Question:
Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
Hi all. This is my first post here. I have been reading around a lot, and after seeing all the helpful replies, decided to contribute my own dilemma.
I am moving to Japan for my 3rd year of university, and I need a laptop. I have never bought one before, but I do know quite a lot about computing and PCs.
I have a budget of about £800, and have pretty much narrowed my choice down to two, those listed in title.
The basic specs I am looking for are:
2.0GHZ Duo Processor
2GB RAM
8600GT 256MB Dedicated GFX or better
Preferably integrated web cam for parental and friend contact etc.
Other things, such as HDD size and speed, battery size, and weight are secondary concerns.
Obviously, for the budget, both of these laptops are the prime choices, I believe. On the dell.co.uk website, I can configure my ideal Vostro for about £850, which is more than the Aspire. However, my desktop is a Dell (Dimension 8400), so I know I am getting quality, and the resolution is higher at 15.4" UltraSharp™ Widescreen WSXGA+ (1680x1050) TFT Display with TrueLife
The ONLY thing that is stopping me getting the Vostro over the Aspire (aside from the £50ish price gap), is that the Aspire has 1GB of Turbo Memory. I have never heard of this before I started searching for laptops, so I have no idea what it is or does, but I don't think the Vostro has it.
Basically, what I am getting at is, for gaming and student life, is 1GB of turbo memory enough to make me buy the Acer, with the lower resolution, less quality web cam, and no brand certainty? Just how worthwhile/necessary/useful is that 1GB of turbo memory?
What do you guys think?
Cheers
Jon
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
In theory the Turbo Memory caches the most used files which allows for faster access speeding things up. I don't think it's been figured out whether it's of much benefit or whether just adding some more memory would work just the same. Some manufacturers like HP and Dell aren't offering it at all. I think I did see somewhere someone was able to squeeze a bit better battery life using the Turbo Memory. At any rate it's not a very mature concept at the moment though I suppose as it gets more fleshed out it may help more.
Between the Dell and Acer neither of which I have seen, I'd pick the Dell because I much prefer WSXGA+ to WXGA and being a ThinkPad owner, I like black notebooks. Also supposedly there's the option for no bloatware on the Vostros which is a major plus in my opinion. Otherwise they seem fairly similar. Good Luck.
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
Thanks for the advice. I was pretty much learning towards the Vostro. I recently noticed the, apparently infamous, Sager 2090, or whatever it is known as. The problem is, I have looked around under all of its names and it doesn't seem available in the UK.
It is a shame though, because it's cheaper, and has a very attractive 512mb graphics card.
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
Anandtech has a useful assessment of Turbo Memory. There are mixed results for performance improvement (some of which you can achieve using ReadyBoost) but good evidence of some improvement in battery run time.
While size and weight are secondary concerns, just make sure you get something which will fit within your hand luggage allowance when going out of UK. Don't put the notebook into your checked in baggage. It might get broken or disappear.
Have you looked at the possibility of buying in Japan? There are a few members here who are in Japan and may be able to advise.
Otherwise, if you will be away for a full year then you should be eligible to reclaim VAT on a computer which you take out. However, you will either need to buy from a company which is willing to provide the paperwork or grab something off the shelf at Dixons in Heathrow.
John
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
Thanks for the advice. I was pretty much learning towards the Vostro. I recently noticed the, apparently infamous, Sager 2090, or whatever it is known as. The problem is, I have looked around under all of its names and it doesn't seem available in the UK.
It is a shame though, because it's cheaper, and has a very attractive 512mb graphics card.
Yep, there is no Sager 2090 in the UK as far as I know. I was going to buy it, but I can't find it in the UK, plus there are other issues I didn't like about it.
I would initially reccomend you getting the 5920 (cos I'm gettin one :D ) but seems that you want a higher screen resolution therefore, pick the Vostro.
P.S. I would check out in the Dell forum about any issues with the LCD of the Vostro. The latest inspiron's have had trouble with 'grainyness' of the LCD - the vostro's may/may not have the same problem.
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
The Sager 2090 is available in the UK. It's known as the Compal IFL90 here.
You can customise them at www.rizeon.com, which is where im currently looking at getting one.
If not www.zepto.com use the same chassis in one of their notebooks.
I believe Compal/Clevo make the chassis and sell them on to various brands, who then sell them to the customer, Sager being one of these brands.
Answer:
Re: Acer Aspire 5920 vs. Dell Vostro 1500
Rock do Sager laptop, check http://rockdirect.com