I'm in quite a dilemma about Acer. Help me out guys.

Okay so I know Acer has greatly improved over the last year offering really good features for a good price. And that's why I want to get one, more specifically the 4820 or the 3820.

But why is it so hard to get one??

Okay and one more thing, my university starts on the 1st of September so I absolutely need it by then
So I'll have two options: Either I ship it to Canada, to an address in Ottawa or Vancouver - i.e to my hotel or my relative. Or, I get over there and buy it, either in a store in Vancouver (when I reach there) or a store in Ottawa.

The one I want to get is the i5 version of 4820 which is only available, as far as I know, at microcentre and they don't ship to Canada >_> ( Micro Center - Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-3195 Laptop Computer - Carbon Black LX.PSE02.228 )
Is there |any way| I can get it to ship to Canada, either by DHL or Fed Ex or something?

Also, I haven't been able to find |any| version of the 3820 at all, if there's anyway I can get that in Canada, although that seems much more unlikely.

And if any one already in Canada could kindly tell me if any of these laptops are available in a store in Ottawa or Vancouver.

Thanks and I'd greatly appreciate your help guys.

Cheers,
--Akshay

 

You should check out the 3820 purchase thread.
For the 3820TG, there are a handful of members, (Bronsky, BankerGolfer to name a few) that had already purchased the 3820Tg with ATI HD5650 from PC home in Taiwan.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/501992-acer-3820tg-north-america-purchase-options-85.html

 

you could buy it from microcenter, and have them ship it to a mail forwarding service like cbiusa . They'll hold your package, and you drive down to pick it up. They're pretty close to the border too. Or, you could have them receive it and ship to you as well (idk if cbi usa does this, but lots of other companies do, just search around).

 

Staples sells the 3820TG in Vancouver with an I5. I just picked one up in person!

The video card is a weaker version though...

 

^Yup, Staples sells it. I'm going to school in the beginning of September too in BC and I really wanted an Acer 4820T because the 3820TG is a bit too small for me and I wanted a laptop where I can play CDs/DVDs but I will probably end up getting it unfortunately since I'm running out of time.

 

Hey guys, thanks for your replies.

Hmm, whoops I skipped that thinking it's about laptop discussion rather than buyer options. Anyway so looks like most of them are cashing out around $1200 in total and that really isn't affordable for me since I'm looking for something in the range of $800-$950 and the 4820t was perfect

@Fongwu, thanks for that, I contacted them - lets see if I can actually do that. I'll have to enter the States for that right? I do have a tourist visa but I don't know what else I'll need. It'll also be quite a hassle to drive all the way down there. They've listed 'Shipping & Packaging' as one of their services though, does that mean they can ship to Canada?

That's pretty awesome, I assume you're talking about this one - STAPLES | BUREAU EN GROS , which is, as sad as it is, out of stock right now
I'll call them up to see if they have it stock ANYWHERE in Canada or maybe they could order one for me?

Looks like I'm running out of options again, but there is this laptop on amazon - the 4820, albeit the i3 version. Amazon.com: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-5637 14-Inch HD Laptop - Black Brushed Aluminum: Electronics
I just don't know how big the i3/i5 difference would be and how much it would effect my productivity. I plan on playing games, not too much, but I still always like a very fast and speedy laptop either way.

What do you guys think?

 

The CPU is upgradable, You can swap the i3 out for a i7 or i5 later along the road. In the 3820TG thread there are guides written about how to replace the CPU.

 

That's really cool. I can, obviously apply the same guide to the 4820t you mean, pretty awesome.

So I've finally decided to buy either of these two - Amazon.com: Acer Aspire TimelineX AS4820TG-5637 14-Inch HD Laptop - Black Brushed Aluminum: Electronics or STAPLES | BUREAU EN GROS

The former has a better graphics card and the latter has a better CPU. I really can't decide. The fact that I can upgrade the 4820t helps anyway.

What do you guys think? Which is the better option?

 

Okay, I think I'm going to have to order like, ANYTIME NOW.

So, I'd really appreciate a quick response, sorry for the hurry.

 

If you're gonna be gaming, get the 4820tg, if not get the staples 3820tg. the 5650 is MUCH better than the 5470, and is easily worth the cost if you need the extra power. Have you checked if amazon.com ships to Canada? I'm pretty sure a lot of electronics listed on amazon.com only ship to the states.

 

Okay, so I'm checking the benchmarks: PassMark CPU Lookup v/s PassMark CPU Lookup and there doesn't seem to be a HUGE difference. Anyone with experience can chip in maybe?
My question is this: which combination is better?

The i3-350m + 5650 1gb or the i5-430m + 5470 512mb
The clockspeed is the same so I'm thinking the i3+5650 is the better combination?

Also, since I'm a university student, and I need to carry it around often, obviously the 3820t would be more ideal, but how much worse would the 4820t. The difference in weight is 300gm - so is the 4820t just as carriable?

 

Yeah, I need to check that. Although they mention shipping rates here @ Amazon.com Help: Canada so I assumed anything can be shipped to Canada.

 

Crap. You're right. They don't ship to Canada.

What about this one - Gateway 14" Intel Core i3 Laptop (ID49C01H) - Silver - Future Shop Exclusive - Future Shop ?

So I think it's going to be either that or STAPLES | BUREAU EN GROS
Again the question of i3 and better gpu or i5 and worse gpu. Also, the gateway lists only 6 hours of battery.

Is there any other laptop, other than Acer that I could be looking at?

 

Akshay, if you're looking for another laptop, I'd recommend posting a new topic in the What Notebook Should I Buy forum - that's where the nonpartisan pros on this subject reside.

As for the i3+5650/i5+5470 debate, I'd go for the i3+5650. It's plenty fast for regular usage, and the faster GPU will help you immensely in gaming.

 

To add to @TehSuigi, the Acer TimelineX 4820TG and 3820TG cpus are upgradable with the new sockets. You can just get the i3+5650 and swap in an i7/i5 later down the road.