What do you guys think of the ACER Aspire 5101AWLMI * AMD Turion MK-36, (2GHz, 31W) * 15.4" WXGA TFT Display with Acer CrystalBrite * ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 integrated 3D graphics with up to 256 MB of shared system memory * 512MB DDR2 RAM, * 60GB 5400RPM Hard Disk Drive * DVD-RW * 802.11b/g Wireless, * 5-in-1 Card Reader IMO it's bloody good value for money at £399.99inc VAT and I think its even less at laptops direct. I ask as I am thinking of purhasing. In its current state would it run Oblivion on low settings? I plan in the future on upgrading the ram (prob add another gig as it has one free slot so would be 1.5gb total) and also upgrade the HDD to a Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 Thanks KingDavies
First off, there are mixed reviews with Acer laptops. I currently own an Aspire 3022 and while it's a fantastic machine, the build quality isn't on par with say, Compaq - it just seems a bit flimsy and delicate. However, you do get a damn good spec for a low price. Not too sure about running Oblivion though, I'm not familiar with the Xpress 1100, but shared GFX memory is always a bad thing. tbh, if you're wanting to use it as a gaming machine, I'd spend a bit more money and get one with a better GFX chipset (and it's own memory). For info, Technoworld have a massive selection of Acer machines...you'll maybe find something better. (don't be put off by the dodgy name, or the fact you may not have heard of them - I got my machine from there, and it all went very smoothly).
acer is nice but for christ sake NEVER buy integrated graphics coz they suck. it really is worth spending a few extra quid on a better graphic card, especially if u want to play games. ok the integrated chip one mine isn't an x1100 but having proper seperate ram for ur gpu is a plus. also your laptop will run little cooler when not using integrated graphics. my northbridge can during gaming heat up to extremes way over 50° C the casing on my acer aspire while sturdy ( it survived a fall of my desk withouth any cracks) scratches VERY easily. but the processor is great it is always cool and packs a decent punch. during normal tasks the fan rarely spins up. then we come to another plus on aspire: from my experience it is very quiet. i totally agree with the ram upgrade. and cristalbryte screens kick ass hope to have helped u
To be honest, I wouldn't expect to be able to touch Oblivion untill the £700-800 mark. >£1000 to run it at any decent settings too. I would seriously reconsider buying a laptop if you're dead set on playing high-end video games.
I have been thinking and managed to put some more money together, and am probablly going to get an ACER 5633: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 - 1.66GHz (x2), 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache 1024MB DDR2-667MHz 100GB 15.4" Widescreen TFT (1280x800 - 16:10)with CrystalBrite Technology DVD±RW Super Multi Double Layer NVidia GeForce Go7300 supporting 256MB TurboCache Cost £570 in VAT, The laptop isnt for gaming as I do all gaming on my desktop (specs in sig) the laptop is for use during free periods in sixth form.
if gaming isn't an issue i'd stick with the first one but with more ram and bigger HD. That way u save money. frankly if u don't need to play games the core duo and the geforce 256mb is a little over the top just for office work.
The GFX maybe, but after using a CoreDuo I won't recommend single core to anyone ever again. Plus, it's probably a good thing to have a system that's future (Vista) proof. Even if you're not planning on upgrading to Vista, it's always nice to have the option.
