Stuck Trying to Decide Acer 11.6 vs. Gateway LT3101u

Okay so I have had a few Acers and I haven't had any problems playing most of my downloaded games from Big Fish and I haven't had any issues watching my shows on ABC.com including HD. Not sure if this is unusual or what but it has been fine. I preferred the 10.1 because even though one of the USB ports was not working it never gave me an issue. The 11.6 I had continuously locked up even when checking my hotmail. I have been doing research and went to Best Buy and they told me that the Gateway LT3101u is by far the best netbook for video and games. I am kind of stuck in my decision because I have not really used the Gateway but have used the Acer. I have found the 11.6 with 2gb ram, 250GB hd, and 6-cell battery for $398 and the Gateway has 2gb ram, 250GB hd, and 6-cell battery for $399. The only differences as far as I can tell is the Atom vs. AMD Athlon 64 and the GMA500 vs. ATI Radeon X1270. I am not sure what these differences really amount too. The webcam is different also but I never use it.

I have been doing so much reading that I am boggled as to what is really a better machine for what I am doing. I am hoping I am not reposting something that has already been discussed by I am really confused here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S. I just found the Acer for $349.

 

Whats most important for you ? Long runtime on battery, or gaming ?
The 11.6" 751h model has a very low powerconsumption, compared to the LT3101u, so you get longer runtimes on the move. Atom processors just uses drips of power, compared to the running streams other processors uses in comparison. The Poulsbo chipset used on the 751h model also uses very little power, especially compared to the 945GS chipset used on the previous generations of AAO's.

The GMA500 chipset has hardware support for decoding of H.264 encoded videofiles so that should take of the videoplaying.
Gaming on the GMA500 graphics chipset is probably below the performance curve, even compared to the older AAO models.

So it all comes down to what is most important for you - Roadwarrior abilities, or gaming abilities.

 

The poster above has it right. Basically:

The Acer 751 is slower in all measures than your previous netbooks. It's processor runs at 1.240 GHz and it's hard disk is no speed demon. Also, the higher resolution screen requires more processing power for flash videos, so flash videos that played well on 1024 x 600 screens are often jerky on the Acer 751. However, the 6-cell version of this netbook gets over 6 hours of real-world battery life.

The Gateway has a speedier processor that equals (or beats in a few tests) the typical 1.6 GHz atom processor. It should feel a lot like your previous netbooks in terms of performance. That said, it will also choke on flash video at times due to the high resolution screen. The 6-cell version of the Gateway gets only about 4.5 hours of battery life.


Personally, I might spend a couple of bucks more and get one of the new 11.6" Acer Timeline computers. It's the replacement for the Acer 751 and it has a much more powerful Core Solo processor. If this computer existed a couple of months ago, it's what I would have purchased. Probably around $600 when it comes out in the U.S. Plus, they have integrated the 6-cell battery into the case, rather than sticking out, which is nice...

LINK: http://www.slashgear.com/acer-aspire-ti ... t-2750371/

 

TrackSmart is completely right. Don´t await wonders from that Gateway or the new 11,6" Timeline in terms of performance. Since there will no big news on the Netbook-market this year http://www.netbookchoice.com/2009/07/28 ... postponed/ the Acer 1810T will be the best choice to buy in the next months. Combined performance and batterylife will be on top of all Netbooks avalible. Here in germany it will cost 100€ (+25%) more than the 6-Cell version of our 751, in the USA that should be equal. You have to judge if it´s okay for you. Too bad it doesn´t come with the black/white color i like so much about my 751

Greetings,
Felix

 

Thanks so much for all of the replies. I may just wait a while and see what new developments come out. If I can get about 4 hours out of the battery I will be happy. Most of the time I travel the flights are less than about 4 hours so that would be plenty for me. I guess I need to go to BB and play with the Gateway and see what I think. Will they hook it up to the internet so I can see what it will do? I will have to ask them when I go in this weekend. That will be the only way I will buy it because I already know that the 751 can handle what I want it to do. :mrgreen:

 

Guess I have been lucky as I have not had any freezing issues with my 751 except for 1 game I had downloaded and I contributed that to the game. I purchase and download BigFish games all the time and they work fine on my 751. Only thing I don't like about mine is that it has the 3 cell. I have ordered a 6 cell and I'm hoping I don't have any trouble with it. I have not read where anyone has orderd a larger battery and how it worked on this forum.

 

I am still considereing the 751 which I found with the larger ram, memory and battery for $349. Problem is the company that has it for this price does not accept returns on any computers that have been used. So if I buy from them I will be stuck with it.

I am still trying to do research on what people are getting out of both systems for battery life on the 6-cells and get a huge array of information. I am only looking to get 4 to 5 hours and I think that is doable with both systems.

 

I would personally spend $20 or $30 more and get it from somewhere you can return it. Several of us on this forum have had problems with our computers locking up or the power suddenly failing for no reason. The only solution was to return it for a model that was not defective. Dont be penny-wise and dollar-foolish.


As for battery life, it's always going to vary wildly. For instance, Laptop Magazine's battery test shows 7 hours and 8 minutes. It's not a power-hungry test. LINK: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/acer-apire-one-ao751h.aspx?page=3

CNET used the Battery Eater Classic test, which is really ramps up the processor, and they got a little under 5 hours of battery life. LINK: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39030092,49302905,00.htm


So 5 - 7 hours depending on usage. Figure 6 hours for a typical user trying to conserve battery power. The Gateway battery life is apparently a lot less. 4.5 hours under typical usage from what I've read. Of course, it's also speedier.

 

Thanks for the links. It gives me some more research.

