PROS and CONS of Acer 1681 and 1662

Hey all, I have been a lurker for several weeks in these and other forums trying to decide which laptop best suited my needs. I had basically decided on the Acer 2012WLMi but, as many have been expressing, was too late in my decision to find it anywhere in stock. So, I now have my choice basically narrowed down to 2 Acer laptops (Acer seems to pack the most features in for the buck), the 1681WLMi and the 1662WLMi. Considering the 2012WLMi was my initial choice, I am having a hard time deciding between these 2 based on their Pros and Cons (in my opinion)

For me, this is how they stack up:

1681WLMi

Pros:
15.4 inch screen
Pentium M 715 1.5 GHz
512 Mb RAM
Radeon 9700
60 Gig HD
DVD-RW

Cons:
XP home (at least from newegg, I wanted XP Pro)
~2.5 Hours Battery life ( I list this as a con because the 2012WLMi had about twice this amount listed)

1662WLMi

Pros:
15.4 inch screen
WP Pro
512 Mb RAM
Radeon 9700
60 Gig HD
DVD dual

Cons:
P4 3.0
1.5 hour battery life


Now before I get everyone all heated for listing certain things as "cons" I would like to explain. I lean towards a Pentium M processor because in the event I do need to use the laptop outside my office, I would like it to be usable for more than an hour. With the 1681 I have read there may be a battery with longer life coming out from Acer in the next few months (not sure how much this will cost though). I also do not know if there is another vendor close to Newegg's price with XP Pro installed.

With the Pentium 4, 3.0 on the 1662, is it better performing than the Pentium M 1.5? I have never been clear on this. If the battery life of the 1681 isnt that much better than the 1662 and the 1662 has better performance and XP Pro, then I lean towards that model. Either way, the choice is difficult for me to make.

I cant ell if there is any difference in the DVD burning capabilities etc.

here are my choices as I see them

1.) Purchase the 1662 from Newegg for ~$1261, not expecting it to be that useful away from my desk/ an outlet somewhere

2.) Purchase the 1681 from Newegg for ~ $1349 with the intention on dropping more $$ on a better battery/ XP Pro later.

I intend to upgrade either to 1 Gig of RAM in the future.

Any comments are appreciated as long as they are not geared towards ridiculing me about the length of this post[ ]

thanks a lot,

Joe

 

if you're gonna shell out extra money for a new battery for the 1681, its gonna be an extra 150 bucks attached to that 1350... adding up to 1500 total. include tax and shipping, and you're looking at a total pricetag of over $1600 for the 1681 when its all said and done. i recommend the Travelmate 4500 instead. it comes with the 8-cell battery, so it last for 5 hours, and has the same exact specs as the 1681.

to clarify in simple terms, 1681 vs. travelmate 4500:
1681: XP Home, 60gig HD, 2.5 hours battery life, $1480 after tax and shipping (tack on an extra $150 if you want to buy the bigger battery for it, which i cannot find anywhere)

travelmate 4500: XP Professional, 40gig HD, 5 hrs batter life, $1500 after shipping (there will be no tax if u get it from pc connection)

here are official specs: http://www.acer.com/APP/AKC/INTERNET/AACPubli.nsf/AllDocs/97855ABB74B80C1F88256EF00061EE78?OpenDocument

here's where you can get it, tax free (if you dont live in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, or Tennessee)

http://shop.pcconnection.com/web/Shopping/Product.htm?catalog%5Fname=PCCGeneral&product%5Fid=5283521

hope this helps!

 

Hmmmmm, interesting, I hadnt been considering that model, but it has everything I want save the 60 Gig HD. I found it for about the same price as the 1681 through cnet, I'll have to check and see whether they charge tak or not. Thanks for the advice, I will post more info as I get it


Joe

 

i've just ordered it from PC Connection yesterday. getting it later on today, probably shortly after i wake up in 10 hours.

 

Would the preformance be the same on the 4500 and the 1681??

Whats the price for a 8-cell battery for the 1681 vs. the price for a 60GB HD for the 4500??

Chris

 

I went ahead and ordered the 4501WLMi for ~1343 from Page computers (linked as lowest price from cnet). I also purchased the 2 year extended warranty from them. I read on reseller ratings that Page has had some issues in the past, but mostly the reviews were positive. Another bonus is no tax unless you live in CA! Im in AZ so I got out even cheaper. Final price for me was around $1517 after 12 bucks in shiipping. If everything goes well, I will be able to tell you all about my new laptop in about a week. Only drawback to the 4501 as compared to the 1681 is the 40gig HD compared with the 1681's 60.

Joe

 

boo for the california tax! but still a great deal. good find.

 

OK. Also ordered 1681wlmi from page computers, its been a week and still not here. Anyone has any experience ordering laptops from this vendor? Cannot track it since their order status page says still waiting for tracking number...

Henrythewound: pls let us know when and in what condition your laptop arrived.

As for battery if you look at this chart:

http://us.acer.com/app/akc/internet/rwpgslib.nsf/graphic+files/nb_accessories/$FILE/notebook-accessories.pdf

You'll see that 1680 series has the same battery number LC.BTP03.003 as the battery for Travelmate 4500/4000. If these two batteries are really the same (anyone tried to switch them?) and TM4500 lasts 5 hours ... you figure yourselves[} ]

 

I used Page computers online customer support (chat based) and asked for my tracking #s (I had 2). She gave me one right away and emailed the other within an hour. I ordered my items (4501 and extended warranty) late Wed night before the 3 day weekend and they shipped Friday or so. They are slated to get to me in AZ by this thursday according to the tracking #s. I will let you know when they arrive.

Joe

 

Really.Custome Chat works.1681 arrived 9.september, order placed 31.8. Its Dothan with no dead pixels.

Acer Aspire 1681WLMi 3DMark2001 > 10780