Question:
*Urgent* advice needed on 2012WLMi
Hi all. I really hope someone reads this soon ;)
I posted on here a while ago about a problem I was having with the 1501LCe. Basically, it could not be resolved. So it looks like I might be able to get a 2012WLMi instead (well that was what was promised by the manager so...).
But I have a choice between this, and a P4 based 2.8Ghz machine (2501LC). The 2.8Ghz looks faster on paper. But I've heard "rumours" that a 1.5 P-M/Centrino is almost equivalent of a P4 2.4 or upwards. And I don't like the idea of share video memory, an intergrated graphics chip, and only 1024 resolution on the 2501LC, as opposed to Radeon 9700 64MB @ 1280x800 on the 2012WLMi.
I kinda have to choose TOMORROW morning, so I'm desperately trying to get as much info here as possible.
What are the realities of the reduced clock speed of the CPU in the 2012WLMi? 1.5Ghz sounds slooooow. And i'm gunna be doing audio processing work at Uni. But the 2.8Ghz laptop sounds limited in its features, cruddy gfx, and it runs hotter than a hot plate...so I hear.
Someone....heeeeeelp!!!!!
Thanks!
- Paul O
www.soundclick.com/chimpspanner
http://chimpspanner.heavenlymediaservices.com
Answer:
Hey Paul,
Check out the review that I did on my 2012WLMi, it's been posted on the main page of the site (http://www.computer-notebook.com/)
If you have any questions that you would like answered, you can post them in the discussion thread for the review and I will do my best to answer.
In a nutshell, I would certainly recommend the 2012WLMi, and the performance is most definately in the same range as a P4-M 2.4ghz
- Odie
Answer:
Hey Chimp,
Sorry things didn't get resolved on your notebook. But it does look somewhat promising that they're will to swap units.
About the 2012, well, the unit is nice and has excellent features which are higher than your original. Comparing the CPU to a P4 2.4Ghz is a bit high in my books. I like to be a bit more conservative on the values, so I'd say it's more like a P4 2.1Ghz system. I use a 1.4 multiplier, not the 1.5 or 1.6 others use. You will notice a performance difference from an AMD64 CPU to a Pentium M. These units are designed with moderate computing power so you can get as much battery life. But because the other unit has integrated video and a much older graphics chip, I'd definitely recommend the 2012WLMi. Overall, you'll get more bang for the buck with this unit.
Hopefully this unit doesn't exhibit the same problems.
Good Luck!
-Vb-
Answer:
Hey again!
Well, we phoned Acer UK this morning and made a decision....
2012WLMi
Pentium M 1.5Ghz
512MB RAM
Radeon 9700 w/64MB DDR
60GB HDD
DVDRW
And lots of other nifty features such as, obviously, the widescreen display @ 1280x800, WiFi, 4-in-1 Card Reader, etc.
And I'm extra chuffed cos it's £1k+ of laptop. My original one was £800.
At the end of the day, the processing power of the 2.8Ghz was negated by the fact that it has to share system memory for graphics (and, seeing how I need a laptop for music and use alot of RAM based samplers, I need all the memory I can get), had an old crummy graphics chip, a small ugly keypad, and only 1024x768 resolution (which is a nightmare for using my audio sequencer with...it won't even fit on the screen at that res with all toolbars enabled) I decided that it was worth cutting back on sheer speed and opting for something that gave me better overall features. All I need it to do is let me record 2, 3 guitar parts, bass, some drums, and the odd synth here and there, and I know it's up to the job cos I'm doing that on a 1.67Ghz 2000+ XP. So hopefully it should be here tomorrow.
Cheers for the advice ;)
www.soundclick.com/chimpspanner
http://chimpspanner.heavenlymediaservices.com
Answer:
Hey Chimp,
You shouldn't be too worried about the speed of the CPU. The Mhz rating system is currently no longer really used. After coming out with the Pentium M CPU's it shot that scale to hell. If you weren't already aware, a Pentium M CPU was designed from the ground up specifically for mobility/battery life. Designing from scratch also allowed the CPU to do more per clock cycle compared to a P4 chip. Therefore it wasn't required to push the clock so high to achieve similar specs.
Here's a good review on the Pentium M vs P4M CPU.
http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20030205/index.html
From what it says, it's either on par with a P4 2.2 or better.
-Vb-
Answer:
Hey man! Okay, I havent had time to write much of anything on this laptop yet, but I can say, I'm VERY impressed with the P-M 1.5Ghz. You're right clock speeds don't mean jack any more ;) This "feels" like most AthlonXP 2600s I've worked on, and I'm not even exaggerating there! I need more time to work with it and then if I get the chance to, I'll write in more detail how I've found it.
