Timeline SU2700 vs SU3500 tight budget

Hello everyone! this is my first post on these forums.

My issue is that I'm on a very tight budget so any cost cutting corner would be great. I would like to import a system from U.S.A to save some cash. I've had a play with both 13.3" and 14" models and i honestly barely ever used my dvd-drive on my desktop, and NEVER whilst at uni so i don't think that is needed. The screen size difference for the extra weight is not worth it (althought the 4810T left mouse clicker felt much easier to press than the 3810T).

In Australia:

- 3810T SU3500 with 4G DDR3 ram and Bluetooth - $1199AU

From USA:

- 3810TZ SU2700 with 4G DDR3 ram no BT - $807AU ($549US) with return insurance
- 3810T SU3500 with 4G DDR3 ram no BT - $939AU ($649 US) with return insurance

Now what i want to know is for $100 US, or $125 AU is it worth to get the SU3500 CPU? What is the difference between the two in battery life and performance.

I am going to use the laptop for note taking at uni and will have up to 10 web pages open and winamp mp3s and MSWORD or adobe PDF. I want to know if i will see any noticeable speed increase completing these tasks. I will not be streaming any HD from youtube etc.

I'm currently using a compaq nx9000 p4 2.0 ghz with 256mg DDR ram and it's only average. I don't particularly mind using a USB dongle either for bluetooth.

Thanks everyone

 

The SU2700 and SU3500 are based on the exact same core (Penryn-3M) so the main difference is clock speed (1.3 vs 1.4) and TDP (10w vs 5.5w). The biggest difference will be in battery life but even then it won't be that dramatic.

I have the SU2700 and I have lots of tabs open in firefox as well as multiple word docs and excel open at the same time with no problems. I would get the cheapest one and then put the $100 towards the future purchase of an SSD as that will make a pretty big difference. The new Intel X-25M G2 drives are hitting the streets at $220 for the 80GB version so by Christmas they should drop down to the sub $200 pricing.

 

Thanks for the reply mate, very helpful. I like your idea on saving the cash for an SSD drive. Great thinking.

I was wondering how much less battery life will it reduce? The reason i am buying the timeline is mainly for it's great battery life. To compromise this would be against my best interests .

Thanks!

 

Well with Windows 7 RC installed right now I am getting 9 hours battery life on my machine. This is with wifi on and screen brightness at lowest setting.

 

Also it will depend on the 3810T model. I have not seen a SU2700 that comes with Bluetooth. But if this is not a worry then just go with the SU2700.

 

I have a usb bluetooth dongle that i bought from ebay for $3

 

As far as bluetooth goes if you don't care to open up your machine you can buy the internal adapter for $20. I ordered mine from ebay about 2 weeks ago and should be getting it soon. I will post a picture guide on how to do it when I get it in.

Here is a link to the module
http://cgi.ebay.com/Acer-Aspire-510...ash=item3353c42532&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

Here is the thread to opening up the machine:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=399929

 

I had another long play with them at a local retailer and i've decided to actually go with the 4810T with some regret... i don't want a DVD player really and the extra 300g sucks BUT the main issue i had with the 3810T was since my hands are very big my palms don't rest on the laptop well, they rest right on the edge which get's very uncomfortable even after 5 minutes of typing. As this is a uni computer it's just not on for me