Acer Aspire 9800

The Acer Aspire 9800 is an all-in-one multimedia machine that packs an Intel Centrino Duo processor, a massive 20.1-inch display, a powerful Nvidia GeForce 7600 graphics card, and an integrated HD-DVD drive into one very large package. This desktop replacement gives you almost everything you'll need for a killer multimedia experience, except easy portability.

First things first, this machine isn't for the feeble. Weighing a hefty 17.2 pounds, the Acer Aspire 9800 rides shotgun with the Dell XPS M2010 as one of the largest laptops ever; the display alone is thicker than some notebooks. The entire system is 2.4 inches thick.

We took advantage of the huge screen and integrated HD-DVD drive to view the hi-def version of Aeon Flux. Colors popped, blacks looked very dark, and the glossy screen didn't distract with heavy reflections. When we watched the movie in full-screen mode, however, we saw a small drop in quality: That's because unlike the Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV650, the 9800's LCD doesn't support WUXGA resolution (1900 x 1220 pixels); with this configuration, you get WXSGA+ (1680 x 1050 pixels). Like the Qosmio, the 9800 can play HD-DVD content but not burn it to disc.

On the plus side, the built-in Acer 3DSonic stereo speakers and the bass-heavy Acer BasSonic subwoofer delivered very strong sound. For those who want to connect the 9800 to surround sound speakers, Acer includes an S/PDIF output.

In fact, the 9800 is littered with almost every connectivity option you'd expect a multimedia machine to have. You get four USB ports, an ExpressCard slot, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader that accepts SD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and xD formats. The back of the notebook houses an HDMI output for hooking up this behemoth to an HDTV, and a TV tuner for picking up broadcast TV. The 9800 also includes an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam (with a knob for angling the camera up or down) for face-to-face communication.

The front bezel houses a slew of easily accessible ports and switches for inserting headphones or a microphone and activating Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Right in the middle of all this multimedia connectivity is a comfortable, full-sized keyboard. However, some may not like typing that close to the 20.1-inch display; we would prefer a detachable keyboard, like the Dell XPS M2010's.

Labeled, illuminated multimedia controls align the left side of the keyboard. The topmost button, labeled Acer Arcade, launches Windows Media Center, which lets users watch TV via an integrated TV tuner and record programming to the humongous 240GB hard drive. Acer kindly includes a remote control, so you can easily access these features while kicking back.

The 8,690 3DMark03 score and 4,203 PCMark05 score demonstrate that the 9800 offers good 3D graphics and productivity performance. In our F.E.A.R. test, the 9800 ran at a smooth 49 fps on the autodetect setting (640 x 480-pixel resolution) and at a decent 27 fps at the maximum setting (1024 x 768-pixel resolution), making this a machine that can handle all but the most demanding games. Wi-Fi performance was a bit disappointing, with average wireless scores of 6.9 Mbps 15 feet from our access point and 6.1 Mbps from 50 feet.

Battery life is the other underperforming aspect of the 9800. During our DVD rundown tests, the notebook lasted a paltry one hour and ten minutes with Wi-Fi on and only three minutes longer with Wi-Fi turned off. Granted, this is an abysmal amount of juice, but we can't imagine anyone lugging a 17.2-pound desktop replacement too far from an outlet. If you do, the 9800 features Acer QuickCharge technology, which should recharge the battery up to 80-percent capacity within an hour.

The 9800 comes with a pretty standard software package, including CyberLink Power Producer, Norton AntiVirus, and NTI CD-Maker with Acer GridVista-a software utility that improves productivity by dividing this system's larger-than-life screen into four windows, each one designated to a specific application.

Although the Acer Aspire 9800 offers a bigger screen than the Qosmio and is cheaper than the Dell XPS M2010, the Qosmio has a higher-res display, and the M2010 has better ergonomics. Still, this system offers a lot of multimedia bang for your buck.

Specifications:

CPU:  2.16-GHz Intel Core Duo T2600

RAM Included:  2GB

RAM Upgradable To:  4GB

Hard Drive Size:  240GB

Hard Drive Speed:  5,400rpm

Hard Drive Type:  SATA Hard Drive

Optical Drive Type:  DVD+R DL;HD DVD ROM

Optical Drive Speed:  2.4X

Display Size (inches):  20.1

Native Resolution:  1680x1050

Graphics Card:  Nvidia GeForce Go 7600

Video Memory:  256MB

Wi-Fi:  802.11a/b/g

Bluetooth:  Bluetooth 2.0

Operating System:  MS Windows XP Media Center

Ports (excluding USB):  Audio-in; Firewire; HDMI; Headphone; S-Video; S/PDIF; TV tuner/coaxial

USB Ports:  4

Card Slot(s):  4-1 card reader; ExpressCard; PC Card; Type II

Warranty/Support:  One-year parts and labor limited warranty/toll-free service and support

Size:  18.7 x 13.9 x 2.4 inches

Weight:  17.2 pounds

Acer Aspire 2000

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better-looking desktop replacement notebook--or one with better multimedia features--than Acer's lightning-fast, long-lasting, black-and-silver Aspire 2000. The Aspire 2000 offers a 15.4-inch wide-screen display, superior sound, and unique Arcade software that lets you play DVD movies and audio CDs without the need to boot Windows. Alas, Acer's designers may have concentrated just a bit too much on fun: the keyboard is placed so far toward the screen that it is difficult to type unless the notebook sits in your lap; the nonstandard editing-key layout may peeve touch typists; and the touchpad buttons are overly stiff and hard to reach. If those relatively minor ergonomic flaws don't bother you, then this is one heck of a machine.

