ASUS or ACER

[dangos327]

I am in the market for a laptop. I will be using it for business mainly but am looking to play games like Tribes Ascend and CS:GO when it comes out as well as a few other titles here and there. Which of the three is the best. I trust ASUS a lot having used them on my PC build, but do not know much about ACER.

1: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215266

2: http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230132

3: This one when out of stock 2 days ago...
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230133

 

[pacioli]

Comparing the specs on both... They are higher on the Acer.
The actual performance difference between the two is negligible...

The 630m and the 540M perform about the same. They are likely the same GPU rebadged.
That would put the Acer specs ahead with the faster processor.

Asus is a better brand.
Acer isn't terrible. If the price difference is great enough I'd go with the Acer.

Acer has been around a long time. They typically manufactur PCs and PC peripherals. They actually do a decent job making monitors. I've had a couple of Acer monitors for years now.

The build quality on the Asus will likely be better.

 

[ngrego]

From personal experience, I would definately suggest Asus. Acer laptops are known for their "not so great quality builds". Screen and keyboard issues are a regular phenomena with Acer laptops. There are also Acer laptops that run for years with no issues at all. I just wouldn't get one a second time myself!
If you have a smaller budget and you find a very good deal on an Acer by all means get it, but if you do use it as much as possible so that if there are any imminent issues they will arise before your warranty is up!

 

[Melissa991]

I'd recommend the Asus .That laptop is fine for games and It matches with the games’ requirements you want too.

 

[dangos327]

I also have found this, a little higher but I really really like the design. Thoughts?

http/www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-NP700Z5A-S09US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B006PAAMA2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1336530949&sr=1-2

Will I still get decent performance even though it is an i5? From the research I think the Radeon Gfx card is better than the GT640m and the 540m but will the i5 bog down its performance?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

I prefer acer. In 2 years only had to repair one acer laptop, which had hard drive failure.

 

[edit1754]

All three of these laptops you are looking at have poor displays, and it might be in your interest to find something that has a better display.

15.6" 1366x768 displays limit multitasking because they make things onscreen large, and they tend to have very poor image quality due to low contrast. I recommend against this type of display to those who have a budget that allows them to get a laptop that has a better display and at the same time suits their needs, and who don't require larger text for eyesight-related reasons.

HP DV6-6C53NR (i5-2450M, Radeon 7690M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display) - $799 (unsure if tax applies)
- Make sure that you go into the BIOS and change the switchable graphics settings from DYNAMIC to FIXED.

HP DV6z Quad Edition (A6-3420M, AMD Radeon 7690M, 15.6" 1920x1080 matte display)
- $749 after coupon code 25LOGICBUY. Don't downgrade the display to 1366x768; don't downgrade the GPU.
- If you add upgrades to $900, then use $50-off coupon NBDTSAVE50 instead.
- Make sure that you go into the BIOS and change the switchable graphics settings from DYNAMIC to FIXED.

Sager NP3260 (i5-2450M, GT 630M, 15.6" 1920x1080 glossy display) - $842 no tax
- Upgrade the display to 1920x1080. Don't skip this upgrade for budget-related reasons or for any reasons not related to requiring large text for eyesight. The 1366x768 display limits multitasking and productivity by making things onscreen large, and it has terrible image quality due to low contrast.
- Scroll to Operating System and select Windows 7, unless you happen to have a way to get it for cheaper than $80.