Queries - Acer or Sony?

R

ra13

Disciple
Hey guys!
I'm looking for a laptop in the price range of 35K to 50K.
I would like to play some new games and use some performance intensive applications like MATLAB etc.
I have shortlisted :
1. Acer Aspire 5740G (Core i5 430m, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, ATI Radeon 5650 1GB) I called up an Acer Mall partner he quoted around 46-47K.
I heard the linux model is for 40K. Does it has any drawback? Plus, what should I keep in mind while buying the linux model?
Also, I want a blue shell, are there any extra charges for the color?
What are Acer's drawbacks?

2. Sony VPC EB16FG/B (Full HD Screen,Core i3 330m, 3GB DDR3, ATI Radeon 5650 1GB) Rs.49K.
I have heard the DVD drive of Vaio would surely give a problem in future.
Also, how much difference is there performance-wise between this and 5740G?

Any other laptops from Asus or Dell which can compare to the above two on price and performance basis?
 
performance wise acer 5740g is 25% better because of the proccy ,

i3 doesn't supports turbo boost nor smart cache .
i5 supports both and is compared along i7 whereas i3 is compared to core 2 duo .

go with acer as its cheap and affordable .
the 40k linux one is best . you can install windows later and the drivers from their website at one go .
 
@OP: If you want better display, go for Sony eyes closed.

Acer display is no where near the Sony display. I checked both of them today at Croma.
 
can you explain what you mean by "nowhere near" ? i also compared the two at croma and they looked pretty much the same. acer being LED might save battery...
 
vishalrao said:
i also compared the two at croma and they looked pretty much the same. acer being LED might save battery...
Click to expand...

If you looked at Acer (whatever model that was) and Sony VPCEB16FG/B, and if they looked same, and I guess you'd tell what stuff you saw.

I tried windows 7 HD video sample on both, and the kind of colors and brightness Sony had, Acer, Dell, HP, none of these were really no where close.

Then I tried simple text, Text reading was really a treat on Sony, much clearer font comparing to others.

And I guess Sony also has a LED display (Full HD). :bleh:
 
Parv said:
If you looked at Acer (whatever model that was) and Sony VPCEB16FG/B, and if they looked same, and I guess you'd tell what stuff you saw.

I tried windows 7 HD video sample on both, and the kind of colors and brightness Sony had, Acer, Dell, HP, none of these were really no where close.

Then I tried simple text, Text reading was really a treat on Sony, much clearer font comparing to others.

And I guess Sony also has a LED display (Full HD). :bleh:
Click to expand...

I'm sure Full HD would be a treat.
But is it sensible to spend 7-8K just for the display and a lower processor, I mean if I can spend those extra 7-8 K on stuff like 500gb external HDD, wireless router,samsonite bag etc.?
Is the Acer screen uncomfortable for reading text or watching movies?

Also, I have had some bad reviews about Sony from my college mates. What are your views about Sony laptop as the whole and not just the display?

Is there any other laptop which has Core i3 or i5 and ATI 5650 1 GB within 50K?
 
I tried windows 7 HD video sample on both, and the kind of colors and brightness Sony had, Acer, Dell, HP, none of these were really no where close.
Click to expand...

For watching HD videos, vaio is great. Except where do you get hd videos here in India.

Apart from that acer wins pretty much every benchmark. Better processor, better GPU (up for debate but it is full faster by 100Mhz and supports the latest catalyst driver 10.3 which ups performance quite a bit, vaio does not as sony is not part of the ati driver programme), better battery backup.

But the Acer laptops are loaded with crap and can take some time to clean. But after that it is smooth. And the screen is quite good.
 
@parv - i see. you compared the Acer HD model (rs 35k) with the Sony Full HD model (rs 50k). Nice.

For sure the Sony B16 model is excellent buy...

I was talking about comparing the Acer 5740 base model with the base Sony E-B12 which has same screen size and resolution.

If buyers are budget concious (like me) I would buy the Acer base model (3gb/win7homepremium) which is cheaper than Sony E-B12 (2gb/win7homebasic) like I did.

If you want (have budget) the high end B16 then yes I guess Sony B16 is good.

Someone also pointed out (in another thread I think) to get the one which has Core i5 CPU and avoid Core i3 if you have higher budget :)

edit: ok just looked up i5 vs. i3 specs online... my personal choice would definitely be for the sony B16 (3gb/i3/fullHD) rather than acer 4gb/i5/normalHD at about the same price :)
 
ra13 said:
Also, I have had some bad reviews about Sony from my college mates. What are your views about Sony laptop as the whole and not just the display?

Is there any other laptop which has Core i3 or i5 and ATI 5650 1 GB within 50K?
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate?

As to your other query, no there is not. At least in the Indian scenario.
 
Among these two, I would definitely pick Sony. Main reason is better support and better reliability. Acer laptops are known to get issues with speakers, optical drive and touchpad after long use and I tried 5738 series and their touchpads literally suck. Though it has multitouch, the regular sensitivity is below par and touchpad buttons are one of the worst I ever saw.

