Quick look at Budget Laptop / Notebook Acer 4710z
Now days Notebooks are really getting cheap, if one plans to buy a Desktop for office for some personal Day to day uses, its really recommended that he/she should go for a laptop / notebook… I got my hands to one of the best budget laptop / notebook, available right now on the market, the Acer 4710z.
Acer 4710z
Intel Dual Core T2080 @ 1.73 GHz (1 MB L2 533 FSB)
1 GB DDR-II 667 MHz
160 GB SATA
Intel GMA 950 (Mobile 943 Chipset)
14.1″ Wide Screen 1280×800
DVD RW
1.3 MP Web Cam
Inbuilt Mic and 2 stereo Spks
Wireless LAN / 5 in 1 Card Reader / LAN / Bluetooth / IEEE 1934 / USB 2.0 / Supporting EXT Skps / 56.6k Modem
Price
INR Rs. 33,500/- all inclusive (Kolkata, India)
Quick Look at the Product.
Design is good and compact, as you expect for a Laptop… Though personally I think the white keyboard though looks good but will get dirty as you daily use it…
Port management is good, 4 USB ports are distributed at both sides… Head phone slot is given at front, which was nice to see as it makes the head hpones easy to plug in, but again this creates a small problem while plugging in the bigger external speakers … lol…
Performance
Screen was good and bright enough… It does have issue if you directly get the sun in front of the screen otherwise, good performance for the Wide screen Display… I run 720p HD movies, run quite fine, though gives little issue with 1080p movies as you expect with GMA 950…. It is not ment to play such high HD content (Note usually a full movie of 1080p is around 14GB in size and minimum of 1920×800 Resolution)…
Is there any Difference between 15.4″ and 14.1″… ?? Not really, I dont see much of a difference on screen size with Dell 1520 and this one side by side… when both set to be running at 1280×800 !!!!
Processor is T2080 Dual Core non 64bit one… for this segment it is more than enough…
GMA 950 is Vista Ready (not DirectX 10 for GMA 950) runs at Direct X 9.0L (DX 9.0C is for Windows XP and 9.0l is for Vista under non DX 10 hardware) Mode…
I plugged my vg1930wm with its external display out put, and run the LCD at 1440×800 resolution… Run fine with no issue at all….
.
The Built in 1.3 MP Web Cam is really good quality.. as one would expect from a 1.3 MP CAM… the only issue is Indian ISP bandwidth, all though you may over come the speed issue with now days 2 MBPS Broadband connection but with this 1.3 MP video and Voice chat, you will eat up a lot of Bandwidth so data charges will be really high… !!!
So though the CAM quality is really good but in real time we really cant use the cam because of the high cost of Bandwidth :-(….
.
Once my good friend Bobby, told me that they have stopped making laptop’s, now days, they are now only making NoteBooks, because if you call it a Laptop, people would put it upon their lap and would burn them self and end up suing you… So now days these are all noteBooks…
Quite true in this case also, I run some test on it to see the temperature limits…
As you can see while under load of Pi Test, Temperatures shot up at close to 58c… Run the Test for a long time… System run stable under 60c all the time… So though little hot but no Stability issue…
.
I tested the Battery by playing a 720p HD Video from DVD… now under vista with Screen brightness Set to 40% it gave the Critical Battery warning on exact 1 hour and 51 mins….
Software Sector
As I said its a Budget Notebook for mainly office use… so apart from gaming I have run quite a lot of softwares under it to test…
1st glance hey no OS, dealer will install Linux, so I asked him not to do any such, I would install by my self… I installed Fedora and Ubuntu, all run fine apart from WLAN and the bluetooth, no driver at Acer Web site… this is a let down… I installed some music players like WinAMP and VLC… No issue with VGA or sound, worked well…
Now it was the turn for Windows… XP to start with… Beware, I faced immediate hiccups, SATA/RAID driver cant be found under Default Windows XP SP2 installation source… !!! so HDD not was not detected by the installation media… It was not a problem for a Pro user, as for me too, it only delayed proceedings, as no Floppy drive so I had to go to the Acer Support Site to Download the ACHI (SATA/RAID) drivers for the Model 4710z…. and then I had to use N-Lite, to integrate them with Windows XP… !!! And then I had to Burn a Bootable CD to install Windows XP… No issue for me, but certainly it was a halt for average home / office users… After installation only point to note was that the Bluetooth didnt work with Windows XP, even after tried to install driver from Acer Support site for Windows XP version of Bluetooth driver, it still said, “installation cant progress becasue only Vista is supported” !!!!!
