Considering TM 8204WLMi - Some Questions

Hey everyone - first post (though I've been lurking for a while ).

I'm heading to college (Yale) in the fall, and I'm considering the TM 8204WLMi for use as my primary laptop.

A few questions:

- Retail units - is there any major retailer around here (NY) that has one available to check out in person? I've looked around everywhere - CompUSSR has it web-only, Micro Center does special orders only, (and thus no pre-purchase preview) and no one else seems to have it...

- Build quality - what's it like on the 8204? I've seen a few other of the more common TravelMates in store, and they've been a bit less than impressive (too plasticky, a lot of flex everywhere, etc.).

- Screen - I've seen posts about leakage and noise issues and the screen generally not being very good. I like the fact that it's not glossy (which leads to excess glare IMO), and the high res (being that I'm used to 1400x1050), but what is it really like, compared to other models (e.g ones that I could go see in-store)?

- Hard Drive - I guess to anyone who's upgraded, how much of a difference would a 7200 rpm drive make vs. the stock 5400 - in terms of performance and battery life? And I presume the FAT32 -> NTFS conversion works fine using the WinXP tool?

- RAM - are all 8204's now shipping with the DDR2-667 sticks?

- Graphics chip - just wanted to confirm, the Radeon X1600 in the 8204 is fixed, not modular (or potentially upgradeable), correct?

- Battery life - what's it like in real usage? I'm not too picky on this, being used to <2 hrs on a DTR, but I was wondering what kind of usage times all of you are getting.

- Keyboard - I'm not sure I could adjust to the curved layout - any opinions on that? Also, could someone give a rough idea as to how large it is (overall width, key size, etc.)?

- Sound system - I know this is a bit subjective, but how's the sound quality with the built-in speakers? I'm not much of an audiophile, just want something powerful enough for occasional loud music hehe.

- Merom compatibility - I recall reading somewhere that the latest BIOS update added Merom support - is that true? And how practical is a CPU replacement on the 8204 (internal layout-wise)? Also, any word on release timing for the Merom-equipped model -- does it look like I could get one before I head out on September 1?

- Pricing - what's the lowest pricing anyone's seen on this? I did a cursory search the other day and IIRC, bottom line was about $1900?

My current primary laptop is a WinBook J4 (based on ECS G732E - P4 3.0HT (533 FSB) / 1GB DDR400 / 60GB / Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB / 15.1" LCD @ 1400x1050 / etc. - and about 8 lbs.), which has been awesome -- speedy performance, physically resilient with a solid feel (metal upper surface), and overall far better over the 2.5 yrs I've had it than any other laptop I've had or have dealt with in the past (Sony Vaios, Dell, HP/Compaq, etc. - from subnotebooks to DTRs). So that's my benchmark for a replacement.

Also, any other ideas for similar alternatives to the 8204 that I could consider? (I know this probably not the best forum to ask this in, but still)

 

I think you can do better than acer. Nice job getting into Yale. I think sony or dell would be your best bet

 

i'll try and answer as many of your questions as possible as i solely use a laptop for university.

Build Quality - pretty average, yes it creaks when i tilt the screen, loud enough to wake my gran screw heads are visible, if not covered by nasty rubber caps, bezel surround is definitely cheap looking plastic

Screen - i feel mine is weak compared to my vaio with X black. yes it bleeds but its not too bad on mine (and i have a dead pixel ) - Resolution is the highest possible on this size 1680x1050

Hard disk - if u want top performance get a hitachi travelstar 7k100, the fastest notebook drive available, im sure u might have herd me say b4, but capacity is a max of 100gb. i think u will notice a difference in performance but minimal in heat/noise. battery life might shorten a bit but i wud say its worth it regardless. i converted to ntfs using the cmd prompt, seems ok... but a pain in the ass to do every format

GPU - most are soldered to the board - not possible to upgrade

Keyboard - I find it noisy for a laptop and tend to catch the underside of an adjacent key when typing fast (does that mean the key depression is too much, or i cant type properly?!) i havent noticed much difference withthe curve but im still getting used to this keyboard as my ultraportable had a 95% size keyboard and a larger ENTER button and none of the PG UP/PG DN on the far right (which im not too fond of)

Sound - pretty **** lame to be honest my 13 inch vaio was much louder and with much better clarity - loud music is out of the question mate!