Yes, they do offer good models for budget but when the buyer has 50k budget in mind, it's better to look at brands like Dell and Sony.

my pick would be Dell Inspiron with core i5 or Sony E series with core i5 and HD display.
 
vishalrao said:
@parv - i see. you compared the Acer HD model (rs 35k) with the Sony Full HD model (rs 50k). Nice.
Click to expand...

Nopes, I compared Acer 5740G (with 1GB HD5650) with Sony B16 (same GPU) :p
Dell was Studio15 (with 1GB HD4570)
vishalrao said:
edit: ok just looked up i5 vs. i3 specs online... my personal choice would definitely be for the sony B16 (3gb/i3/fullHD) rather than acer 4gb/i5/normalHD at about the same price :)
Click to expand...

I guess you don't see the spec carefully :rofl:

Earlier you missed LED display in Sony. Now 4GB RAM.

And the i5 430 and i3 330 are more or less same.
 
@vishalrao, I too agree on the point that Sony laptop displays are much better than Acer's, especially ones with fullHD resolution.
 
^^ Not all displays,

Frankly speaking B14 was as bad when comparing to Acer 5740 (any model) as B16 was good in comparison.

So for display in short.

B14 >>> Acer 5740 >>>>>>> B16
 
If ur more into gaming u can go for acer 5740g..coz acer has much beter procesor and gpu s faster.

and 5650 will strugle to play games in full HD..

@parv

i5(2.26) s much much beter den i3(2.13):bleh: i5(2.13) has turbo boost upto 2.53ghz:eek:hyeah:

i3>>>>>>>>>>i5:tongue:
 
@parv... i wasnt talking about GPU, were you comparing that? i was thinking you said "DISPLAY" of Acer 1366x768 was "WORSE" than Sony's Full HD display haha...

and i didnt know Sony had LED, where is it listed? and is the full HD display an LED? now i am even more tempted to get the B16 model for myself :D
 
vishalrao said:
@parv... i wasnt talking about GPU, were you comparing that? i was thinking you said "DISPLAY" of Acer 1366x768 was "WORSE" than Sony's Full HD display haha...

and i didnt know Sony had LED, where is it listed? and is the full HD display an LED? now i am even more tempted to get the B16 model for myself :D
Click to expand...

VPCEB16FG : E Series : VAIO Laptop & Computer : Sony India

VAIO E Series is equipped with a 15.5 (39.37 cm), 16:9 Real Wide display with Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel array for crisp images and installed with ATI Mobility Radeonâ„¢ GPU for high-resolution video gaming. The Glossy transparent finish overlays a square gradation pattern to provide a cool urban look.
• Intel® Core™ i3-330M Processor 2.13 GHz
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• 15.5 (39.37 cm) wide (Full-HD: 1920 x 1080) VAIO Display Plus, LED Backlight
• ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650 Graphics
• Instant web browsing: Quick Web Access button
• Isolation keyboard with 19mm full key pitch and numeric keypad
 
Yes, I realise now its LED, also I wasnt paying attention that B16 has Win7 home premium instead of basic :) Plus I believe core i5 is not that great compared to i3, is that right? (turbo boost notwithstanding) because i3 also does hyperthreading and virtualisation (not IO though which is ok)...

So I guess in my mind if your budget is Rs 35-40k roughly you should go for Acer instead of the B12 or B14 models for VFM but if you have budget nearing 50k then definitely go for the Sony B16 for full HD goodness and better build quality/keyboard feel... :)
 
^^ Finally,

Now tell me what should someone buy based on following requirements:

* Core i3 330M

* 3GB RAM

* 250GB HD

* Graphics to handle 3D Modeling / Analysis Software.

* >=14" Display

Budget: The Least The Better
 
Parv said:
^^ Finally
Click to expand...

Not quite.

Your thinking is like that of a girl. A little bit inane. But I hope you don't take offence because this is the same kind of thought process I have seen in folks like my Mom and Aunt when they make purchase decisions :D

You are comparing the Acer 1366x768 display with the Sony 1920x1080 (both LED backlit) unless I have it totally wrong?

I went back to Croma with the 1080p trailer for The Dark Knight and both the Sony and Acer LED displays have slight banding as you can see in the night scene where Batman is atop a building roof with blue hues.

Slightly more banding in my 2 yr old Dell E248WFP TN LCD and severe banding in my 2.5 yr old HP tablet PC 12inch display at 1280x800 :)

But this happens rarely in some clips like The Dark Knight trailer so its not a major issue.

So really, now none of the Sony E models makes buying sense to me compared to Acer Aspire 5740 series IMHO.

Even the 1080 full HD is not worth it because 1080p movies look pretty much the same (to me at least) on both models. Only if you are a programmer who wants to read lots of text but even then that 1GB ATI is a total waste.

Not to mention the Sony with ATI card was running HOT to the touch while the Acer with intel video runs really cool. Now I know I am also making similar inane comparison with ATI vs. Intel GPU haha so "touche" beforehand...

Acer is definitely way more VFM and I'm pretty sure both models can end up with ATI GPU faults doesnt matter which has "better build quality" down the line...

Note both Sony and Acer come with standard 1 year INTERNATIONAL warranty - please correct me if I'm wrong...
 
Back
Top