But once again, this Lappy is Windows Vista Ready, So at next OS test for Windows Vista No issue at all… all went smooth with Vista’s Default un-touched installation… With 1 GB RAM Vista run quite smoth and good with this model…
.
As I said this one is one Home or Office use budget Laptop… so it perform great with Office apps under Vista…
MutiTasking…. ??
How about some Pro Apps, Little Image editing, Run PhotoShop… run Well… Installed Ulead Video Studio 10 plugged my Handy CAM with its IEEE 1394a… Run Quite fine on Single click DVD Making for a miniDV… Installed Pinnacle Studio, even there too though encoding time was more than a Desktop C2D or even High End Lappy like Dell 1420 / 1520 or Such… but it did the job well…
While Video Editing I Surf the Net / used Office apps, Chatted in Yahoo, no issue… that app run Fine in Background while I run my tasks in Fore ground….
.
.
So My Verdict ??
Pros
- The Cofig is Good (Dual Core / 1 GB / 160 GB / Vista Ready / WLAN / Modem / Bluetooth / DVD RW)
- 14.1″ I would say makes it light and gives better battery life too
- Price of INR Rs. 33,500/-… really good price even compare with Dell 6400….
- Fully Vista Ready…
- Can run 24×7 for those Torrent hungry people !!!
Cons
- The Battery life isn’t that great…
- No Native support for Windows XP
- No bundle OS, so you have to find your own
- No support for Linux at Acer Support Web Site..
So I would say really good deal for Rs. 33,500/- …
.
they do accept paypal 
Utsav said
am September 24 2007 @ 8:53 am
good review dear Saurav and really liked the cam quality.even a 2Mpix N72 cam is much poorer in quality.
so is it a six cell battery lappy.
Choto Cheeta said
am September 24 2007 @ 9:51 am
Yes this one has 6 Cell Battery… and thnx for the comment
Jack Stu said
am September 24 2007 @ 1:10 pm
Thank you for the Review…
Jack said
am September 24 2007 @ 1:12 pm
Nice review… Good Blog
Ano Nymous said
am September 24 2007 @ 1:45 pm
You article is replete with spelling mistakes, that is extremely jarring to the eyes. It also makes for extremely poor reading.
Especially calling a 1.3 megapixel camera 1.3MB camera is absolutely unpardonable. It is quite eveident that living in the land of Call centers, you too are trying to ape the the american style of language. But, remember that though Americans speak the way they do, their writing strictly follows the British way.
I suggest that, since you have such a poor command over the English language, you first compose your article using a dictionary-enabled word processor, like Open Office, go over your draft a couple of times and then post it here. I am sure it will be better appreciated.
NSpeaks said
am September 25 2007 @ 11:07 am
Mana ki Vista is here but that doesn’t mean they can ignore XP right away. Vista still costs a bomb to buy and adding cost of Vista to this lappy may bring it at par price with Dell Corresponding lappies. So Still I can say, Dell is better.
Choto Cheeta said
am September 25 2007 @ 11:29 am
It was a poor choice from Acer to go with Intel 943 mobile chipset, which gave the issue of XP installation… same Model from Dell, thats Dell 6400 would cost a Good Rs. 3000/- more, but yeah that includes much better battery life… but in this segment Rs. 3000/- is a lot…
Sukanta Debnath said
am September 26 2007 @ 5:54 pm
hello, can u please tell me the price of 4710 and suggest a store in kolkata to buy?n from where did u buy the 4710z @ 33.5k (inclusive of vat)n is that inclusive of a carry case price? thanx.