Merom - yes its compatible

I chose this laptop for the components, my first choice would have been an Asus W3J with the exact spec as the 8204wlmi but couldnt get hold of it, i personally would try and seek this if its available in your region, it costs more but in terms of quality and design etc its much better. the downside for u maybe that its a 14inch, personally i prefer that size. HTH

 

As for Sony, which Vaio is comparable to the 8204? I don't see anything on their site?

In any case, after going through 3 Vaio's, I've basically decided not to buy any Sony product worth >$20 again - the design may be nice and cool-looking, but once you've paid up, they're horrible as anything but a fashion accessory. And if for some reason you have a major problem, the 90-day support is useless ("Are you really sure your Sony personal computer is on and that the green light is illuminated?").

Dell -- I assume you mean the E1505? It seems decent, but the specs aren't up there (e.g. nothing higher than a Radeon X1400 for graphics) and it's down on features vs. the 8204...

Thx .

 

If you are looking for a similar spec from Dell or Sony, forget it. They dont have anything like the TM8204. Dell and Sony offer their performance rigs in the form of 17" notebooks.

I talked with Dell for hours before getting my TM8204. They have either the weak X1400 (15.4" laptops) or the powerful GeForce7800 or 7900GS in 17" laptops. Sony's offerings are almost similar to Toshiba.

 

I should add the build quality is between average and above average. So far almost every other notebook I tested are about the same. Best built in my opinion is still the Thinkpads but they are not going to deliver 3D performance compared to TM8204. I dont think there's many notebooks that will match your Winbook's sturdy built in the market today. Battery life is quite alright when you consider the CPU and GPU used.

The keyboard is good size and works fine. Although I much prefer the Thinkpad's keyboard. The speakers are below expectation. But I plug in to my Logitech Z3 speakers if I am listening to music or playing games.

 

i rate thinkpads highly also! but i dont know about now but less than a year ago when i bought my previous notebook they dont have a Windows key or firewire, not being bloody pricey for a compariblylow spec they also have low screen resolutions. If im wrong feel free to flame me! As im sure u will

 

You could get them Thinkpads, for the price that you are paying for the Acer. You defenitely can get a better build, but there might be slight trade offs spec wise.

 

Hmm...yeah. I'm kinda on the fence as far as the 8204, but I don't really see any alternative with as many features. Dell, Sony, HP, etc. don't have anything comparable, and as for Lenovo, the Thinkpad Z61m goes up to a Core Duo 2.0, but only Radeon X1400, and that too, at a higher price. I'm also not really a fan of the Thinkpads' aesthetics (or lack thereof ).

I was looking through Asus' models, and I found the W1Jc, which is pretty comparable to the 8204 (C-D up to T2600, 945p, R-X1600, 15.4" WSXGA+, etc.). Looks pretty interesting (dare I say..MacBook like, but much cooler haha - Asus does make the MB for Apple if I recall...). It doesn't have a webcam, but it has an HDMI port, a TV tuner, an instant-on TV/CD/DVD/MP3 media player, and a built-in subwoofer (so maybe at least decent sound quality).

http://www.asus.com.tw/products4.aspx?l1=5&l2=22&l3=0&model=1229&modelmenu=1

Asus models are only sold online here in the US (not sure if that's the case everywhere), but more of a problem is that the W1Jc doesn't seem to be available here at all. It's not on Asus' US page either. So the alternative is their Z96J, which has a webcam, but no HDMI (or DVI), no tuner - nothing special really, it's down a few features vs. 8204 and the design is pretty plain-looking...

 

Why not HP nc8430 or nc8440 line of business laptops
It has core duo, 256 mb x1600, bluetooth
magnesium alloy frame and 3 years standard warranty.

1399 at tigerdirect.

