at the bottom of the list among todays GPU's. It is better than the Geforce2 in that it can support newer standards but performance it should be similar in some instances and poorer in some. It is not recommended if gaming is your priority but other than this it can handle anything else.

Without knowing the Toshiba model it is very hard to compare. Toshiba's have nicer screen than the Acer but build quality wise their Satellite series is as good as any Acer.

The Presarion 3000+(V2305us) seems like a good option even though it is ony a refurbished model. The 200m is the best integrated graphics card in the market, although it is no match for the dedicated graphics cards. Its performance is better than the Geforce2 and is slightly lower than that of the Radeon X300se which is the entry level dedicated card. So it can play most of the newest games but may be not at the highest settings. It is a very good card compared to the SiS.

 

Thanks for replying,

So I just want a laptop with good graphic so I can watch DVDs in good quility and be able to play like Battlefield 1 or COD.

With the Acer 3003 WLiC can you change the graphics card or it's only one kind that it can support?

And, I actually have a $1000 dollar budget, so is there other really good laptop under 1000? Something like the 3003, with at least 512MB, 60GB, 1.8Ghz, Dual DVD/CD and a good graphics card. So which laptop?!

 

The 3003 will be able to the play DVD's. But I am quite not sure about the games. They most probably should be playable, but not at their best. I really wouldnt recommend the 3003wlci for gaming.

The graphics cards on laptops are generally custom built, so they cannot be easily replaced. Only some new laptops have replaceable graphics but they are some time away from becoming mainstream. Also the graphics card is integrated on to the motherboard, so there is no chance of upgrading the graphics card.

You can configure a Compaq V4000T to be just under $1000 with the 128MB X700 which should take care of any gaming concerns. But the only drawback is the Celeron M which is pretty decent performance wise but it lacks the battery saving features of the Pentium M. Another choice might be the Dell Inspiron 6000D. You can configure it in the Dell SB section with a Pentium M 1.73GHz,512MB, 60gb, DL DVD burner with 64MB X300 which although not as good as the X700 should definately play Battlefield and COD. Then there is the HP zv6000/R4000 with 128MB 200m. These are on par or slightly slower than the X300.

There are also a couple others like the Toshiba Tecra A4 and the Acer TM4402. They are also pretty good but cost a little over $1000.

If you can complete the FAQ posted in the hardware section and start a new thread there more people can help in your search or suggest other models...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=29271

 

Thanks for your help. I'm going to starting looking in to more about the Acer TM4402. So I don't think I'll start a thread.

 

You should check out my TM4402 review - here.

 

Yeah I read it. Well, PeVideo is selling it for $1100.

 

I just bought the 3003WLCi for $499 with rebates on Tigerdirect. The sale only lasts until tomorrow (12-28) at noon I believe. Just a heads up to anyone who wants on at a good price. Thank you to this forum on helping me decide. Some great info on here!

 

Could someone explain how to make the hotkeys work in win xp? I read earlier in the post where someone kindly posted code, but frankly it was over my head. Could someone go a bit more in depth (or rather more step by step, assuming I don't know how to run/make a script).

 

I picked up the 3003WLMi at The Source CC ( http://www.thesourcecc.com ) for $899 CDN. It came with a free printer and webcam - the dvd burner is standard so I was pretty pleased.

This is day two with it ( bought it last night ) and so far, I am very happy with it - it would be nice if Canada would match the wicked prices in the US ( see above for $499, Walmart.com has it on for $569 I believe ) but hey, such is life

 

How about a link instead

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/tipsandtricks/keyboard_shortcuts_windows_xp.htm

 

Certainly useful information, thanks, but I actually meant the 4 buttons up near the power button on the laptop. I didn't see anything on that site that clarified the code posted earlier, unless I just wasnt looking in the right spot.

EDIT: Apparently my first time trying these buttons resulted in a random bsod, and they actually work fine after I tried them again. Nice function. I guess to throw another question out though...

