How would you rate these two laptops, Vista-wise?

1. http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_Aspire_5633WLMi_Laptop_LX.AG50J.118/version-1.asp

2. http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_Aspire_5684WLMi_Laptop_LX.AFQ0J.014/version-1.asp

 

Here's an FAQ that might aid your critique:


General Questions


1) What is your budget?

E1,500 (~£985/$1,942) but the cheaper, the better

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?

Web browsing, instant messaging, CD/DVD playback, music/video downloading, CD/DVD burning, word processing, streaming media to Xbox 360, Windows XP Media Centre Edition (Vista when SP1 comes out).

I want a laptop that can effectively multitask with as little freezing, crashing and/or slowdown as possible, and it's particularly vital that this be the case when I'm eventually running Vista

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?

It will be in my room most of the time

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?

Football Manager 2007. Europeans will tell you all about it. It's a stats processing football management simulator, more in common with an Excel spreadsheet than Half-Life 2! So its graphics requirements aren't that high.

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

I'm only looking for a critique on the two models I linked in the OP

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?

At least 2-3

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?

No

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?

UK & Ireland


Screen Specifics


10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?

Widescreen

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

d. WXGA or WXGA+

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

Matte preferred, but if glossy comes as standard, no harm done


Build Quality and Design


13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

Yes, but build quality, durability and robustness are more important to me

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?

Next 3 weeks. Ideally 2 years at least


Notebook Components


15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?

No less than 80, but 100+ ideally

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?

DVD-CD/RW

17) Any minimum specs?

Core 2 Duo processor that can handle Vista fast, 2GB RAM, 256MB graphics card capable of handling Aero to an acceptable standard

 

I can't say I'm familiar with your choice of games (I don't game much at all). Perhaps someone can speak to the graphics demands specifically.

It looks like the 5684 comes with a better processor (1.83 vs 1.66), faster RAM (667 vs 533), a bigger hard drive (160 vs 120) and a better video card (7600SE vs 7300). All that costs you about 170 Euro. I'd say its worth the upgrade.

I'm a little curious why you would only concider these two models, but I've been back in the US for about a year and a half now, so I may be out of touch with european availability.

 

Yea..with a budget like that I wouldn't get any Acer laptop for your gaming needs at least. Look more in Asus or Sager. There's always Rock laptops too. At ~$1900, you can get a 7900GS or better.

 

I edited my FAQ, with regards Company of Heroes, because on second thoughts, it isn't all that vital to my decision. I am an Xbox 360 gamer mainly, and the only game I like to play on Windows is Football Manager. Europeans will tell you all about it. It's a stats processing football management simulator more in common with an Excel spreadsheet than Half-Life 2! So its graphics requirements aren't that high. So with that in mind, which of these two notebooks do you feel is best for me, given the information in my FAQ?

 

Please do not cross-post the same question in different forums. It adds to clutter in the forums.

Please continue the discussion here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=99070