 

The nc8430 looks decent enough (8440 has the FireGL version of X1600, which I don't need), but I looked around a few places -- bringing the specs up to 8204 level (C-D T2500, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB HDD (or 100 GB 7200 RPM), etc.) puts the price at ~$2400, which is considerably more than the 8204. It has a fingerprint reader, but no webcam.

I have a couple of Dothan-based HP/Compaq Business machines here, and they've been ok - good price, reliable, decent build quality, but a bit slow for specs, plasticky exterior, etc. But this design looks a bit different, so I guess I'll check it out...

 

Btw, has anyone used the bundled SmartCard with the Acers? I was thinking of using it as a locking mechanism (e.g. Windows log-in only w/SmartCard insertion) - since that could be useful in college. Can it be used in that manner?

 

You can get my specs for less then 1,500.

 

Screen of my TM 8200 (see how bright it is)
maybe you'll find noise, but if you are not photographer you wont notice anyway.

 

Personally I don't your going to find a more feature rich notebook out there today. I am speaking from the prospective of a guy who own the sony sz, dell m1210 and now the acer. I sold the other two and kept the acer. It wasn't even a close race. After about a week of playing around with things, there was no way I could part with the acer. It has every connection port you could imagine, the best integrated camera on the market, modular bay drive (for extra battery, weight saver, hd uprgrade, etc.) Easily one of the best graphics card availabe. Very well built. I have no idea what some are talking about when it comes to build quality on this PARTICULAR ACER, but its very sturdy.

The hinges are strong, and take a little effort to open. The case is solid and feels so in your hands. Its just a notch below the HP business series laptops (which I personally feel are the best built systems out there, they just need to add more features and they would be perfect .

The screen maybe could be a notch brighter, but coming from a fellow college student you do not want to look at a super high glossy screen for several hours why you are doing research and typing papers. The colors are easily the richest I have seen (not in term of brightness, but of texture and appearance.)

Overall best notebook I have ever owned and I plan on it lasting me the next three years of college.

Two cons are (have got to be fair and unbalanced right)
1. battery life could be better. With brightness on hi and wif on and doing some general tasks (web browsing, downloading music, word processing) you re only going to get 2:30 out of the 9 cell battery. Turning the screen down will get your a little over 3, but it may cause you to strain depending on what kind of lighting your working under. Adding in the 6 cell optical battery will gain you about another 1:30 which gives you close 4-4:30 of battery life, which is pretty good for a machine this size and power.

I added an external battery to the mix as well, which gives me close to four hours on its own. Those three power supplies combined would give me more then I will ever need.

The second con, is going to be the weight. Now for a machine with these components its really not that heavy. However, if your someone that is going to be taking this laptop everywhere you go, you re certainly going to notice that you have it with you. At 6.5lbs its certainly not an impossible load, but it would probably be best to see if you can handle walking around with something of similiar weight to see if its going to bother you lugging it around campus.

For me its not too much, but for someone else it might be.

At any rate your not going to find a more feature rich machine. Go out and buy the Acer 8204 today. Make sure you have the latest BIOS and get rid of the ATI Catalyst Center (cli.eve it makes you run hot, eats up battery and is not needed in anyway) You will not be dissappointed.

 

K so after a lot of research, looking at everything from Dell to HP/Compaq, Lenovo, Asus, Alienware, Sager, Sony, LG, Samsung, and more, I'm right back where I started, so it looks like I'll go for an 8200. I hope the screen, keyboard, and overall build quality aren't too much of an issue. I don't mind the weight or battery life at all, being used to my J4 DTR (15.1", 8 lbs., <2 hr battery).

But I'm thinking of waiting for the Merom version of the 8200 if I can get it sometime in September, and my WinBook should work well through then. (it's funny, the other day I was thinking about how many times I've planned to replace it, and instead it's just stuck with me, having sat at home in one place for a while, gone to school many times, set up as a kiosk-type machine at expos, traveled to many different countries, commuted in my backpack through the NYC Subway every day for a whole summer, etc.).

 

Definately, if you can wait until Merom is out (I'd reckon October for the laptops, but that's just me) then do wait, no point buying now what you can put off until tomorrow).