Need advice on which Aspire 8920?

OK, I am fairly certain I will be getting the Acer Aspire 8920 once I can sell my old laptop (14") for a fairly decent price.

But I am struggling of which version of 8920 I should get. Two caught my attention though...

1) Price: $1649: 2.5GHz CPU; 4 GB memory; 320GB; Nvidia 9500M GS

2) Price: $1170: 2.0GHz CPU; 4 GB memory; 320GB; Radeon HD 3650

As far as I am concerned; the two graphic cards are not hugely different in performance. Is that $480 difference solely for CPU worth it?

I am not a huge gamer, but I do play some games occasionally and don't mind being blown away by the photo-realistic graphics in the future.

So the thing is, with the 2.5GHz, I may be able to swap with a much better graphics card and able able to play games with awesome graphic a few years down the road; whereas, with only 2.0GHz CPU, you can't really do much.

Darn! So freaking hard to decide. By the way, how hard is it to swap the graphic card in a laptop like this?

 

You generally can't change laptop cards, and I don't think you can in that one. 2.5 Ghz, honestly, is useless unless you video encode/render a lot.

 

Yeah, I'd probably say the one for $1170 is the best bang for your buck. Did you check out the Gateway P7811 FX and Toshiba Qosmio x305?

Also, I know the best GPU that the 8920 has is the 9650. You may or may not be able to upgrade to this in the future. But, since the 3650 is an integrated card, no on that one. The 9500m GS, I am not sure.

 

Thanks, yeah, the latter sounds like a better deal.

* Acer® CineCrystal 18.4" WXGA (1680 x 945) TFT LCD
* Discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 (512MB dedicated memory, up to 768MB shared system memory)

Is the Radeon HD 3650 a fairly good card? Can it handle Crysis at low settings; or handle Morrowind 4 at close to max out settings with decent framerate?

I just found an answer to my question: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=yMsxDK1pBAc, looks more than enough for me.

 

I'd go for the one with the ATI card.
Reasons:

1. A lot cheaper.
2. Radeon 3650 is slightly better than Nvidia 9500GS IMO.


Do yourself a favor and ask a mod to move this to the GAMING forum. You'll get a lot more help on this topic.

 

The 8920G does have an MXM slot, so upgrades are theoretically possible.
Ditto for a CPU upgrade. That price difference couldn't be just for a faster CPU, though - does the more expensive model have a Blu-ray drive and/or a 1080p LCD screen?

I'd say double-check the specs, then go for the cheaper model if it meets your needs.

 

Processor Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5750
2MB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 667MHz FSB

Chipset Mobile Intel® PM965 Express chipset

Memory 4GB (2GB installed in each of two memory slots) DDR2 667 SDRAM

Storage
HDD 320GB* SATA hard drive
Optical Drive Integrated variable-speed Blu-ray Disc™ drive / Super-Multi drive (DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RAM) combo:
-Read - 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X/16X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 6X/4X DVD-ROM DL (double-layer), 6X/4X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6X/4X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X/4X DVD-RW, 6X/4X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 2X BD-ROM, 2X BD-R, 2X BD-RE, 2X BD-ROM DL (double-layer), 2X/1.6X BD-R DL (double-layer), 2X BD-RE DL (double-layer)
-Write - 16X/8X CD-R, 10X/4X CD-RW, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD-RW, 4X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 4X/2.4X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 4X/2X DVD-R DL (double-layer)
Card Reader 6-in-1 card reader supports optional MultiMediaCard™, MMCplus™, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™ or xD-Picture Card™
FDD Optional external USB 1.44MB* diskette drive

Video Acer® CineCrystal 18.4" WXGA (1680 x 945) TFT LCD

Discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 (512MB dedicated memory, up to 768MB shared system memory)

Acer® Video Conference with integrated Acer® Crystal Eye webcam supporting Acer® PrimaLite technology, which consists of a premium sensor, firmware and lenses to provide superior video performance under low-light conditions

VGA and HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ with HDCP (high-bandwidth digital-content protection) support ports

Up to 16.7 million colors

Support for simultaneous display on notebook LCD and external monitor

Audio Acer® CineSurround with five integrated stereo speakers and one Acer® Tuba CineBass booster supporting low-frequency effects

Acer® PureZone technology with two integrated stereo microphones featuring beam forming, echo cancellation and noise suppression technologies

Second-generation Dolby® Home Theater audio enhancement

Headphones/speaker/line-out with SPDIF support, microphone-in, line-in and RF-in, ports

Microsoft® DirectSound® compatibility

Acer® CineDash media console with volume control

Interface Ports DC-in
RJ-11 modem
RJ-45 LAN
VGA
Headphones/speaker/line-out with SPDIF support
Microphone-in
Line-in
RF-in
HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface™ with HDCP (high-bandwidth digital-content protection) support
CIR (consumer infrared)
Four USB 2.0

