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Looking at Acer Timeline and similar CULV notebooks; need help with specs

C

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Hi guys,

In another thread, I recently posted my disappointment with my current notebook. The biggest problem is the keyboard, which ASUS insists is not an issue. Combine that with the fact that I don't really need something quite that powerful (I rarely game on it anyway) and having longer battery life would be a huge plus, and I seem to be in the market again, already. 🙁

This time around, my absolute top priority is the quality of the mechanical parts. I'm looking for something with a really good keyboard, acceptable touch pad, a chassis that isn't going to crack or bend during normal day-to-day use, and a decent screen. I'd prefer something small and thin - 13.3" would be ideal, though I'd consider up to 14.1" or as low as 11-12" if the price / specs were right. I'm looking to spend $500-600 or so.

My biggest problem with the Acer Timeline series is finding one with "good" specs for a decent price. I'd love to get a dual core processor, but most of the dual cores seem to be in the $700 range. To make matters even more confusing, they seem to offer Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo, Pentium, and Pentium Dual-Core processors, the latter of which don't offer virtualization (I may end up using Virtual Box to run Linux from time to time, but it's not a must). Would I be shooting myself in the foot by getting a single core, or are they still decent for general multi-tasking (a few browsers, FTP, media player, Word, Excel, and maybe another program all open)? Is there a specific model I should be looking for?

Any non-Timeline suggestions are also very welcome, especially something running non-Intel graphics (Geforce 9400 for example, depending how much battery life it shaves off and how much it adds to the price). I want to emphasize again that I'm looking in the $500-600 range, and I'd like something small and thin. ASUS has left a very bad taste in my mouth with my most recent notebook, so I'm a bit hesitant to buy anything in their new UL series.

Thanks.

UPDATE: I went ahead and bought an UL30A-A2 from Amazon, despite my back luck with my current ASUS notebook. Details below.
 
Originally posted by: IlllI
everything you want will cost a bit
Click to expand...

What do you mean? Other than the different processors I listed and the possibility of finding something with non-Intel graphics, I don't think I listed anything that would really drive up the price. I'm not expecting a Macbook Pro quality chassis, screen, and track pad, but I definitely don't want something that's going to crack and fall apart in 6-12 months or a keyboard that's going to drive me up a wall like my current one.
 
Well, I can deal with Intel graphics, I just threw that out there in case there was one in the cheaper price range that had Nvidia or AMD graphics. I want to really compare my options before making a choice instead of jumping at the first thing that looks pretty good (like I did last time 🙁).
 
After reading several reviews, I'm considering the ASUS UL30A much more seriously now. The general consensus seems to be that the build quality is better than the Timeline series, and I've read many comments that the UL30A has a bit of keyboard flex, but the Timeline 3810 has even worse keyboard flex.

I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and go to a B&M store to test each out individually. I just hope someone in this area caries both so I can make a side-by-side comparison.
 
if you go with an amd cpu then you might find something cheaper. but i think that x1100 graphics, or whatever they use for the low end, isnt too much better than the intel integrated stuff and probably would have worse battery life

if you want something really cheap, then you might consider this Text
you can get it down to $432 if you select no bluetooth and no OS. its a generation or two behind and a small battery, but its light, cheap, and has a better cpu than the atom.
can't tell what it is. maybe rebadged clevo or sager

 
Originally posted by: IlllI
if you go with an amd cpu then you might find something cheaper. but i think that x1100 graphics, or whatever they use for the low end, isnt too much better than the intel integrated stuff and probably would have worse battery life

if you want something really cheap, then you might consider this Text
you can get it down to $432 if you select no bluetooth and no OS. its a generation or two behind and a small battery, but its light, cheap, and has a better cpu than the atom.
can't tell what it is. maybe rebadged clevo or sager
Click to expand...

That doesn't have a CULV processor option though, so it doesn't look like it'll stand up to the battery life of the Timeline and ASUS UL series. Despite being older hardware, the specs are pretty good considering the price. Thanks for the suggestion, but I'll pass on that one.
 
Well, after reading numerous reviews and watching two video reviews, I did two things I promised myself I'd never do again: I bought an ASUS notebook, and I bought a notebook without trying it in person first.

In case I haven't bitched about it enough yet, my current notebook (ASUS N80Vn-GP011C) has been great with the exception of the HORRIBLE keyboard. This thing misses key strokes constantly, making it completely unusable for anything except mild gaming (where I only need the WASD keys and a mouse). Since I'm a web programmer, and since I type quite a bit on forums like this one, it makes the portability of my notebook completely useless. I've also found that having a mid-range graphics card (9650M GT) isn't as advantageous as I thought it would be. While it's nice to play games like World of Warcraft and Left 4 Dead at acceptable frame rates, it pretty much kills the battery life (2-2.5 hours average, depending on what I'm doing). The specs aren't bad, but it doesn't quite fit the bill for what I need to do with it.

Anyway, review after review praised the ASUS UL30A. It's not perfect - the Intel 4500M HD is abysmal for anything other than watching videos, and it lacks bluetooth and gigabit LAN, but it really shines in at least one area - battery life. While ASUS claims 12-16 hours, real world tests seem to place it closer to 7-9 hours (as low as 5.5 hours during constant video playback), which is still excellent in my opinion. The unanimous complaint seems to be the track pad, whose dimpled design seems too slippery for the reviewers. Luckily this isn't a concern for me, as I always use a Logitech VX Nano for anything other than a quick email check. Reviewers did note a bit of keyboard flex, but the general consensus seems to be the keyboard is night-and-day compared to the Acer Timeline series and the MSI X-Slim (so, if the UL30A sucks, I'd have to look into a Lenovo U350 or some of the more expensive options). I really like the brushed aluminum cover and the chicklet-style keyboard, and the silver color with contrasting black really looks sharp (much sharper than black-on-black, which most people seem to want). $775 for the UL30A-A2 with Windows 7 Home Premium from Amazon + $25ish for overnight shipping = $800, and my notebook should be here by tomorrow.

Here's to hoping the UL30A-A2's keyboard is everything that the N80Vn's keyboard is not.
 
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