 

I agree with Tracksmart. This is my first Acer and I would not have bought it without the return policy that Costco has which is 90 days, 2 yr warranty. Mine came with XP, 160HD and 1gb ram but I have upgraded the ram to 2gb. I get close to 3 hrs on my 3 cell battery so it will interesting what I will get on the 6 cell when it gets here (which I'm hoping will even work). Battery length usage is not a one shoe fits all. It depends on what one is doing with their pc.

The way I look at a netbook is by reading the pros and cons and lots of user reviews and then deciding. None of them claim to be power horses, just your basic surfing the web, email etc. I am really hoping they get better because I really love the 11.6 for portability. I have 2 Dell Mini 9's and they are great but the 11.6 is the icing on the cake. I must admit I am nervous about reading all the freeze and shut down problems. I have done a google search on this problem and the only ones I come up with are from this forum which is hard to believe.

 

You're welcome! And good luck with your decision. I'd still say to wait for the 11.6" timeline version with Core Solo processor. Similar size, long battery life (without the battery sticking out the back), and much better processor. Hands down winner if you can afford to spend slightly more.

 

I would spend a lot more than slightly if I could buy a 11.6 netbook with 7-8 hours battery usage with the same power for instance that 13" can do. It is great traveling with the 11.6 and doesn't require another bag. I can just put mine in my pocketbook and I'm good to go. I am just hoping that the mfg's will come out with a netbook that is not "crippled" in some way right out of the box. The way they are today is one needs to pay particular attention to the pros/cons which will drive you crazy because non of them have their act together. Sorry for my rant.

 

I tried a Dell Mini 10v and ended up returning it because the 1024x576 resolution didn't allow me to do what I wanted it to. I loved my Acer 10.1 and may just get another one of those. I have been trying to lug around my current laptop (Dell Studio 17) but it is very huge and heavy. It makes me miss my netbook. I am kind of holding out to see what Costco starts offering because their product line changes so much. They recently added the 11.6 acer 250GB, 2GB ram for $349 which is what I picked up the 11.6 160GB, 1GB Ram for at my local store. I don't want to jump into another one until I have weighed all my options. I really appreciate all the help and agree that for the little bit of extra money I may spend at Costco vs. cheaper items online, I have the 90 day return policy if I need it.

 

Hmmm, wonder when Costco did this. I just bought mine there a little over a month ago 160GB, 1gb ram (XP) for $349.

 

Helpful comparison review

Back-to-back review of the two laptops! This should be really helpful in your decision (but I still think you should wait for the 1810T 11.6" Timeline):

http://techreport.com/articles.x/17249/1

I found the article through:
http://netbooked.net/blog/acer-aspi...-lt3013-battery-life-vs-speed/#When:07:54:23Z
http://www.liliputing.com/2009/08/b...s-acer-aspire-one-751h-v-gateway-lt3103u.html

 

They listed this on their website about the same time they got the stock of the one you purchased in the store. Very frustrating when you purchase in store and can get a better system online.

 

Re: Helpful comparison review

Thanks so much. I will also do some research on the 1810T 11.6" Timeline. Any word on when it will be released? I am tempted to hold off until Oct-Nov and see if I can get one of these netbooks preloaded with Win 7. Decisions, decisions.

Update: Been doing some research on the 1810T and there is actually some interesting information. It is apparently being released in Europe sometime this month but it looks like the price is going to be $711 to $853. That seems a little steep to me for a netbook. I am going to try and find out some more information and if I find anything I will post it.

I guess another question might be that if for half the price I pick up a pretty loaded 751 from Coscto and then upgrade to Win 7 in a couple of months, wouldn't that pretty much enable to me to do everything I need it too? I didn't have any issues viewing the video files on the 751 I previously had (not viewing HD) just had a locking up probelm so I am guessing that Win 7 would just be an improvement for the video and I am wondering if I would even notice a difference.

 

Take a look at this Youtube Video comparison of the Gateway vs. the Acer. If you are into games, you should definately consider the Gateway as a better machine!

 

I just bought the AO751H-1893 with the 6-cell battery yesterday at PC Richard and Sons in NYC.
Battery-wise, its pretty good, I get a fairly amount of 5-6 hours with bright screen.
You'd just have to change the settings for the battery (lower the display monitor off and sleep mode to the lowest setting) you'll get more juice.
I am somewhat dissapointed with this model. I've had to deal with the "freezing issues" on my first day of use. 11 times as of today. I said to myself, this is
so unacceptable because its brand new. The processor is also S-L-O-W. But when I read this forum, followed their advice, uninstalled a lot of junk softwares,
even the microsoft office trial, then there.... it jumped up a bit. Browsing is better.
One more thing, when it froze, I hear a noise from the fan. Kinda loud coming from underneath. I'm guessing I have gotten a lemon so I'll be heading to the store to have it replaced. I'm going to be stuck with this model since the store which I bought this ffrom doesn"t offer refunds, only replacements.

BTW, I tried playing big fish games on facebook... pet society L-A-G-S and its like its on slow motion, even texas holdem poker is slow.
If I were you, I'd be looking for the Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz and just add another gig of RAM.
There are many out there for $299-$399 and add another protable hardrive.
IMHO, this isn't a good experience for me at all since this is my first time to buy an acer. I was eyeing for a samsung but I didn't want to order online. I should've
waited and read more reviews. =(

 

What OS are you using? Did you install the latest drivers and the BIOS-update from Acers site? This could help with the frezzes. I don´t have them on my 751, but others here on the board.

If you want to speed up browsing, you may concider a soft overclock with setFSB (thread is here on the forum) or try another browser. I´m using google chrome and it helps alot!

Greetings,
Felix