Card Slots ExpressCard™/54 slot

6-in-1 card reader supports optional MultiMediaCard™, MMCplus™, Secure Digital card, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick PRO™ or xD-Picture Card™

Communications
Wireless Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN network connection supporting 802.11a/g/n wireless LAN, WI-FI CERTIFIED™, Acer® SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency
Ethernet Gigabit LAN, Wake-on-LAN ready
Bluetooth Bluetooth® 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) wireless PAN
Modem V.92 56Kbps* data/fax modem, PTT (postal, telegraph, telephone) certified in select countries, Wake-on-Ring ready
Webcam Acer® Video Conference with integrated Acer® Crystal Eye webcam supporting Acer® PrimaLite technology, which consists of a premium sensor, firmware and lenses to provide superior video performance under low-light conditions

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium
Included Software Acer® Bio-Protection
Acer® Crystal Eye
Acer® Empowering Technology (eAudio, eRecovery, eSettings, ePower)
Acer® GridVista
Acer® InstantOn Arcade
Acer® Launch Manager
Acer® Video Conference Manager
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader
CyberLink® PowerDirector™(trial version)*
Anti-virus (trial version)*
Microsoft® Works 8.5 (full version)
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2007 (60-day trial)
NTI Media Maker™*

*OEM, not full-featured, version.

User Interface 105-key keyboard, inverted T cursor layout, standard numeric keypad, hotkey controls, 2.5mm minimum key travel, international language support

12 function, four cursor, two Microsoft® Windows® keys; independent US dollar and Euro keys
Empowering Key

Web browser, e-mail, WLAN, Bluetooth® easy-launch buttons

Acer® CineDash media console

Touchpad with four-way integrated scroll button and Acer® Bio-Protection fingerprint reader

Power 90-watt AC adapter

Eight-cell lithium ion battery: up to 2.5 hours life depending on configuration and usage (may be reduced if Windows Vista® Aero is enabled); 2.0 hours recharge time with power off, 3.0 hours with power on, 80% charge in 1.0 hour

Dimensions & Weight 17.4" (441.4mm) W x 11.8" (300.0mm) D x 1.6" - 1.7” (40.2mm – 44.2mm) H

9.0 lb. (4.1kg)

Size and weight may vary depending on configuration

** The two laptops are from different sites, so yeah, I think it's possible to have that much difference in price, maybe they wanna lure ppl who don't know much about graphic card by presenting a seemingly impressive 9500 Nividia.

** And thanks for the suggestion, but it's no need to move it to gaming section since my decision is made, and IMO price >> gaming capability.

 

Yellowknight, this model should be just fine for your needs.
I'm gaming just fine on a 9500M GS with a T5550 at 1.83 GHz on my 6920G, so you should have no problems at all.
And like me, should you feel the need to upgrade your CPU, you can do so without voiding Acer's warranty! Just make sure you stick the original part back in before sending it in for service.

 

Darn it, I just find another laptop Acer Aspire AS7720-6536 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T5750(2.00GHz) 17.0" Wide XGA+ 2GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS.

And it is selling at $700, now I need to decide whether that 500 dollar extra is worth the ~1.4 inch bigger screen ~Subwoofer ~Somewhat bigger hard drive, and ~much better graphic card

Deciding which laptop to buy is such a hassle.

 

All depends on what do YOU want and what are you planning to do with this laptop.

 

OK, I am done researching, I will stick with the 8920 decision. But there are three final candidates.

#1

$999.95 (price) Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 (2.0GHz) (CPU) 320GB 5400RPM (HDD) 3GB (RAM) NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS (Vid card) 1680 x 945 (res) No (Bluray) No (Bluetooth) No (Fingerprint reader)

#2

$1109 (Price) Core 2 Duo T5750 (2 GHz) (CPU)
320 GB - Serial ATA-150 (HDD) 4GB (RAM) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 512m (Graphic)
1680 x 945 (Res) No (Bluray) Yes (Bluetooth) Yes (Fingerprint reader)

#3

$1170 (Price) Core 2 Duo T5750 (2 GHz) (CPU)
320 GB - Serial ATA-150 (HDD) 4GB (RAM) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 -512m (Graphics)
1680 x 945 (Res) Yes (Bluray) Yes (Bluetooth) Yes (Fingerprint reader)

Are the CPUs the same across?
How much of a difference can bluray make?

 

Wow, good deal on number 1. Seems like the best of both worlds - a good CPU and a decent GPU.
Plus, you don't really need 64-bit Vista and all the compatibility issues it might still have. 3GB of RAM and Vista 32-bit should be more than enough for ya.

 

T7500 is the best from all three and it's not at 2.0Ghz but at 2.2Ghz and 800Mhz FSB. I think all T5XX are at FSB 667Mhz. I really can't tell if you will actually 'feel' the extra 200Mhz CPU and 133 FSB.

 

Awesome, decision made, you guys are great.