I am considering purchasing a new laptop. The top two on my list are the T40 and 803Lci. My current laptop is not even close to the performance specs as either of the two above. I am hoping someone could offer suggestions on which one would be the best for my type of use. I use my laptop mainly for internet, sys admin, digital photo editing, and some gaming. I'd really like a notebook that will offer some decent gaming and video editing as well. I am not a serious gamer, nor do I have the time Both notebooks are very nice from the reviews, but the Acer is about $600 more last time I checked due to its serious graphics card, memory, HD, and add ons.

Thanks for the input!!!

Eric

I can tell you without even looking at the specs that the IBM machine will probably not look as good, but is better built. IBM notebooks are built very sturdily.

On the other hand, i can only give you my own experiences with Acer. They are horrible. Every notebook I have ever dealt with from acer has been sent back and another manufacturer's notebook bought. Could you post specs or links to these 2 notebooks?

RaPTuRe

Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?

Here is the one for the IBM.
http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/ [...] logId=-840

The Acer

http://www.acer.com/app/akc/intern [...] ment#model


Thanks for the input, I am definately leaning toward the IBM even though it doesn't have all the toys.

I am also looking at an "Centrino" NB. The point is long battery life which can support not just the business and also the leisure time in Biz trip. It seems Acer 803 offers a 15" SXGA+ but I cannot find it with IBM (even Dell D600)???

I am less concerned about screen size, especially if you've tried opening a 15" screen on a plane. If I can play some decent games, edit videos from my camcorder, and watch DVD's with great performance and battery life I'd be happy. My biggest concern is that the ATI 7500 is too far behind the graphics card of the Acer (ATI 9000).

Let's Start at the top:

- CPU: The Acer is a much faster notebook (1.6GHz) against the IBM's 1.5GHz.

- RAM: 512MB (Acer) / 256MB (IBM) - They are both the same speed and form factor so speed is the only real issue. On the Acer though, you can access both the memory slots to upgrade.

- TFT: 14.1" XGA (1024x768) on the IBM, which is a pleasant resolution on a pleasantly sized display. The Acer however, has a 15" SXGA+ (1400x1050) which is a very nice screen/resolution combo.

- GPU: It's a question of the M9 in the acer over the M7 in the IBM. The M9 is a way better card, no doubt about it.

- HDD: The Acer has a larger 60GB HDD, whereas the IBM has a faster 40GB (5400rpm) HDD. That's a toughy because the hard drive is the only remaining major bottleneck on notebook systems.

- CD: The IBM and ACER both have DVD/CD-R/RW combo drives. The Acer will burn you a CD at 24x though, and the IBM only at 16x

- Wi-Fi: They both have wireless networking (Its really 6 in one, 1/2 a dozen in the other)

- NIC: The IBM has a Gigabit network card, the Acer only has a 100 Megabit NIC.

- Battery: The IBM gives longer battery life (5hrs on a 6cell Li-Ion batt), Acer gives 3hrs on a 6-cell and 5.5hrs on an 8Cell. - So in the end, the battery life is about equal.

- Dimensions: The IBM is lighter in the end and probably smaller

- Overall: The Acer seems to be a far superior notebook in most cases, but i still wouldn't recomend purchasing an Acer. Are you sure that you haven't found a similar spec'd machine from Dell or Toshiba?

I.e. Dell Inspiron 600m
Pentium-M 1.6GHz
14.1" XGA
Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB
512MB DDR
40GB HDD
24x DVD/CD-R/RW combo
Wireless Network + Gigabit NIC
2nd Battery (Up to 8hrs battery life)
$ 1986

RaPTuRe

Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?

The last review I read about the Dell said hey were disappointed about the Dells battery life and overall construction feel. I know Dell has a good reputation, but the last Toshiba I bought feels kinda flimsy in comparision to other notebooks I've owned. Has anyone had their hands on the Dell?? how well is it built??

Thanks,
Eric

Well, I have the D600 / 600m's bigger brother, the D800 - It's built quite nicely - could be better though. The Toshibas and IBMs are built very solidly but you have to pay for that. The Acer isnt built very well.

The battery life is potentially better - because you can run two batteries at the same time, and it gives you all your specs for a price just as good as that of the IBM you were looking at.

RaPTuRe

Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?

IBM is known for reliable, but expensive laptops. I know a few people that has IBM laptops, only one had troubles, and he's the one that caused it. Lets just say he changed his password and forgot what he changed his password to.

FWIW, I have an T40p (the T40p comes with FireGL9000 instead of regular M9). I also saw and used Acer 800 series before. I have to say that I like IBM T40 more. The T40 have a better built quality (magnesium alloy on the top with titanium composite on the bottom) and IBM support is superb (much better than Dell IMO). The Acer, on the other hand, have good features for the price.

If you can afford T40, try to get a model with ATI M9 instead of M7, There is a model that come with P-M 1.3GHz and DVD but with SXGA+ and M9 instead of XGA and M7 (I forgot the model number). It doesn't show up on regular IBM T series showroom so you might have to search a little bit for it. Another choice is to configure the T series yourself . Try configure with P-M 1.6GHz (since it will automatically bundle with M9 32MB when you choose SXGA+ LCD). They have T series on sale right now so you might be able to get a nicely equipped T40 less than $2500.

Mocca

Nvidia or ATI, it's all depend on what you like and system optimization