Laptop Question Acer vs Dell

[nickv360]

This Acer
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...50043&id=1179877502558

Is about $100 dollars cheaper at best buy (Their weekly ad advertised it at 399.99 so in-store, that will be the price).

This Dell:

PROCESSOR AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core processor TK-53 (1.7GHz/512KB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic edit
LCD PANEL 15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Anti-Glare Display edit
MEMORY 1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 Dimm edit
HARD DRIVE 80G 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive edit
OPTICAL DRIVE 8X DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+R write capability, Cyberlink Power DVD edit
VIDEO CARD ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 256MB HyperMemory? (integrated) edit
WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Wi-Fi Mini Card edit


Is pretty similar and costs $499.

Which is the better deal based on cost and reliablity. Does Acer make good notebooks/provide customer support?

 

[JustaGeek]

Neither.

Find a similar HP or Compaq - just look at the amount of resources at their support Website. BIOS', drivers, you name it.

And I am sure you can find the equivalent deal, or just wait for one.

And get Vista Home Premium and minimum 2GB of RAM.

 

[nickv360]

Actually, I can't find a compaq or hp for anywhere near similar prices. Closest I can get is about $660. That's an extra 160, and money is really tight. I also don't want to wait for prices to drop because school is starting.

 

[oynaz]

Well, I did a survey on my university for a project once. We asked about 200 people with laptops which brand they used and if they had had to RMA their laptop. Every single one of the Acer users had had to RMA at some point or other - many of them more than once. Yep - 100% failure rate...

I would not touch an Acer with a pair of pliers.

I own a five years old Dell myself. The battery, USB ports, touchpad and monitor are all defective to some extent, so I would not recommend Dell either.

 

[JustaGeek]

Well, I think I found you a deal:

Compaq Presario F572US Notebook PC

AMD Athlon ? 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TK-53 (1.7GHz) processor
1GB installed memory
80GB Hard Drive
Super Multi 8X DVDñR/RW with Double Layer Support
15.4" WXGA High-Definition Brightview Widescreen (1280 X 800) Display
Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN
Weight 6.6lbs
Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium
1 year warranty
Need help deciding? Call Technology Sales at 1-877-612-1185 for assistance

Special Buy
Free printer after rebate savings
Offer expires 7/28/07
Price: Reg. $629.98
$604.98
Each
Save $25.00
Before:
$125.00 Instant Coupon

Final Price:
$479.98


In addition you can get the free printer:
Rebate $70 mail-in rebate with the combined same day purchase of ANY HP or Compaq PC or notebook computer AND an HP D1341 Printer (SKU 656485) at Staples.


http://www.staples.com/webapp/...Area=SC3:CG71:CL161747

HP Specs:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfr...roduct=3441671&lang=en

Excellent laptop, IMHO.