Perception of 8204 weight and heat on lap

I'm in the midst of deciding on a laptop, and having not really used one for extended periods (traveling, etc...), trying to get an idea of how weight and heat are.

Currently looking at
Asus W3J
Sony SZ120
Acer 8204

I know the Sony is very light and cool (played with in-store). About the 8204 since I have no way of getting a feel for its weight and heat, looking for opinions.

I will be commuting with this to on a train about 1 hr and then lugging from station to work. Also will be using in home and no doubt will be using on lap in both instances. (Gaming will not really occur in these situations since like to use mouse, also aware of laptop cooler pads especially if going to be sitting on bed or soft surfaces)

Do you find the heat bearable (have 2 kids already so not too worried ? What about the weight does it prove to be bothersome when lugging around, do you find it easy to carry around the house,etc..

Edit: Meant for current owners , wanting real world experience

Thanks for the input.
Kevin

 

The Sony would definatly be lighter because its a 13.1" screen.
Duno how hot it runs.
The acer 8204WLMi is actually quite light and runs very cool, the only real warmth i can feel is on ly right leg under the fan (no trowsers on) so i don;t know how it would feel on jeans etc. But its running off the mains so i think with it running at half speed for battery use it would be cool. Oh and its also been on for 6 hours straight doing intensive tasks.

 

I take mine to work most days (30 minute walk) and find it's not heavy at all (then again my prior laptop weighed in at almost 10lbs so coming from that 6.6lbs is light).

For heat, well it does get a bit warm, I've never found it a problem, or uncomfortable, but I'd also say it depends on climate, I use mine mostly in San Francisco which isn't the warmest place in the world, so it's not an issue, if you were using it in say Texas I might have another opinion.

 

Say in Texas.. I bet you've previously went to Texas with this and found it ran alot hotter due to the ambiant temprature.
Scotland for me so the warmths always nice.

 

Well if you were living in Texas, it would only matter if you were using it outside. It was 100+ F today.

 

I've used mine in Texas, I guess the direct response would be, depends what the ambient temperature around you was.

I found that I noticed my laptop blowing hot air more, because the air was hotter around (in general) so the laptop probably had more hot air to blow.

Scotland, and San Francisco are both not so warm, so far better for hot air blowing.

 

The 8204 seems to run very cool. I have not yet been bothered by the discomfort of "heat" as an issue

 

me neither but it does get warm when playing Doom 3 on high settings.

 

yeah I assume though you are generally playing games on a hard surface to use a mouse.

 

You can very efficiently make instant noodles if you dont have a microwave and like playing FEAR. Just put water into the noodle cup, place it next to the heat vent on the right side (mouse side ), and play FEAR at somewhat high settings. Enjoy 2 in 1 - a game rig and a microwave...
No jokes though, it gets hot when playing demanding games at higher settings.

 

nice one Vlad . I am really thinking the weight won't be bad. Was going to get a Asus W3J but I lose the webcam (which I actually have a use for) and the DVI which I can use also and I have both a high end LCD and a HDTV projector. And I am a programmer so the higher resolution is nice.

I just like options and though the W3J should be rock solid I don't think the weight savings maybe we as worth it. It just sucks that no place around me carries them so I could try it.