Looking at getting a laptop

[Ausaris]

You missed a link in my original post recommending that notebook. Look at the DirectCanada link and use it to pricematch with NCIX.

I did the pricing work for you

Oh, I suppose I should have read that more carefully. \

I'm definitely getting that Acer then, that price is wonderful. I should also thank you for doing the pricing for me

I've never ordered from NCIX before, but I know they are a well liked retailer, so it looks like i'll be breaking from Newegg for a change.

 

[Baez]

For sure. They're the best tech retailer in Canada. Newegg is great but not quite up to par with their US counterpart.

 

[Ausaris]

Alright, I have ordered the Acer, and according to the details I saw on the site regarding NCIX's express shipping; since I ordered it before 1pm PST there is a chance I will receive it tomorrow Somehow I doubt that, but i'm more than happy to wait until next week, since i'll be on break from school anyway and will have lots of time to play with it either way

When it does show up, i'll be sure to come back here and let ya know it came in one piece. And if it does show up tomorrow... I'll probably be making this face - 0.0 - while typing up the post.

 

[carnageX]

Let us know how the build quality feels.

I've never really been a fan of Acer's build quality...always felt like cheap, crappy plastic. Wife had an Acer previously, and the USB ports snapped off (could have been something she did as well...but I've usually only seen that happen on lower end systems).

 

[Ausaris]

Let us know how the build quality feels.

I've never really been a fan of Acer's build quality...always felt like cheap, crappy plastic. Wife had an Acer previously, and the USB ports snapped off (could have been something she did as well...but I've usually only seen that happen on lower end systems).

Will do! My last laptop was an Acer actually; that one in particular definitely felt like cheap, flimsy plastic, and one of the USB ports did snap off - but that was only because my dog knocked it off my lap with his tail, and it landed on the flash drive that was plugged into the port -.-

Despite the flimsy feel of the plastic around the screen, the laptop sustained no damage to the case or internals (besides the USB port previously mentioned) from the numerous times I dropped it (whoops), and I got my cousin to solder the port back into place for me. I gave the laptop to my father almost 2 years ago, and despite it being 7 years old now, it still functions. I will admit it runs quite a bit slower than it did when it was new, but it still runs well enough for my dad to use it for Netflix, typing up emails, reading documents, and talking to us while he's away at work in another province.

By the reviews I saw of the Acer I just ordered, it should have some better quality materials, but in all truth i'm very protective about everything I own now, so it won't bother me as long as the machine performs like I want it to.

I will be sure to give a thorough review after testing 'er out a bit.

 

[Ausaris]

Alright! Laptop arrived today, and i'm really happy with it.

She runs nice and smooth; I haven't seen any stuttering on loading something yet, and everything loads up nice and quick. Battery seems to burn down decently slow when i'm doing basic stuff like typing up emails and such, and overall the thing feels comfortable to use.

Since you wanted to know the build quality of it; the plastic definitely seems higher quality than my last Acer, albeit it's still a little thin, but the machine feels solid while still being nice and light. The touchpad is different than what i've seen before; there are no seperate buttons for mouse clicking, the whole pad itself is the mouse buttons. The hinges for the screen are wonderful; they look like they wouldn't hold on too well based on location and size, but they're good and tight and move smoothly.

Last thing I can think to point out is that it runs nice and cool. My last Acer practically set my pants on fire when I used it on my lap, but this one pushes all the heat to the vents on the sides, so the bottom portion that you would be touching stays nice and cool.

If there's anything else you'd like to know about 'er, just let me know boss! I'm happy with it so far, and i'm going to be testing how it runs Archeage and a couple other games tomorrow, so i'll let you know how that goes as well.

 

[Ausaris]

Alright, I'm at work right now, but everybody is snowed in their homes so not much is happening.


I tested Archeage on the laptop, and it runs the game on medium graphics settings at 20-32 FPS, which isn't bad by my tastes. I thought about trying MechWarrior : Online out as well, but after I remembered the lag I dealt with on my PC before I upgraded, I decided it would be best to not bother. The only other game I installed and played on it yet was Banished, and of course that ran fine lol.


She runs Inventor perfectly, so I can work on my school projects on it as well, which is fantastic.


I half wish I would've brought it into work now... I'd have something to kill time with at least. Maybe I'll play some of the N64 roms I have on the flash drive in my pocket

 

[Baez]

Snowed in yesterday? Where are you, Yellowknife?

Glad you're enjoying it!

 

[Ausaris]

Haha I think I could live in Yellowknife. But no, i'm down in Nova Scotia, and we got another foot of snow overnight and the majority of people in town stay home during blizzards. Buuuut I drive a purdy V8 Dodge Dakota with mud-terrains, so I get to go into work no matter what the weather is like.

Guess if I want snow-days like everyone else, I should get myself one of those silly little front wheel drive cars like all the people who got to stay home haha.

 

[carnageX]

Good to hear that they've improved their build-quality somewhat since I've last used them.

I'll still be curious to see how well it holds up over time.