Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a nice machine. But if you need the 2nd hard drive that they claim to support you are out of luck. It does not ship with the kit to install the 2nd drive, and three calls to acer tech support, two calls to their recommended 'parts vendors' and a call to amazon.com have all been fruitless: The bracket and cover needed are not available. Maybe you can buy it preconfigured with two drives. But, you won't be adding one later without doing some metal work and cutting off some bits of plastic. Which probably voids your warranty.
As to why: It looks like there is not much airflow in that spot. Maybe they had heat and reliability problems with regular drives, so they decided to pretend they can't cough up a mounting kit. I want to put a solid-state drive there, so there should be no problem.
I'm still debating whether to hack a solution, or send it back. Three stars 'cause they lied to me about the 2nd drive. Would be 4.5 stars except for that (minus 0.5 stars for the weird keyboard). Caveat emptor.
UPDATE: In the end I sent it back and got a full refund.
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Acer Aspire AS8943G: Ultimate Multimedia Center
Whether are used for creating multimedia content, watching movies or dominating the latest PC games, the Acer Aspire 8943G notebook PC (model AS8943G-9429) delivers high-end styling and world-class performance. It features a brilliant 18.4-inch CineCrystal edge-to-edge glass LED back-lit display with full high-definition (1080p) resolution. And it combines best-in-class Intel Core i7 processing power and stunning ATI Radeon HD graphics with a Blu-ray Disc drive for viewing movies in crystal-clear HD resolution and a Dolby-optimized surround-sound system for an immersive on-the-go cinema experience. And the Blu-ray Disc drive includes an integrated SuperMulti drive for creating your own DVDs and CDs. You'll also enjoy the multitasking freedom from the maximized 8 GB of installed RAM.
The AS8943G's exterior sports an aluminum cover that not only looks sharp, but also protects the seamless, frameless display. Upon opening the lid, you'll be wowed by sharp design lines as well as a host of balanced contrasts, including glossy and matte finishes and silver and black accents. The new dual-mode touchpad combines Acer's multi-gesture actions with a touch-sensitive media console. And the new chiclet style keyboard (keys with straight edges vs. slanted sides) extends to a dedicated numeric keypad.
You'll be able to burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the Intel Core i7 processor thanks to the combination of Intel Turbo Boost technology and Intel Hyper-Threading technology, which maximizes performance to match your workload.
Quickly retrieve and store all your media files on the large 500 GB hard drive, and with dual hard drive support you can add another drive for backups or up to 1.2 TB of extra storage.
Enjoy the next generation of video playback with the HDMI output, which allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video and audio to your digital TV or capable external monitor. The 1.3-megapixel HD webcam presents vivid images even in low-light situations so you can go face-to-face in online chats and easily take still pictures and videos to share. And to make data transfer painless, it includes an eSATA port to speed up large file transfers while a FireWire port moves videos quickly from your digital camcorder.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.
You'll also experience new ways to deliver your best work with Office Starter 2010.
Key Features
18.4-inch CineCrystal LED-backlit widescreen display with 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution (native 1080p for Full HD viewing). Its widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio is designed to present websites without lots of left-right scrolling, as well as with a smoother line of sight. Specs include a 220-nit high brightness rating, 8ms response time, and 60 percent color gamut.
1.73 GHz Intel Core i7-740QM processor (with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.93 GHz) delivers maximum processing power in response to peak demands. Intel's Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload--providing more performance when you need it the most. It also comes equipped with ATI Radeon HD 5850 Graphics--an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing.
500 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM) with support for a second hard drive
8 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (1066 MHz; expandable to 16 GB)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 graphics deliver advanced technology to deliver cinema-quality audio and video with 2 GB of DDR3 discrete graphics memory. Using ATI Stream technology, it helps accelerate even the most demanding applications, enabling you to do more than ever with your notebook. It's compatible with the latest DirectX 11 games.
Watch Blu-ray Disc movies in crystal clear resolution with the read-only Blu-ray drive; this notebook also includes an integrated 4x DVD±R/RW SuperMulti drive capable of reading/writing of CD-R/RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL, and DVD-RAM.
Dual-Mode Touchpad lets you switch functions between a Multi-Gesture Touchpad and a Media Console. Control the show with touch-sensitive buttons that take you straight to your favorite movies or music. In addition, the scrolling volume wheel puts sound management at your fingertips. (Learn more)
Bio-Protection Fingerprint Reader provides an extra level of laptop security safeguarding unauthorized users from accessing your PC at the touch of your fingerprint.
Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capability provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers). This laptop uses Acer InviLink Nplify technology that enables multi-stream input or output for faster and more reliable bandwidth, and it also offers Acer SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency.
Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)
5 built-in speakers and dedicated subwoofer simulate surround sound with trumpeting clear tones and deep bass beats while Dolby Home Theater Audio delivers riveting sound from any pair of PC speakers or headphones.
Headphones/speaker/line-out with SPDIF support for true 5.1-channel surround-sound output
Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD)
Four USB 2.0 ports
Next-generation eSATA port offers a transfer speed of 3GB/s, delivering enhanced scalability and doubling the bus bandwidth for high-speed data retrieval and saves. It allows easy sharing and transfer of entertainment content and digital media on external devices.
FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals.
HDMI high-definition audio/video output allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video to your digital TV or LCD. It also includes a standard VGA video output.
Windows 7 Home Premium makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process. (Learn more)
Up to 3 hours of battery life (8-cell battery)
Dimensions: 17.3 x 11.6 x 1.7 inches (WxDxH)
Weight: 10.1 pounds
Warranty: One-year parts and labor limited warranty with concurrent International Traveler's Warranty
What's in the Box
This package contains the Acer Aspire AS8943G-9429 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions
It also comes with the following software:
McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version); Norton Online Backup; NTI Media Maker; Windows Live Essentials; Microsoft Office Starter 2010 (reduced-functionality and advertising; Office 2010 product key can be purchased to activate preloaded suite)
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The Acer Dual-Mode Touchpad
The dual-mode touchpad offers integrated, capacitive touch media controller icons that allows you to switch between multi-gesture mode to media console mode. At the flick of a finger, you can go straight to your favorite movies or music. Integrated into the touchpad, the backlit media console icons glow underneath the pad, providing a clean simplistic design. In addition, a convenient scrolling volume wheel directly under the touchpad makes it easy to control volume levels.
With built-in multi-gesture capabilities, you can pinch, flick and swirl your fingers across the touchpad for more natural photo and video viewing as well as intuitive navigation of websites. It also enables you to scroll, zoom in and out and flip through Web pages, photos, spreadsheets and more.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
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