need some advice with this new acer laptop on the market

Acer Aspire Notebook with Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T2080
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8472431&type=product&id=1185265539418

i dont know much about cmputers but i do know that this laptop has 2GB RAM with a 160 GB hd for a price of $600. this seems like a really good deal but im a little skeptical about acer products mainly because i have never really heard of them. can anyone tell me about the reliability of acer products and whether or not this laptop would last me a while.

btw i plan to use my laptop mainly for music, basic office and movies.

thanks a lot.

 

See the "Acer Build Quality" thread for discussion of the potential for problems.

Acer is the 4th largest computer company in the world, but their US marketing and support are not as copmpetetive as their prices.

That model will do what you want -- play DVDs, work with iTunes (or whatever), run Office, do email and browsing -- really well. Just don't plan to do anything involving 3D graphics, particularly games.

I have the same basic computer, and DVDs look fabulous on that screen with Windows Media Center. The $600 price is good, particularly for a system with 2GB of RAM, but if you're concerned about tech support and warranty coverage more than anything else, it's possible you'd get more peace of mind with something like a Dell and a 3-year warranty. You could save some money by shopping for a 1GB model and upgrading the RAM later; 1GB RAM costs about $85 at the moment.

I'm both happy with my Acer's performance and impressed with the build quality, but I recognize it as a commodity-type laptop designed to be manufactured as cheaply as possible. It's very easy to spend twice the money for a notebook that has similar performance but superior construction, materials, and support.

RichC

 

Acer is in the process of purchasing Gateway (possible with an option to pickup Packard Bell too), which will make it the third largest computer company in the world.

Acer's products are average build quality, but seem to be getting better as they grow. I have had a Aspire 5672 for almost a year now, with no complaints except for 1 dead pixel (just in the last month, and hardly noticeable).

The laptop you are looking at seems to be a good deal and should work fine for all that you wish to do.

You should read, What Should I Buy FAQ and post your answers to the questions. As you stated, you dont know much about computers, and this can give you some options on different brands and models availible.