is this a good deal? (Aspire 8930)

im from australia and its hard to get a good deal, sometimes it is much much mcuh worse than what americans can get (4000$ more for the HDX.... bull****).

the gemstone 8930 looks like a fairly reasonable deal

Aspire 8930G-944G64Bn
Windows Vista® Ultimate, Intel® Core™2 Duo T9400 (2.53GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066FSB, 64-bit), 18.4" WUXGA Wide Screen crystalBrite (1920 x 1080), 4GB DDR2-SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM (2x2GB), 640GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive, BD Combo + Super Multi, 1 year Courier Pickup and Return Service

3200$ AUD

good deal or not?

 

Those are not US dollars, right?

 

sweet specs... can you convert AUD to USD for us... and we can give you our oppinions about the price..

love the specs though!!!!!

 

Aussie bucks and Canuck bucks are pretty close, are they not? if so, then NO WAY on that deal. unless the video is a Dual 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT GDDR3 or something smoking like that.

the 8920 (with C2D T9300 + NV 9500GS) has been as cheap as $1800 CAD recently in Vancouver. the upgrade to Montevina can't possibly justify that big an increase, IMO.

just did the conversion: 3,200.00 AUD = 2,940.71 CAD

for that price (here, anyway), you can pick up a double-barrel SLI Asus NVIDIA 17" gaming notebook with dual HDs, etc. with a one-year accidental damage + 2 year global warranty.

 

i could have got the Asus g70, but im only allowed to buy from 'big companies'. its absurd and my parents havent heard of 'asus'.

lol, aussie dollar is worth about 96c american

 

hey qaz -- show your parents the ASUS Lamborghini or ASUS Ferrari notebooks, lol.

your parents will have heard of those companies, for sure. not sure they'll want to bite at those prices though!

 

i don't care how sweet the specs are on the 8920,,, over $3000 US is crazy...

is the notebook market that costly over there??? for that kind of cash, i'd be buying a SAGER or a TOUGHBOOK... or maybe buy a killer desktop system for $2000, and a mid-level notebook for $1000.

but that's just me.... if you have the moeny to spare buy what ever makes you happy!!! (just be sure the 8920 actually has a 1920 X 1080 screen before you leave the store,,, here in US & Canada there have been issues with screens not being as advertised on the box!!!)

 

Hi everyone!
I just ordered one of these and I'll be able to make some comments about it in a couple of days.
A couple of comments anyway,... for those who don't live in Australia, technology is more expensive here. Anyway, the laptop costs AU$2999 in Acer store (online). I come from Europe where Acer has been big for a long time and I'm happy to stay with them.
Answering a couple of questions about specs,...
- The graphics card is: NVIDIA® GeForce® 9700M GT with up to 23038 MB of TurboCache™ (512 MB of dedicated GDDR3 VRAM, up to 1791 MB of shared system memory)
- It does have dual HD: 640GB SATA 5400rpm hard drive (2 x 320GB)
- The screen resolution is 1920x1080, 1080p full HD (18.4") according to the specs. I don't know how it works in Australia but, in Europe (at least where I come from), if something is not according to what the box or advertisement says you just return it to the store and get fully reimbursed, no arguing. I thought that was common practice everywhere.
- You have the option for 3 years waranty for $100 more.
This page has the full specs:
http://www.shopacer.com.au/ecprod/AcerConfigurator/Configurator.html?viewmode=3&id=14722
On the downside, I believe the BD is only a reader (although it writes DVD and CD). A pitty, being this a top range.
Cnet has a review on the 32b version of this (the 8920G):
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/acer-aspire-8920-6671/4505-3121_7-33026109.html

 

spend that $100 for the extra warranty...

it just makes good sense on a $3000 notebook...

but they wanted $100 for an extended warranty on my $348 notebook... not worth it to me!!

 

OK! I got my new laptop a couple of days ago and here's my first impression...

----
Negative points:

I was a bit disapointed to find out that it comes with a 32bit version of Vista Ultimate pre-installed. Since this is a 64bit machine, I would expect it to have a 64bit version of the OS.
It also doesn't bring installation discs. It prompts you to do a full system backup the first time you use it, which takes a couple of DVDs.

It seams there's no carry bag for this laptop. I asked at the store and they said more people asked for one and they would let me know when there's one available.

----
Positive points:

The screen is indeed 1920x1080. And the quality is **** good. I haven't had the chance to try a BluRay movie but pictures look excelent.
The sound is pretty good as well. It's not a HiFi, but it has good enough sound for a small house party.
I haven't really tested the webcam but, it seamed pretty good in low light.

The laptop is a bit heavy, but not as heavy as you would expect for a giant like this. And it's seams to be resistant. I had a 17" laptop before and it twisted a bit if I tried to lift it not grabbing in the center. I ended up having problems resulting from that. This one seams to be quite solid.