Has anyone had to use acer customer support, and send their laptop in for repair? I had a pickup scheduled which I cancelled because I thought I fixed the problem (the speaker makes a popping noise, and makes audio stutter). Do they pay all shipping costs, etc? My laptop is under warranty. Most importantly, since this is something that can be a bit random, do they often fix what you send in for repairs?

 

They have it for $599. at COMPUSA,after the $100 mail-in rebate

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=333040&pfp=BROWSE

By the way,be carefull with the exact model #.Looking at it fast,it's not so easy to make the difference between a AS3003WLCI at $599. and a AS3003WLMI at $699.The WLCI is CD/DVD drive combo,Windows XP home edition and 40 GB hard drive.The WLMI is CD/DVD Dual layer +-RW drive,Windows XP professional edition and a 80 GB hard drive which for me,was a better deal.

 

Well now.. I have the WLMi - but it came with XP Home *cuss*

 

You sure...???When you boot the notebook,on the screen you get Windows XP alone and the "professionnal" under title is not there but,check out your system and you will find out(if it is like it is for me)you have XP professionnal in there.Another way to find out,check if you have a firewall.I think(not 100 % sure)that XP home doesn't come with a firewall.
As an edit,the fastest way to tell if you have "home" or "professionnal"(unless it shows on the screen "home edition" when you boot it up)is to have a look at the papers that came with the notebook since they provide you with a brochure about Windows XP and for mine,it's Windows XP professionnal on the cover.
Last,looking at those specs,seems a real possibility yours could have come with the "home edition".If your part number is: LX.A5505.318 then,you have "home edition".
http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/fo...nam.com&central=1&words=all&keywords=&pupv=pu

 

Another quick and easy way to check is to enter 'winver' into the Run dialog (without quotes).

 

I just ordered the Acer AS3003WLCi from newegg.com for $624.99, $574.99 after $50 rebate. Since it ships with 256 MB of ram, does anyone know if the memory is (1) 256 stick, or (2) 128 sticks?
Thank all of you for all the great imput in your postings, and thank you for your reply!

 

It is 1X256MB.

Here's the spec sheet for the 3000 series, can find full details about the laptop...
http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/fo...nam.com&central=1&words=all&keywords=&pupv=pu

 

I was under the impression that it had (1) 256 stick when I ordered iy, but then i saw this sale for it on tigerdirect and it appears under their specs that it has a total of 256 MB, two mem slots and no empty slots.
http://www.tigerdirect.com//applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=1640628&sku=A180-1160

Thank you again!

PS
I ordered a 256 stick from newegg for what I was hoping to be a total of 512 before video steals some.
If it has (2) 128 sticks like tiger says, I want to have more shipped with it.
Newegg is closed today, or I could call them.

 

These specs drive you nuts!

http://www.acerpanam.com/synapse/fo...nam.com&central=1&words=all&keywords=&pupv=pu

The WLCI is listed at 256 MB of RAM and 80 GB HD.

The one for sale at CompUsa (WLCI) is a 512 MB of RAM,40 GB HD.Go figure???

http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...3040&pfp=BROWSE

 

They haven't updated the specs since Semptember,so any new configurations will not be shown. The specifications depends on the product number.

If you look at the pictures at Tiger you"ll see that there is one 256MB module and 1 empty slot.
http://www.tigerdirect.com//applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1640628&Tab=1&NoMapp=0

 

Question for Miner.Would you know by any chance how to extract the DVD drive from the notebook?I have a card reader/DVD burner which is way lighter to bring in the field with me.The only problem...it's 2 times slower than the DVD drive in the Acer notebook so would like to make a swap.In my card reader/DVD drive unit,there's a slide lock that you should open before pulling the DVD drive out.On the Acer there's no such slide and even though there is a special place(with stripes) that offer a good grip on the bottom of it,it doesn't really want to come out easily so..I don't want to force anything.Maybe there's a screw that should be remove like for the...is it the hard drive???

 

Well, I havent tried to remove it yet but you most probably will need to remove the keyboard to access the drive.

I just have a part of the service manual which has the parts list and an explosion diagram of the laptop. You can see 1 screw at the back which(I believe) can only be accessed from the top by removing the keyboard.

