Value for money, speed, reliability, card reader, DVD - Writer
Disadvantages:
No floppy drive
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I have been using the Acer Aspire 3023WLMi for 3 months, and have used Acer laptops in the past. The initial reason I bought this laptop was due to my past experience with earlier models, and also the amazing prices on offer. Through my use of this machine I have come to the following conclusions, all of which are my own.
Product Specification: AMD Sempron 3000+ (25W) Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition 15.4" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite 128 ATI X600 512MB (2*256) 80GB HDD DVD-Dual double layer DVD-R/RW CD-R/RW Writer wired & 802.11g LiIon Battery no FDD S-video, Infa-red, Firewire, 6 in 1 card reader, 4 USB Acer GridVista, Acer Arcade
1. Out of the box
From out of the box and onto my table, involved no more than simply opening the box and removing the polystyrene packing. In another box was the documentation, power lead, and various installation/recovery CD's. Following the quick start guide I attached the power lead, opened up the screen, and pressed the magic 'on button'. A Windows setup screen appeared allowing my to enter my details and setup user accounts. After all this was complete Windows started to boot - and things came to life. I watched in astonishment as things began to install, drivers were loaded, the screen changed resolution - all without touching anything. After it had finished these tasks the laptop rebooted and my laptop was ready to go. I did not need to open any of the included CD's, or fiddle with any settings to get everything to work. Before I knew what was happening on onscreen prompt indicated I was connected to my wireless network, and I had the internet working.
For first time buyers, or the experienced user, the hassle free setup means you can be up and running in a matter of minutes - with no confusion or messing around.
2. Appearance
To look at this laptop is very pleasing. A mix of silver and black compliments each other well, and the simple design works well in any surrounding. This laptop is just over 3 centimetres high with the screen closed, a good improvement from the earlier model from the aspire series I had in 2004. All the ports are nicely located for ease of use. One of the USB ports is situated at the back so if you are righthanded and wish to use a USB mouse then you have a port in the right place - as the other USB ports are on the lefthand side. One of the first things you notice about this laptop is the screen. It is a shiny black colour when not switched on, and provides an excellent viewing surface from a range of angles, and with different mediums when in use. While remaining robust and reliable the 3023 stands out from other machines, even before putting the hardware to the test.
3. Hardware
Out of personal, and performance preference, I prefer the AMD processors over Intel. This is fine when building your own PC, however when you come to buy a laptop you can be left with very little choice. Some manufacturers don't offer any choice except intel based machines. Acer however excels in giving the consumer the choices we deserve - catering for the highly popular intel market, whilst also serving the AMD fans. 64-bit AMD processors are available in the Acer range, however I do not feel I need a 64-bit processor at the moment. I tend to upgrade every couple of years - and as no 64-bit software and operating system is widely available I decided my money is better spent on the best standard processor available. This being the Sempron 3000+ included with the 3023WLMi model - which runs at 1.8GHz when maximum processing power is needed.
The graphics with this laptop are exceptional. Not only is there a dedicated graphics card running on the super fast PCI-Express interface with 128Mb or memory (many other laptops have shared graphics), but my laptop arrived with the X700 model - rather than the X600 which was advertised. If you like games you will not be disapointed.
As far as the main memory goes, 512Mb is a decent amount capable of handling all I need. The same goes for the 80Gb hard disk - which is partitioned into two sections. Because Acer has provided the basics at such a good standard I doubt I will ever think about having to upgrade - in the near future. I have seen laptops priced over £1000 which do not have a decent amount of memory or hard disk space - so well done Acer.
DVD writing is big at the moment, and I like to backup my music and files regularly. The included DVD and CD writer is able to meet all my needs with fast reading and writing speeds. I'm confident that the drive will not go out of date as it has dual DVD writing capabilities (allowing both sides of the DVD to be written to), but the blank disks are far to expensive at the moment. The included software with the laptop allows you to master you own DVD's for playing on a standard household DVD player. This is great for putting your divx or home movies onto a disc that will play anywhere.
If you are a floppy disk user then you may be disapointed - as there is no floppy drive. In its place is a memory card reader capable of reading 6 different types of cards. For me this is a great bonus. I havn't used floppy disks in years and use memory cards for my PDA and digital camera. I can easily swap data between my different devices with absolute ease.
The keyboard and touchpad mouse provide the means to using your laptop. It is important that they are strong and reliable. In the three months using them, the acer keyboard and touchpad have not deteriated at all - and with heavy use throughout this period. An added bonus is the Acer hot keys, situated between the keyboard and the screen. These are user programmable so you can get your favorite applications loaded up in a breeze.
4. Battery
Specifications: ACPI power management supporting Standby and Hibernation modes 60Wh Li-Ion battery pack Up to 3.5 hours battery life 2.5 hours quick charge; 3.5 hours charge-in-use 90W AC adapter
I can confirm that the manufacturers specification for the battery, given above, is as good as it sounds. With light use you get the full 3.5 hours as stated, and even with more heavy use like DVD watching - I have been able to watch a 2 hour plus movie without losing power. The processor runs at a lower frequency when the load is light, helping to extend the battery useage, and this means that the fan comes on less often too. Because the battery is Li-on, there is no memory effect on the battery when you recharge so you can always make sure you have full battery power.
5. Value for money
I paid £634.00 from www.ebuyer.co.uk for this product. It was available cheaper on another website, however I was making a larger order from Ebuyer at the time and this worked out cheaper paying for just one set of postage.
I think this is a very reasonable price for the 'amount' of laptop you are getting. This is a top of the range model, from a reliable and trustworthy manufacturer - available at a fraction of the cost of other brands. Acer are a name to look out for in the future and as more people realise that you can get more for your money - Acer will stand out as they provide the consumer with value, reliability, and performance.
More details
Memory / capacity
Excellent
Ease of use
Very easy
Range of Extra Features
Good
Instruction manual
Very useful
Manufacturer Support
Excellent
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