The fingerprint reader is quite handy as well. No need to type passwords when you're logging in to the system or to some webpage. Password Bank stores passwords that are used when you scan your finger.

The accessories are quite handy as well. It comes with a nice Windows Media Center remote control. It comes with a tiny bluetooth "phone" to connect to Skype or Live Messenger. It also has a TV antena.

-----
I haven't tested things like batery life so, no comments on that area.

 

i think i've read that DELL has a bag that will fit that huge laptop....

you'll have to post some more details and oppinions about your new laptop as you get a bit more used to it....

make sure you make those backup DVDs,, maybe even make a second copy...
and if you want 64bit OS you can always use the pre-installed KEY to install a copy of VISTA64, but plan ahead before making that change... and make sure you can download all the VISTA64 drivers for your system,, and download them and burn to a disk. (we can talk more about that later)

enjoy that new monster pc!! i'm so jealous

 

Octfer,

congratulations! A few questions, if you have time:

1. How is the uniformity of the screen? Is there any backlight leak (probably at the bottom of the screen)? Or any vertical streaks which are noticeably lighter than the rest of the screen?

2. Is the RAM DDR3? On some specs I've seen DDR2 and on some DDR3, I'd guess it's DDR3.

3. How's the 9700M GT? Performance and temperature wise.

Have fun!

- Tatu

 

@Octfer

How's the build quality, etc?

 

hi guys,

Going to buy one of these 8930Gs in a couple of weeks.

How do you go about the upgrade to 64 bit Windows?

Also will i need to update all drivers on the software that comes with it to 64bit?

Thanks

 

Here is a link I found with decent pics:

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9034&Itemid=73

One thing that seems to stand out is that they may have put an extra small keyboard in this to fit the side video control touch pad--whose usefulness may be questionable. Anyone who has this can you comment on the size of the keyboard, comfort typing, etc.? Perhaps the photo makes it look small.

BTW I contacted Acer US tech support and their online shop and they know absolutely nothing about release dates or detailed specs. Not to mention they were extraordinarily unenthusiastic. Does anyone have a lot of experience dealing with this company? How is the support? How is the backup and follow through on the warranty?

 

The RAM part in the above link is probably incorrect.

Its 4GB DDR2 (probably PC2-6400)

 

acer is pretty good about replacing parts under warranty.. as far as support goes,, i don't think that is covered under acer's warranty... seriously if you have an issue with an acer laptop, you are going to get much better feedback thru NBR than you will from acer... thier answer for everything is send it back in for repair... then they reload the HDD and see if the problem remains... if if does, they replace the offending part (be it LCD, MB, or what ever)

the ACER forum @ NBR is probably the best acer site on the net.... and we try to keep up on most problems... and you really can't expect too much support from acer when they sell thier PCs as cheap as they do...

just my oppinion of ACER and thier warranty coverage... which i'd rate as average to good... but if you want an acer CSR to hold your hand while you reload your system you are looking in the wrong place just to be honest

 

Hi bigozone.
how do you go about updating to 64 bit version of windows vista?
have been searching the net for drivers but cant seem to find them.
Cheers

 

I could swear I've posted a reply but I can't find it anywhere! Oh, well! Here it goes again...

Thanks bigozone for your tips!
I sent a message to Acer support asking about the possibility of upgrading to Vista 64 or getting a DVD of Vista 32 clean installation but they told me I would have to purchase a retail version in either case. I miss the times when computers would come blank and you had to do all the installations!
They don't supply a 64bit version of the OS because of software compatibility according to the support reply I got. But they provided me the link to their Europe support site which has the drivers for 64bit in case I decide to upgrade. I might do that later when 64 bits applications mature a bit more.
As for the bag, I'll just try going to a generic bags shop and see what I can find. If I can't find a suitable one, I'll check Dell.


To answer some questions...

"1. How is the uniformity of the screen? Is there any backlight leak (probably at the bottom of the screen)? Or any vertical streaks which are noticeably lighter than the rest of the screen?"
- I tried diferent solid color backgrounds and it looks pretty uniform. I'm not familiar with the concept "backlight leak" but I can tell you I can't see any differences of tone.

"2. Is the RAM DDR3? On some specs I've seen DDR2 and on some DDR3, I'd guess it's DDR3."
- Yes, I checked with a system info tool and it reports it as having 2 x 2Gb DDR3.

"3. How's the 9700M GT? Performance and temperature wise."
- I haven't really pushed the graphics card yet. The most demanding game I've played so far was The Sims 2 (Deluxe + Seasons EP) and it runs pretty well even with maximum definition and quality settings. As for warming up, I don't know if it's the material it's made of but you can hardly feel the heat. When you touch it underneath, it's just as warm as your seat after you've been sitting for a while, maybe colder.