 

Thanks Miner! I sure do hope you're wrong.I wonder why when I bought the card reader/dvd burner unit,they were promoting the fact the DVD drive was easily swappable to one in a laptop if...you should dismantle to whole thing to get it out?
Also,I'm sure I read in the Acer user manual(don't have it at hand now)that to remove the HD or is it the OS system,you only have to remove a screw that is visible from the bottom of the unit so why would they make it so hard to get the optical drive out?(specially that they did,Pioneer the manufacturer did,some stripes to give you a good grip to pull it out)
I don't know,this is my first computer/notebook.I wonder if it is a big deal to get a DVD drive out of a desktop?

 

To remove the HD you'll just need to remove 3 screws. Its pretty easy to remove. Some of Acer's higher end laptops have swappable drives. You can still see the locking system for it in the 3000 series but without any actual mechanism. They kinda offer it as a feature & advertise it with the high end models.

Depends, if the manufacturer makes it easy to remove they are easy to remove

 

Thanks again Miner! This afternoon,I had a close look to the bottom of the thing and just like you said,I found out there is an emplacement for the slide mechanism but...the mechanism isn't there so I guess you're right and it will be a big job to get it out.

 

I ordered my 3003WLCI 15.4 with 256mb from tigerdirect.com the day after thanksgiving for $673.41 shipped with $150 mail in rebates. They had some crazy special. So far this thing is a beast for the money i payed. $523.41 shipped!!!!!!!! I had to order more ram another 512mb though, ordered from newegg for 42 bucks shipped. Has done a significant change on the performance. As far as battery goes, well its not long. I got around and hour and a half with the brightness lowered. I think im going to order an 8 cell from ebay to replace the current 4 cell. Anyone had any problems with the 8 cell batteries? Also how is linux on this puppy? any major problems yet?

 

I bought my 3003WLCI 15.4 with 512mb ddr 60gig HD at Circuit City yesterday, It cost $599 with no rebates, unless you want the free printer/wireless router.. ain't free you got to pay and mail in the rebates, so I did not get those.
I Iove the laptop It does everything I need it to do for me in my work truck and then some.

I googled and found this thread about it.. Thanks to all that posted in it! I want better battery life like others have posted..

Is part number LCBTP03003 still the recommend replacement to get close to 3 hours lifetime?

An ebay search for that number shows numerous "buy it now's" for $45.99 + $14.00 shipping TOTAL $59.99.. is that a good price for the battery?(if its still the recommended replacement)

 

Yes. Those ebay prices are good. I have seen resellers selling it for around $150. Just make sure you are buying from a reputable/reliable seller.

 

Hi,
A few days ago I ordered an Acer Aspire AS3003WLCi model LX.A5505.591 from newegg and I thought that the product description said that it had CrystalBright, but now it dosen't list that. Does Acer make a 15.4 screen without CrystalBright Tech?

Thanks!

 

Well, there might be a mistake in the specificaton sheets which goes out to the re-sellers. There were similar complaints from people who bought the 3003wlci from another store as well...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=32649

Also Acer have yet to list on their website the specification for that particular product number yet.

 

Miner-
What is the benefit to increasing video memory to 128mb. Difference in viewing dvds or anything in particular or does it not make a difference with this video card. I thought i heard you say it wasn't a very good video card.
Also whats the deal with firefox and the touch scroll. did they fix the problem with that. As of now i know it only works with internet explorer. And the bluetooth button on the front, I remember reading you said it doesn't exist. Is that something we could install besides putting a bluetooth device in the usb.

Ha one more thing. theh tab next to the bluetooth button. what is that or what was supposed to go there. just out of curiosity?

Thanks for answering all.

