New laptop... argh, looks like I might have to buy it from Currys

pjgpjg Posts: 223
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This looks like a really good deal, with nothing similar within £100:
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-v3-571-15-6-laptop-19414901-pdt.html

...but I never thought I'd see myself buying something from Currys, and can't believe no one can offer a better deal on an i5/8gb/1tbHD/usb3/fullHD branded machine.

Is there something bad about this model (battery life looks a bit short, but not really an issue for me), or is there a better deal out there?

Looking to get adobe photoshop and premier elements, and probably ms office, so would be interested in a bundle including those too...

Comments

  • BrokenArrowBrokenArrow Posts: 21,665
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    Looks OK according to.....

    http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop-premiere-elements/tech-specs.html

    Not sure of ACER reliability or speed.

    Trouble is, I've found you can not tell how fast a machine is going to be from the specs.

    I bought a DELL which, on paper, had very good specs at the time but turned out to be slug slow.

    Yet, my missus bought a dirt cheap e-machines dual core celeron which worked perfectly.
  • DaedrothDaedroth Posts: 3,065
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    It's been getting good reviews online. The only draw backs seem to be a plasticy feel to the chassis, reflective screen, loud keyboard and the touchpad sensitivity could be better.

    I'd had my Acer Aspire 5920G for many years now, and it's still going very strong. So in all, I think that's a very good laptop to go for, especially at that price.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,302
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,302
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    Does the Acer really have a 1080p screen? I thought around £450 was standard price for that spec but you rarely see 1080p screens.
  • BrokenArrowBrokenArrow Posts: 21,665
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    Its a bit odd to have a 1080p screen and then only fit a DVD drive in it.

    Surely 1080p is for Blu ray ?
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    Looks OK according to.....

    http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop-premiere-elements/tech-specs.html

    Not sure of ACER reliability or speed.

    I always thought Acer were reliable until last summer. My dad had an Acer laptop (bought in 2010) and the graphics card went and it was unrepairable after only 2 years of use. He was without a laptop for quite a while. After that episode I'd be hesitant to recommend Acer to anyone. Best thing to do is go and have a look at the computer in store and see if you like it.
  • tealadytealady Posts: 26,262
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    Its a bit odd to have a 1080p screen and then only fit a DVD drive in it.

    Surely 1080p is for Blu ray ?
    Saves a bit of money. However, plenty of TV or films can be streamed in HD to watch on the laptop.
    Has W8 :eek:
  • barky99barky99 Posts: 3,921
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    call me suspicious ... not sure currys description is accurate, says it comes with ie9 BUT I thought win8 machines came with ie10 out of the box? if that's wrong other bits could be too?
    and a win8 machine without the touch screen interface? why bother!
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    Checked out the Which? review for this laptop. First thing is they say the screen res is 1366 x 768. Here's the whole review for your edification.

    This Acer is just as speedy as you might expect, with enough horsepower for any mainstream program and some 3D games. A watchable screen and a usable touchpad and keyboard help its case, but there's nothing really exceptional about it. Battery life is only average, and it doesn't feel quite as good as it looks.

    A good-looking 15.6-inch laptop with a shiny black finish and an angular design that makes it look slimmer and lighter than it actually is. At 2.28kg the Acer is just about portable, but only just.

    What's it like to use? With one of Intel's new third-generation Core i5 processors and 8GB of Ram, there's enough power here to run any mainstream application you can throw at it. Speed doesn't deteriorate much when running on batteries, and you're never left hanging around. Plus, with a dedicated Nvidia graphics processor, there's enough 3D power to run recent games at low to medium detail settings.

    The rest isn't quite so good. The screen is reasonably bright with OK colours , but hardly outstanding. The keys on the keyboard are smaller than average, the cursor keys are cramped and there's some in the keyboard as you type.

    Is there anything I should watch out for? This Acer looks great, but feels slightly disappointing. The underside feels bumpy when it's resting on your lap, and its materials and build quality reflect the affordable price. Sound is also very tinny, without much bass or depth.

    There are two USB 2.0 ports and also one USB 3.0 port, so if you're running out of space on the 500GB hard disk you can plug in a fast external hard drive. With gigabit ethernet and high-speed 802.11n wi-fi, which works on the less-congested 5GHz band, you can transfer large photo and video files over either wired or wireless networks at impressive speeds.

    So should I buy it? The Acer's specifications and speed give plenty of reasons to recommend it, but in other ways it's a mild disappointment. It's not a bad choice for the money, but not quite good enough to be a Best Buy.
  • mac2708mac2708 Posts: 3,349
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    Same model number but slightly different specs, described as 720p and cheaper here
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-V3-571-15-6-inch-Laptop/dp/B009R156OI#productDetails
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    Did you see on the Amazon page in the Product Information Technical Details where it says, Item Weight 5g.

    5g! That'll be the day!
  • pjgpjg Posts: 223
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    Thanks for all the feedback. I think you've got to be careful comparing prices for this model on sale from other vendors, as it comes in all sorts of configurations - hd size, ram, on board/ nvidia graphics, processor, etc. but I haven't seen a 1080p variant anywhere else than Currys...hmm. I thank manufacturers do this deliberately so they can give each retailer an exclusive model.

    Guess I'll have to pop in store and see it in the flesh.

    Slightly off topic, but mentioned in my op, I managed to get adobe photoshop/premier elements for £60 delivered direct from Adobe website. It was a valentines offer on the 13th and 14th, but as it was still mentioned on their website today, they honoured the price. Which was nice. Think I'll give ms office a miss as their pricing is getting cheeky... And use libre office instead.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    Currys might have got the resolution wrong on the webpage. I'd check with them. They quite often get specs wrong or miss out key details altogether. Also see if there any discount vouchers online anywhere for Currys. Try Money Supermarket and asking on Google.
  • s2ks2k Posts: 7,410
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    Re Windows 8...I've worked on a couple of similar looking Acers recently that came with it pre-loaded but it had seemingly just been chucked on as a last minute thing by Acer. The CoA sticker underneath was for Windows 7 Home Premium and the builtin e-recovery partition (ALT+F10) would actually restore it with Windows 7 too.

    Not saying for definite that one is the same but worth bearing in mind if your not a fan.
  • pjgpjg Posts: 223
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    So.. I got the acer, and it's pretty good, for the money. The case is a bit plasticky, and windows 8 is a bit bonkers, especially on a non-touch machine ( did they ever test it with real consumers?!), but neither was much of a surprise, and it's a much nicer experience than my old pentium XP machine.

    But the resolution is only 1366x768, as some of you suspected. It's not a show-stopper for me, but I'm trying to resolve this with Currys, and they are still advertising the wrong spec on their website, despite me emailing them at the weekend to say they had it wrong...
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