Choto Cheeta said
am September 26 2007 @ 6:36 pm
This one came from Acer mall at Elgine road near Forum !!! they asked Rs. 33.5+TAX we bargained it down to Rs. 33.5 all, came with carry case, but they were giving free usb mouse and after putting presure a usb keyboard (local brand offcourse) but we didnt take the free gifts just the carrey case only so we managed it at Rs. 33.5…
C2D 4710 is Rs. 41k all without bargaining… but dont go for any C2D model which comes without Mobile 965 chipset (x3100) or higher (nvidia 8400m GS) if you plan a C2D Notebook, please consider Dell 1420..
Quiz_Master said
am September 26 2007 @ 8:04 pm
Hmmm…
Nice lappy..
But support for XP isnt there…
Well I am better with a Dell as u suggested earlier.
Just a support for XP n Linux and it cuold be best lappy in its sagement.
Sukanta Debnath said
am September 29 2007 @ 3:12 pm
hello bro,i decided to buy the 4710z.you told that windows xp does not support it’s bluetooth, does vista support it? what version of vista(basic/premium) do u recommend for it?could u please tell it’s(vista)price and suggest a store to buy in kolkata.thanks for ur valuable response.
Choto Cheeta said
am September 29 2007 @ 7:33 pm
Caltron / Lalni / Supreme all Sells the OEM Wondows Vista products… try to buy the Vista (Software) from same store from where you plan to buy the lappy… !!!
Now XP is not nativelly supported because of the ChipSet 943M, but you can always make it work without any issue and just integrate the Drivers to the Windows XP installation source for SATA / RAID… thats it..
and about Blue tooth under Windows XP is just buy one external blue tooth device (called Blue tooth dongle) which is around Rs. 200/-
For that Lappy I tested Windows Vista ultimate worked like a charme :p… so any version of Vista will work just fine… but it depends on ur budget which one you would buy !!!
Vista Home premium is around Rs. 6200/- + TAX
Sukanta Debnath said
am September 30 2007 @ 6:01 pm
thanx bro…i has a bluetooth dongle for my pc. will use it..and decided to buy vista home premium after going through ms’s comparison among vista versions…if it handles ultimate then will definitely handle premium…it’ll also save few bucks…
Dr.Sukanta Debnath said
am October 7 2007 @ 6:48 am
hello brother, i bought 4710z from acer mall nimbus, beside paradise cinema…for 33.5k(total incl. vat,carrycase), didn’t have to bargain + got an enter optical usb laptop mouse free of cost n a transcend 1gb flashdrive @rs.400(i.e, i paid 33.9k and took all these),i was prepared to bargain but they told 33.5k as price at once…4710 costs 37.5k.(total incl. vat,carrycase).bought vista home premium @6k (incl vat)from arihant(g.c.avenue).the lappy is working fine except the webcam…i installed the bison driver..it’s working..but can not use it in picassa…can u tell me what driver n software to use n what did u use to take the picture in ur review?thanx..
Dr.Sukanta Debnath said
am October 7 2007 @ 6:51 am
n one thing u can change the hdd to ide in bios n install xp directly….may be they had updated the bios…
Choto Cheeta said
am October 7 2007 @ 7:18 am
Congrats on your New Laptop…
Prices are good enough as you can seee for your self if you have not taken the USB mouse the price is around 33k all… lol..
anyway regarding the web cam, under Vista do not install any driver from Acer Given CD ROM… just visit Windows Update, Vista will it self find the drivers for the device from microsoft web service.. !!!
Regarding Windows XP installation seems they have worked with the BIOS….
and thank you for updating me with the prices and shop information !!!
shankar said
am October 8 2007 @ 2:41 pm
i am planning to buy 4710 or 4710z in 2 days.i m bit confused .plz reply me soon. can i go for compaq presario v6409tu.plz help soon
Choto Cheeta said
am October 8 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Personally I would right now, its not wise to buy a Core 2 Duo based notebook with 945 (GMA 950)… As personally i would say if buying a C2D system atleast eye for GMA x3100 (Mobile Intel G965) or higher like 8400, etc….
if you plan for a Core 2 Duo I would vote for Dell 1420 but you see evry thing depends of budget… What budget u have that actually makes the choise for the notebook…
Shobhit said
am November 7 2007 @ 2:55 pm
Aren’t you the same guy who wrote this here :
http://www.winvistaclub.com/g16.html ??