 

hey there karamanos,

the graphic card for this model is decent but if u plan to play games it sucks. The memory for the graphics can be changed in the bios but remember that it is shared. But it doesnt make much difference if you use 128 or 64mb of vram. Mine seem to overheat when i play NFS:MW. verheat:

for the button beside the bluetooth, it is the wireless button

and yes you can get a USB bluetooth key


hope this helps

 

Well I just wish stores that put Acers on sale would list the spec's correcty.
This sucks, 2 weeks ago right after Thanksgiving Walmart listed a aspire 3003 widescreen with crystalbright. After waiting more then a week for delivery, it arrived with a standard 15 inch dark dull screen. Wrong screen size, no CrystalBright, paid way too much.
My receipt clearly states what it was supposed to have but dosen't.
I promptly returned it to wallyworld, and reordered from newegg. Newegg's site stated CrystalBright on the description Friday night, but don't now, and I really dont want to accept shipment if it dosent meet the specs from which ordered.
Sad

 

Well...after buying a decent digital camera,a card reader/DVD burner and then a notebook(that I consider my digital darkroom) I still have to buy a colorimeter since in digital photography,if you're running with an uncalibrated screen...you're going nowhere.That amount to another $200. but...thinking of it...never seen any ways on the notebook how the screen can be "calibrated" so,would buying a colorimeter be just as good as throwing my money to the trash?

 

1.As alpha-q mentioned the graphics card is pretty decent for everything other than gaming. DVD's shouldnt be a problem and they really dont need 128MB video memory. If you have 512MB RAM then set the video meory to either 32 or 64MB. The latter is the sweet spot you'll have enough memory to run Windows and also have a balanced graphics performance. Only if the performance is not good then switch to 128MB. But if you have 1GB or more RAM then set the video memory to 128MB.

2. Older versions of the Synaptics touchpad drivers had issues with Firefox. Download and install driver version 8.12 from Syanptics website. This should enable scrolling in FF.
http://www.synaptics.com/support/drive.cfm

3. USB bluetooth is most probably the best option. Installing a card when it is not offered in any version of the 3003 might mean that there is no port for the bluetooth module. I havent seen a slot to fit a bluetooth module so I doubt theere would be one.

4. The button right next to the bluetooth button is the wireless on/off switch. The other tab is for a USB port which Acer has again left out in the 3000 series. You can also see other tabs for firewire as well as the media card reader ports on the right side.

 

Miner-

I installed the driver from the link you provided. Installed fine, and scroll on mouse pad works. But the center button between the clickers doesn't work anymore. Doesn't do anything. Before i could scroll with that button on IE but not firefox. Now it seems not to work and the only scroll option i have is on the mouse pad. Any thoughts or input would help. Thanks.

 

You"ll need to enable the button function in the mouse properties window.

To do this Go to Control Panel(classic view) -->Mouse-->Device Settings-->Click on Settings-->Click on Button and check Enable Buttons and click Apply.

This should enable the center button.

 

Thanks for that. It did work, but you had to go to each drop down menu under buttons and designate each one for what you want. Thanks again.

Oh weird problem, My previous laptop was an hp. I kept the optical usb travel mouse which is small and useful and sometimes easier to use. Well I plug it into the usb port and it won't recognize it. I tried like 5 or 6 times. The very next time it recognized it so i was using it. I turned away for maybe 10 secs and off it went again. Anyone experience this problem at all. Any input? THanks

 

It's most likely a wire that is cut in the USB cable going from the mouse to the laptop...or a loose connection from that cable into the mouse.Open the mouse,and remove the cable and plug it back.If this don't work,you will have to change the cable.What I did for mine was I took another USB cable and did remove the 4 small connectors of the old cable from the pastic plug at the end,weld them to the new cable,reinsert them in the plastic plug,plug in back in the mouse and ...Bingo! It never stop since.

 

I have a Logitech wireless optical usb mouse. It works flawlessly. I think I had one time when I turned the mouse on first before plugging in the receiver that it didn't recognize it, but otherwise it's been fine and it's never lost the connection once it's up.

 

can anyone with Half Life 1/2 post up their FPS(frames per second) on this laptop?
or just an FPS from anyother FPS (first person shooter)
~ to find FPS in HL2 type "cl_showfps 1" in console. In HL1, i think its just "showfps_1" or showfps 1/2/3

i'd really appreciate it. trying to figure out if i need to pay extra for a stupid x200.... i really dont like the idea of intergrated graphics and not knowing which intergrated graphics thing is better than another.