The Aspire 2000 is one of a new breed of thin-and-wide multimedia notebooks born to accommodate wider screens--in this case, a 15.4-inch, 1,280x800-pixel display. Perhaps it comes from years of toting briefcases, but to us, this new form factor feels both easier to balance when carried under your arm and more natural in appearance. Yet despite measuring 13.1 by 10.9 by 1.3 inches, the Aspire 2000 weighs only 7.9 pounds--including AC adapter.

Alas, the Aspire 2000's ergonomics distract from its otherwise satisfying design. The pair of mouse buttons below the touchpad are too stiff and too far away from the keyboard. The keyboard has a nice feel, but it's placed so far up on the main deck that it's difficult to type on when it's on any surface higher than a lap. But perhaps worst of all is the keyboard layout: Even with such an enormous main-deck area to play with, Acer chose to omit dedicated Home and End navigation keys. You must use the Fn key to modify the Page Up and Page Down keys to perform these functions.

The mouse buttons are stiff and far from the keyboard.

On the plus side, the Aspire 2000 runs exceptionally cool and plays much better sound than the average notebook, thanks to a bottom-mounted subwoofer. Though it's no boombox, the Aspire 2000 sounds light-years more sophisticated than the usual tinny notebook audio.

The Aspire 2000 offers the usual external controls and connectors and then some. On the front lip live the aforementioned Arcade control buttons, the Arcade launch button, and the power button; on the front proper are Bluetooth and wireless On/Off buttons, the audio in/out/headphone jacks, and a four-in-one flash-memory card reader. On the right, there are infrared, AC, and Kensington lock ports, while the left side offers up a single PC Card slot and an optical drive. The back has the S-Video, VGA, gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, USB, parallel, and mini-FireWire ports.

There are currently only two base models in the Aspire 2000 series: the high-end, $1,999 Aspire 2003LMi and the $1,649 Aspire 2000LCi. Having only two base models in the series is not a complaint; you don't need a lot of choices with basic options such as Pentium M processors in 1.5GHz and 1.6GHz flavors, 333MHz DDR memory from 256MB to 2GB, 4,200rpm hard drives from 30GB to 80GB, the aforementioned 15.4-inch display, and a highly capable ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 64MB of dedicated graphics memory.

The Aspire 2000's wireless options are limited to Intel's Pro/Wireless 2100 for 802.11b or its 802.11a/b 2100a variant. You can opt for a slot-loading CD-RW/DVD combo drive or a DVD-RW drive to fill the drive bay on the left side of the unit.

The Aspire Arcade software is this notebook's most notable feature. This software creates a nice rendering of the 10-foot (that is, visible from remote-control distance) interface à la Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004. Arcade runs outside of Windows (or inside, if you so desire); boots in less than 10 seconds; and lets you play DVDs, VCDs, SVCDs, CD audio, MP3 CDs, and other media from your hard drive. It also does photo slide shows, burns discs, and backs up your system--it's slick and then some. Though in most cases you won't be far enough away from the notebook to need a remote control, it would've been nice of Acer to include one, in case you wanted to lie in bed and employ a larger external display, which is the reasoning behind a 10-foot interface.

The Aspire 2000 runs Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Home and includes CyberLink PowerDVD XP 4.0 for DVD-movie playback and NTI's CD-Maker for disc-mastering chores. Acer provides three restore discs as well as the full Windows XP distribution CD.

The Acer Aspire 2000 was the clear winner in mobile performance in this small test group. The system finished 14 points ahead of its nearest competitor, the IBM ThinkPad T41 and 23 points ahead of the HP Compaq nc8000. We attribute most of this performance difference to the degree in which each system's processor speed is throttled down to save battery life. Clearly, Acer didn't feel the need to throttle its system's CPU speed too low, as it scored 23 points above the average score given to Pentium M 1.6GHz-based systems. When it comes to running office and content-creation apps in a mobile state, it doesn't get much better than this.

System configurations:

Acer Aspire 2000
Windows XP Pro; 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 333MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 64MB; IBM Travelstar 60GN 60GB 4,200rpm

HP Compaq nc8000
Windows XP Professional; 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 333MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 64MB; Toshiba MK4019GAX 40GB 5,400rpm

IBM ThinkPad T41
Windows XP Professional; 1.6GHz Intel Pentium M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 32MB; IBM Travelstar 40GN 40GB 5,400rpm

The Acer Aspire 2000 pays for its great mobile performance by finishing second in battery life. As mentioned in the performance section, the system does not throttle its CPU speed as low as its peers do and as a result, this system had the best performance. In battery life, however, the system with the lowest mobile performance came out on top. The HP Compaq nc8000, with its 14.4V, 4,400mAh (63WHr) battery, lasted more than five hours, while the Acer Aspire 2000, with its similar 14.8V, 4,300mAh (64WHr) battery lasted four hours, 43 minutes. Although the Acer sacrificed battery life for performance, that run time is still impressive.