Or was it just Original and Convenient enough to “Borrow/Steal” the review posted on winvistaclub ?
Do reply back….
Choto Cheeta said
am November 7 2007 @ 5:25 pm
I would say, please visit the url once again… !!! Its clearly mentioned in the WinVistaClub, who has writen the review there…
Manjula said
am November 21 2007 @ 1:00 pm
I brought Acer 4710z laptop.
It has built in small Linux flavor. I partitioned the hard disk(NTFS) leaving one portion for Linux.
I installed windows XP and now I want to install any flavour of Linux.
I tried installing Red Hat, Mandrake and Fedora but not successful and the hard disk is not getting detected by any of this OS. Will this model supports Linux? Can I install Linux without disturbing the colleted data on my hard disk? Do I need to change bios settings?
Please guide me in this regard.
Thanks & Best regards,
Manjula
Choto Cheeta said
am November 21 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Usually You may change HDD option in the BIOS, as from SATA to IDE !!
But I dont think this is some thing which is related to BIOS settings, rather I would say may be some thing is not right at the partition table…
I would say creat a primary partion of 10 GB then a large NTFS partion for Windows and keep the rest for Linux.. Now please try and install the Linux.. I have tried Ubuntu / Fedoa 7 and OpenSUSE 10, all 3 have worked fine…
PARIJAT said
am November 27 2007 @ 5:29 pm
hi, i am planning to buy a very basic laptop. I came down to Acer TM 2424. can any one post the latest price of this model in delhi.
Thanks,
Parijat Chandra.
Anshley said
am December 6 2007 @ 2:11 pm
I am having a big issue with my acer 4710z. have a creative 5.1 and only 2 speakers are currently on dolby 2.1. if i put on dolby 5.1 i have no output! help !! plz
i am currently using windows xp and have already integrated the driver using n-lite! thxs
bulbul said
am December 26 2007 @ 3:23 pm
Hi
What problem Anshley is facing I’ve concerns regarding the same.
Please Help!!!!
manmath sahu said
am December 27 2007 @ 5:59 pm
Well, good review.
But in my opinion, Compaq C700 Notebook series are the best value for money gadgets. Within 30,000/- you will get a dual core compaq c713tu notebook.
manmath sahu said
am December 27 2007 @ 6:11 pm
Hi Manjula,
Please install PCLinuxOS Gnome Remaster at http://linuxgator.org
It has necessary drivers for your notebook. It will detect your hard drive and all other devices like a breeze.
Direct Download PCLinuxOS Gnome Remaster:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/texstar/pclinuxos/live-cd/english/preview/pclos-gnome-2.21.2.iso
Download through torrent:
http://linuxtracker.org/download.php?id=5051&name=pclos-gnome-2.21.2.torrent
dr. rajkumar said
am January 30 2008 @ 5:25 am
hi,i have got acer 4710z, and recentky igot it formatted but now i dont have proper drivers. can you please tell me from which site i can download all of my drivers.
thanks
Choto Cheeta said
am January 30 2008 @ 6:03 am
Hello Sir,
Please use this bellow link to find your self the right drivers
http://support.acer-euro.com/drivers/notebook/as_4710.html
sachin said
am February 20 2008 @ 12:22 pm
any idea about
acer 5920
i want to buy this laptop
Prashant said
am June 20 2008 @ 6:58 am
Hi Friend,
Great description you have given. Actually I got this same piece for home purpose.
The device is working fine, just that the dealer here installed Win XP in it :((.. XP is just degarding all its features like .. WLAN , Bluetooth, etc is not working due to lack of s/w.
Sound quality is below average ..
Please suggest some help for this..
Choto Cheeta said
am June 20 2008 @ 11:18 am
Hello,
Please use the forum to post your questions, its easy to answer and discuss under a forum based environment rather as a blog comment.
Thank you.
Anish said
am June 23 2008 @ 8:29 pm
i am using acer 4710z since a year.
but i m using XP on it and the bluetooth doesnt work upon it.
so will installing vista make the bluetooth work?
and also will vista eat the resources as there is only 1Gb RAM and no graphics card?
secondly is there any slot to add upon the graphics card if i wish to?