Sarah Stokely22 September 2006, 11:52 AM
Acer has carved a niche for itself offering super-cheap notebooks, and now, it's spruiking a notebook with a truly hefty spec at an incredibly tasty price.
Acer has carved a niche for itself offering super-cheap notebooks backed by a well-known brand. Now, it's highlighting a notebook with a truly hefty spec going for just $1599.
The “Vista-ready” Acer Aspire 5601WLMi features an Intel 1.6GHz T2050 Core Duo processor, a 15.4 inch widescreen (1366 x 768 in a 16:9 ratio), a 120Gb Hard Drive, and 1 Gigabyte of DDR2 533 memory.
It also features 8x double-layer DVD burner, 802.11b/g/a wireless and S/PDIF optical digital sound output for connection to home theatre systems. It also comes loaded with Windows XP Home or Pro depending on the model.
The main compromise is that it only has an Intel GMA950 graphics chip, which will disappoint gamers, and the CPU isn't the very latest generation Core 2 Duo, but at the price, who's complaining?
Mwave Australia has advertised preorders on the 5601WLMi for $1567.20 plus shipping. Some other online stores are selling it above recommended retail price, simply because they'll still be able to sell it easily at that price.
It's not just Acer offering fantastic deals on notebooks at the moment, though. Pricing has generally been heading south.
While not as grunty in sheer specs, another sub-$2000 notebook which has had a price drop recently is the small form-factor Samsung Q35.
Leyton Miller, owner of Brisbane based online retailer Price Point Computers said his shop recently lopped $200 off the price of the Samsung Q35.
Now priced at $1713.10, the Q35 boasts a 12.1 inch screen, Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz, 512MB, 80GB HDD, 12.1" WXGA, Super Multi DVD Drive, IEEE1394, and Wireless 802.11b/g (Q35T000).
“It’s pretty much competitive with Sony VAIOs and the Macbook,” said Miller.
It’s worth noting that a new specification to the Q35 that will be introduced from October. Michael Fitzgibbon, notebook product manager for Samsung Electronics Australia said the main difference will be the move from Core Duo to a Core 2 Duo processor (T5600).
The RRP on the forthcoming Q35 will leap back up to $2,499 -- so you have to ask yourself whether a gap of up to $786 is worth it for the difference between Core Duo and Core 2 Duo.
PricePoint has recently began selling MSI branded laptops. Miller recommended two $1600 models, the L662-01 and the M662. The L662 is 1.83 Ghz dual core, and comes with XP Pro and dual layer DVD. “It comes with a two year pick up and delivery warranty, instead of the usual one year,” said Miller.
The M662 is a 1.66 dual core, with 15 inch screen and XP Pro, but has 100GB HDD and an in-built webcam.
For those power or business users wishing to spend a bit more, the Lenovo T60 and the Apple MacBook Pro make an interesting comparison of what's available on both sides of the Mac and Windows divide for laptops around the $3,000 mark. (And of course, bear in mind that these days, all current-model Macs can run Windows XP, so if you've ogled their slick design in the past, but don't particularly want to adjust to a new OS, you can now try a Mac without committing to the Mac OS.)
Available in various configurations, the Lenovo T60 (its first ThinkPad since buying the range from IBM), is squarely aimed at the business user. It comes loaded with Windows XP Pro and features a 2GHz Intel Core Duo T2500; 1GB PC4300 DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 512MB (256MB shared) and a 100GB hard disk drive.
Pricing on the T60 starts at $2,699. It weighs in at approximately 2kg. With the 2.8kg with the optional high capacity 9 cell battery (which costs an additional $249) the battery life is boosted to around six hours while the weight goes up to about 2.8kg.
The comparably priced Apple MacBook Pro ($3,199RRP) offers a 15.4-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo model which has a better video card (ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor), and better CPU (2.0 or 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor) than the Lenovo T60. The MacBook Pro weighs 600g more, but is 5mm thinner than the T60.