"How's the build quality, etc?"
- The build quality is one of the things I'm more pleased with. The laptop is fairly light for it's size and looks pretty solid. My old laptop twists when I try to lift it. That ended up causing problems. This one doesn't seam to bend even if you hold it by some point less balanced.


The keyboard is not small. I compared it to two standard external keyboards and the keys blocks are exactly the same size. The function keys are slightly smaller as some extras keys are accommodated in the same row. The PU, PD, Home and End keys would be better at the top of the keypad instead of the bottom in my opinion, but others may disagree.

About Acer's support, they promptly reply my questions so, no complaints there. This is with Acer Australia. I don't know how support in other countries is like.

Now, to finalize, I'm having a problem with the hard drive. I started earing that tipical ticking of the hard drive when it's trying to access certain areas of the disk. I ran the disk scan and it hangs at around 34%. Let's see now how easy Acer support will make it for me. I'll come back with my impression after they handle it.

 

I forgot to mention about the "Media Console" (those multimedia controls you see left of the keyboard). In my opinion, they're miss positioned. There's two cases where I sometimes press buttons by accident. One is when I lift the laptop (my thumb positions where the Media Console is) and another is when my left hand side rests when I have my thumb and indicator ready to press Ctrl and Shift. To avoid that from happening, I have it on hold most of the time.
I believe these controls would be better above the keyboard instead of next to it.

 

I bought a Acer 8930 last week, and here s my impression of the 8930-6555 sold in Canada.
Price: 1500.$ CAD
Intelcore duoP8400; 2,26ghz
memory 4,00
screen: 18,4 inch, full HD 1920x1080
Now the impressions (I'm no gamer, more of a multimedia enthousiast:
The good:
Fantastic screen. But dependng on the HD movies, you can still see a black bar on top and bottom. But whent its real 1920X1080 def, its perfect. Keyboard is excellent (feel, touch). Quality build is top notch. For my part I like the Acer cinedash media console, and where it st (to the left). Battery last over 2 1/2hours, and the battery is small. Thats great. Held the notebook on my lap and I did not feel to much heat after 1 hour. The touchpad is perfect. Not sticky like Vaio, HP or Dell (You know the stainless feel). It has a motif (bricklike) that prevent your finger to stick. Also, there is a very practical side scrolling bar. Perfect
The not so good
No firewire plug. So I have a lot of problem trying to use my sony handycam, since the USB driver is incompatible with Vista. The only way is to use a firewire card. And then, Acer uses an ExpressCard/54 slot. Therefore the adaptor card (firewire) is trice the price of a regular one.
Very big, but not so mutch heavy.
Its equipped with dolby 5.1 sound (6 speakers), but doesn't sound that great.
All in all a good computer that I shall keep a long time.

 

The black bars still existing is due more to the movies than the screen. 1080p is a 16:9 aspect ratio (about 1.77:1), while modern movies tend towards 1.85:1 or even 2.35:1.
And to be honest, I don't think anyone would want anything wider than a 16:9 screen.

 

^^I see. THen why do they say that real HD has 1920x1080 resolution? If that is the case, then all the movies that I'm watching with other resolution aren't real HD movies and thats why I get the bars?

 

There will always be black bars, unless your laptop is like 1920 by 720. Why did you revive this old thread?

 

Are you sure you don't have 64 bit. I've seen it advertised in the US and the machines that come with 4 gig are 64 bit. A 32 bit OS won't use anyhting above 3.

 

HP and Dell make big cases for laptops up to 20". I ordered one from HP for 79 on sale (99 is reg price). The Dell case is way lower like 39.00 but it has a shoulder strap and the HP has wheels so it's much easier to travel with. I purchased one for my Acer 9810 which has a 20.1 screen. Also I've seen all the 8930's in the USA with 4 gig and 64 bit Windows Vista.

 

Qaz, you're getting your resolutions confused. 720p is 1280x720, 1080p is 1920x1080.
HDTV is broadcast at the 16:9 aspect ratio, but movies are still made with different ones that include letterboxing.
Blu-ray discs, for example, will have HD resolution, but still be letterboxed if their aspect ratio isn't exactly 16:9.

 

For those in Australia, I just want to share that Kambos sold me the one I prize and cherish for $2395Au during an opening sale for a new store.
Thanks to Octfer for putting my mind at ease regarding 32bit Vista and the machine being 64bit. I was puzzled when I compared specs and prices at different online sites. I thought I had ended up with an inferior version of this model. Are you sure this is indeed a 64bit machine; where would I check to confirm?
How much would it cost to upgrade to 64bit Vista and would it be worth it? in terms of performance and speed increase