Question:
Ferrari 4006WLMi vs TravelMate 8204WLMi
ACER Ferrari 4006WLMi
ACER TravelMate 8204WLMi
Possibly the ACER Ferrari 5000 if it is released pre-september.
General Questions
1) What is your budget?
$2000-3000
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
or
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
3D Art & Animation + 3D Game Programming (some gaming - World of Warcraft)
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
I'll bring it around to class and such.
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Yes, World of Warcraft
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
AMD over Intel.
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
The more the merrier :)
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not really
9) What country are you buying this in?
USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Either Or...never owned a widescreen
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
Standard
a. XGA -1024x768 - Large and easy to read text + graphics icons, but you fit less stuff on the screen.
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
c. UXGA - 1600x1200 - Very small text and graphics icons, you can fit lots of stuff on the screen.
Widescreen
d. WXGA or WXGA+ - 1280x768/800 or 1440x900; Wider viewing version of XGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
e. WSXGA+ - 1680x1050; Wider viewing version of SXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
f. WUXGA - 1920x1200; Wider viewing version of UXGA, good for movie viewing or spreadsheets.
B, C or E
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesnt really matter
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
I'd like it to look nice :)
14) How long do you want this laptop to last?
A few years...
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
As much as possible
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-CD/RW Preferred, if not DVD-ROM and CD-RW
Going to college in the fall for 3D Art & Animation + Certificate in 3D Game Programming, and looking for a laptop that's going to serve me well. Of course, I want the laptop to be able to render well and have a smooth 3D Work environment, but also crisp & clean 2D graphics. The only game I really play on the PC is World of Warcraft, and I can currently play it smoothly with all settings maxed on my desktop with 256mb of video memory and 2GB of RAM.
I'm wondering which of these 2 laptops would be better for my needs....I know the Ferrari usually comes with 2x512mb sticks of RAM, but I'd be getting 2x1GB to max out the amount of RAM for faster processes. The biggest decisions are between the two graphics cards, the Ferrari being 128mb whereas the TravelMate is 256mb, and the processors. The Ferrari uses an AMD (AMD fan here!) whereas the TravelMate utilizes Intel's technology.
I'm willing to spend the money on either...really just want the laptop that will put out the best. I'm not computer illiterate by any means, I'm currently leaning towards the Ferrari for the AMD card, but the extra 128mb of video memory in the travelMate is tempting...friends I've asked have all pointed me to the Ferrari as well, but hey, more opinions never hurt, right?
Also with the upcoming release of the ACER Ferrari 5000, I might just wait for that...so long as its not released after September. With this in mind, would you choose the Ferrari 5000 over the TM 8204?
Thanks a lot for the input, really appreciate it :) If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
-John
Answer:
Re: Ferrari 4006WLMi vs TravelMate 8204WLMi
Just curious,would you be looking at brands other than Acer? If so,here's one that ain't bad at all
http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/Sager/9750specs.php
Hope it helps!
Answer:
Re: Ferrari 4006WLMi vs TravelMate 8204WLMi
Hmm...really narrowed it down to these few here...but thanks.
Answer:
Re: Ferrari 4006WLMi vs TravelMate 8204WLMi
Out of those, the travelmate is a better buy. It has a faster CPU and GPU plus newer parts. There is a review of the travelmate here, just go to the reviews section above. If you have that kind of money, Id look at a lot of other notebooks still.