Asus G1S vs Acer 5920

I've been planning to buy a laptop for over a year and a half but now I finally need one... and I finalized it to this 2 laptops Basically using this mainly for gaming, graphic work and school... so finding portability and speed is a nightmare...

The specs for these 2 laptops are:
5920:
T5250 (1.5 ghz 2mb cache 667FSB)
2 gig ram
160 gb hd
HD-dvd rom
8600GT DDR2

G1s:
T7500
2 gig ram
160 gb hd
dvd rom
8600GT GDDR3

Why I'm leaning towards:
5920: Only 1400cdn, almost 4 hour battery life, HD-DVD, sleek look, lower res for faster gaming
G1S: Fastest 15.4in. out there, sleek look, carrying bag

Why I'm not leaning towards:
5920: T5250 cpu, heavy, uber glossy screen
G1S: 500cdn more expensive than 5920, grainy screen

I know these are pretty obvious pros and cons so I just have a few questions about these laptops:

How will a 1.5ghz mermom processor handle cpu intensive games like supreme commander? Or any typical games like bioshock and BF2142?
How is the scaling for G1S? Most benchmarks show it runs games great at 1280x800 res but they don't say how blurred the graphics are under none-native resolution...
Does GPU OC affect battery life? And speaking of battery life, will the G1S last me 3 hours in lectures with max battery saving?
Lastly do you guys think 500cdn worth it for the jump in performance and build quality? (heard asus > acer in that area )

Wasn't sure if I should post this in the Acer or Asus forum, but Asus people seems more knowledgable

 

I'd recommend considering the Compal IFL90 or Dell 1520 as well if you are going to consider the 5920.

Performance wise, it's going to be a no brainer.

 

G1 i was debating through a number of laptops finally bought it so happy i did amazing machine once its in ur hands you will b happy extremely

 

I'm going to be as honest as possible, the 1.5ghz versus the 2.2ghz will show a difference in gaming, because it is 700mhz in difference. But in normal tasks i doubt it. As for boot time the speed increase should also result in a faster boot.

For scaling, I am a big advocate of getting a higher resolution screen to work on, and then game on lower resolutions, and let the monitor scale down. I have written many reviews testing games at lower resolutions and bumped up the graphics and AA and AF. Many here are running games at lower resolutions. Overall I don't find scaling an issue. (some may state otherwise)

I am not sure about the 5920 getting 4 hours of battery life. (if so please provide link, because i am interested in seeing this) As for the G1S many are stating around 2.5 hours. Once again ask around, look in the G1S Lounge.

Quality and looks, I am going to leave this up to you, since this is somewhat subjective.

As for graphics, without a doubt the G1S is the winner. You should also find tips on how to help make the screen look better and also that the screen in terms of performance and viewing angles is better than most laptops in the market. (aside from the MBP).

 

I checked out the 5920 before buying the G1S. You can buy the 5920 all around the world with the T7300 C2D instead of the T5250. The price for that version is just shy under 2 grand and also comes with Bluetooth. The version you are looking at lacks Bluetooth and I believe wireless N support.

First have you seen the 5920 in person? It is a hideous BMW created design which is ugly as hell. The outside looks similar to the HP line although the inside is creamy white and disgusting. The buttons are badly placed and the space bar is difficult to press. Also the mouse pad is extremely inaccurate and difficult to use. I went to Best Buy to try out both computers and the G1S is by far the better performer and contender. The G1S scored much higher in the Windows Performance ratings even with similar setups (Best Buy G1S-X1 is T7300 and 5920 is the T5250). Best Buy's models have been scaled down which is why they both come with slower processors then which are sold online and other places.

Comparing specs the G1S is by far utilizing better overall components. The camera is 1.3MP compared to just 0.3 on the 5920. The G1S has a faster processor no matter which 5920 model you buy. The battery life on the 5920 is admittedly longer at 3 hours which is aprox a half and hour longer than the G1S. I don't know where you read 4 hours, maybe with the screen almost off, lol. The lack of Wireless N is also a turn off on the 5920, while the G1S has it all. The G1S also has 256MB GDDR3, while the 5920 only has 256MB DDR2. The 5920 also has a very crappy 1280 x 800 screen, which means you can't even make use of the HD-DVD clarity unless you use HDMI out. The G1S has a 1680x1050 screen which is butter. And the 5920 has no Bluetooth and it has a slow 4200RPM HD. The build on the 5920 is also very shoddy with a loose screen that creates ripples easily and buckle under the keyboard. The G1S is built strong and has a neat LCD which has almost no use but looking cool, lol, oh and lights too!

3D Mark 06 Scores:

5920: 3100-3300
G1S: 3700-4100

And if all of the above didn't get you just think of the warranty. Acer is one of the worst PC manufacturer’s to be stuck with a problem. Asus offers a two year parts and labor warranty on their G1S, while you can go whistle with the 5920. Asus also has a 30 day dead pixel guarantee which also isn't offered on the 5920. For your money the G1S-A1 is a much better value and will garner you much more bang for your buck. I did my homebrew and this was my end result. I bought the G1S-A1 ASAP and will be getting it tomorrow!

Regards,

FifthE1ement

 

Although I (and doubtless others here, as Asus or even G1S owners) am a bit biased, I wanted to question the use of the HD-DVD drive in the Acer. Will it really be a benefit to you? These things jack up the price of laptops a fair amount, and if you are opting for a lower resolution screen with that laptop ANYway, will the screen do HD-DVD titles justice? Although LCD screens are different, for example I wouldn't bother buying an HD-DVD player if I had a 14 or 15" TV screen since it wouldn't look any better than a DVD. And you have to know that there will be something coming out on HD-DVD that you want and will buy in the next couple of years that a simple DVD won't give you. And that HD-DVD will not lose the war to Blu-Ray and disappear in a couple of years.

Perhaps, if you are happier with the price of the Acer than the G1S, you could find an even BETTER deal than that Acer if you skipped the HD drive, which are still very expensive, and looked for something else entirely.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

I'm leaning more towards the G1S now... your right about 1.5 ghz being rather too slow, as I do a lot of photoshopping and rendering work as well. 700mhz, bluetooth, 1.3mp wc, draft-N, ~800 more 3dmark06 seems worth the 500$

For battery of 5920, from the reviews on this link http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=150883, seem to be from 2.5hr under heavy load to 3 hrs with max brightness to 4+ hours with min brightness. So its fairly amazing that they can do so much time with the same 4800mah 8Cell battery as the G1S...

Also is the 5920 hd really 4200 rpm? cause that would be a total disaster.

I don't really care for the HD-DVD drive actually, just a nice gimmick In fact I hate hd-dvd cuz i'm a ps3 owner and a Blu-ray fanboy hehe

One thing that got me thinking is the new laptop F8SV thats coming out... seems to be a kick ass laptop! Got the mid range resolution I'm looking for, probably better battery life and lighter as well (though i heard it will be heaviest 14.1in out there). I have only been able to find this laptop in canada on milestonespc and theres no price listed. Anyone have a guess on the price and release date? I saw the US price to be around 1.6K, but I'm not sure how it'll translate to canadian

 

I had the same dilema. I got extra funding, and bam, now I have a G1S.

The best part? I know that I won't ever be getting that feeling of "I could have had a better laptop" .