Hi,
I would appreciate help finding a new notebook. Here is what I am looking for:
The WiFi problem turns out to be an incompatibility between Acer BIOS and Qualcomm WiFi adapter hardware which has only partially been resolved by driver changes (problem is that the card powers down going into sleep mode after about 10 minutes of use even though the connection is still active - then about a minute later Windows wakes the card up and the connection is reestablished). Talking with Acer, the only 'real' solution is to replace the Qualcomm card with a Broadcom card or use an external USB WiFi card BUT they won't provide the card and if an end user does changes the internal card it will void the warranty. Acer explained that as the problem only manifests itself when running Windows 8.1 (not Windows 8 which machines using the card originally shipped with) their solution for machines shipped back to them under warranty is to simply switch the machine back to Windows 8.
Thanks!
I would appreciate help finding a new notebook. Here is what I am looking for:
Budget: $400 to $500
Size: Midsize (14" to 17")
Resolution: Minimum 720P resolution
Brightness: Usable in indirect sunlight
Portability: Moderate (suitable for use in car & home BUT not planning to carry it around)
Battery Life: Not Important
Gaming: Casual gaming - support for modern games like GTA on low settings
Other Tasks: Wordprocessing & Web Research
Storage Capacity: Not Important
Usefull Life: Plan to get 2 to 3 years before replacing
Optical Drive: Optional
Flash Card Reader: Optional, but preferred
Keyboard: Backlit Illuminated Keyboard
Touchscreen: Optional, but preferred
OS: Windows 8.0/8.1
Brands: No real preference
Country: Canada
Timeframe: Noticed that a lot of new A8/A10 are coming - can wait a month if something new is expected
- Acer V5
Screen: 15.3" TouchScreen
Battery Life: Real World 2.5 to 4 hours
Memory: 6 GB
Processor: AMD A6-5357M
Video: AMD HD 8450G with 2 GB Dedicated Ram
Price: $399
The WiFi problem turns out to be an incompatibility between Acer BIOS and Qualcomm WiFi adapter hardware which has only partially been resolved by driver changes (problem is that the card powers down going into sleep mode after about 10 minutes of use even though the connection is still active - then about a minute later Windows wakes the card up and the connection is reestablished). Talking with Acer, the only 'real' solution is to replace the Qualcomm card with a Broadcom card or use an external USB WiFi card BUT they won't provide the card and if an end user does changes the internal card it will void the warranty. Acer explained that as the problem only manifests itself when running Windows 8.1 (not Windows 8 which machines using the card originally shipped with) their solution for machines shipped back to them under warranty is to simply switch the machine back to Windows 8.
Thanks!