I still need to get it to behave 100% (little pops and clicks, not task or CPU load related), but the CPU seems to go into shock when you first ask it to do something lol then once it settles into a task, there's no probs :) I have a feeling that's to do with the fact that the Banias turns on or off, parts of itself as and when they're needed, as part of its power saving features. Seeing how I'm gunna be using this plugged in 99% of the time, I'm gunna try and figure out how to get the chip running on absolute full pistons, all of the time.
But so far, very impressed, and very happy :) Loving the widescreen as well!!!!
Oh......the keypad isn't as responsive as I'd like it to be. That's the only real complaint I have. I press a key and sometimes the letter doesn't come out. Could be cos I have a light touch!
www.soundclick.com/chimpspanner
http://chimpspanner.heavenlymediaservices.com
Answer:
Hey Chimp,
Congrats on the new system! Looks like everything is working out for you (fingers crossed). Most people looking for Acer's seem to look at this one first, maybe it's got some kind of hypnotic thing happening [:D], but it's a nice system. I've also been looking at this unit, but is a bit expensive here in Canada, it's $2350CDN.
Regarding the little issues, CPU can be set so that it runs at full speed all the time. Goto Power Options in the Control Panel and change the scheme to Always On. What this will do is keep your CPU at max speed all the time, even on battery.
Regarding the KB, I haven't heard of this problem, but you may want to check the repeat rate in the Control Panel. Maybe it's set a bit low so it's not allowing it to showup fast enough. Longshot, but worth a look. Another issue could be the OS, you may want to try reloading the system from scratch rather then using the Restore CD's. All the apps/software installed may be causing a slight slowdown.
Oh, do you still get that problem with the audio? Anymore lags/dropouts?
Well, congrats on the working notebook again! Happy to see Acer willing to go that extra mile to make a customer happy. Upgrading a notebook with a more expensive one for free is a definite plus for Acer.
-Vb-
Answer:
Hey again! This laptop is handling audio great!! I'm still getting a click when I run my audio software, it's always 1 on the right, then a couple of seconds later, then another on the left. But...its not at regular intervals, and sometimes it just doesnt happen at all. It also only happens in Nuendo, not in Reason 2.5, and never in Media Player, so its a Nuendo 2 issue, and I'm pretty sure I know what it is.
Even if I can't make that go away, it's not a show stopper, and nothing like the problem i was having before. I'd say this laptop is pretty much perfect! I was expecting the CPU to beg for mercy as soon as I started using it full on, but to put it in perspective, I use an amp modelling audio plugin called Amplitube. Typically, on say...a 2000+, one instance of this on one track, uses about 10% CPU. 15% if you use its built in reverb. I had 5 of these going *and* a keyboard part *and* drums, 40% CPU usage :) So yeah, I'm happy. And for as much as a nightmare this has been to get to this point, I have to give Acer UK enourmous credit for resolving this in the way that they did. I mean this laptop is worth £200 more than my original one. Can't say fairer than that!
www.soundclick.com/chimpspanner
http://chimpspanner.heavenlymediaservices.com
Answer:
hey guys, especially ODIE:
ive read ODIE's review a few times now and this notebook sounds really good, ive been comparing it with the new Inspiron 700m and it looks better, more features etc....plus a more powerful GPU. however, im trying to find out how comfortable the 2012 is to carry around the campus, it weighs 6.6 pounds but it offers 4 hours of battery life which is good cuz i dont want to carry around a heavy adapter all day long, in turn the 700m is way lighter at 4.1 lbs but only has 2.5 hours of battery life....just wondering if any of you have had the opportunity to carry it around in a backpack or messenger bag along with a notebook or two? this is the only thing that is keeping me from deciding which notebook to buy, school starts early september and i wanna buy a notebook at least 3 weeks earlier to get used to it, any help is appreciated...
Answer:
hey venombite,
fyi, if żou're open to online purchasing, there are canadian vendors who list the 2012 at less than 2200 CDN. Frontierpc.com comes to mind, they're based in vancouver. I almost bought from them but then settled for a local dealer in victoria (for $2170...seemed like a good deal at the time, but i've noticed prices dropping since-- that was 2 months ago). however, i've yet to see a store with a model of this machine 'on the floor'.
chimp, when you do figure out how to 'get all the pistons running' as you say, could you make a note of it somewhere in this space? perhaps we should get a 'fine-tuning your 2012' thread going? i admit i'm a novice here, but eager to aquire further geek status [:D]