Just got myself an upgrade to my laptop, and all for a good cause.

[Chako]

I thought someone might be interested in a mini review of two of Acer’s largest laptops, along with some back history.

I got a call from a friend who is a struggling single mother. During our conversations, she mentioned that her computer was about to die a horrible death, it being 10 years old and all. I thought it would be nice to give her one of my computers. It would be a huge improvement over what she already has, and I could get an upgrade out of it by replacing my year old computer with a newer model.

So that is the back history as to why I have two such monsters today, and today only. The older model is going to a good home, and I know she and her daughter will love it.

Onto the photos and the mini comparison between the two.

As already stated, my older ACER Aspire 8920G is being phased out with a new ACER Aspire 8942G. I am not a big fan of ACER computers, however, I was blown away by the features of the 8920G that I just had to get another one. 

The following two photos show the sticker on the wrist wrest. I take good care of my laptops.



When I bought the older laptop, I didn’t get the highest model in the series. This time around, I followed the same principal. I found that these do everything that I asked them to do, even low level gaming. My focus however, is to use them as a quasi entertainment/work computer when my smaller netbook doesn’t have enough screen real-estate to do the job.



The newer computer is farthest away in this photograph. The older one, being the closest. As you can see, there is very little design change between the 8920 and the 8940 series. There was an 8930 series that was produced in-between just in case you were wondering. The older computer has a beautiful two tone lid. There is a dark blue center with a black outer that makes it very fetching in the right light. The newer computer does not have this. Both are equally beautifully finished. I just wished laptop manufactures would stay away from finger smudging surfaces.  Both are smudge magnets.



The 8942G is on the left, and the 8920G on the right.

Both basically look the same from the exterior, except for the back which is completely different.



The older 8920G has a more streamlined back but also makes this part thicker, meaning it isn’t as comfortable to carry…oddly enough.



On the newer 8942G, the lid does not go as far back, making this section easier to grab. Note also that the built in Bass has two out ports seen lined in blue. Both models feature the bass in the hinge area.



Here we see the keyboard and screen of both models. I am going to break this section into smaller sub sections just to organize the differences.

ACER Aspire 8942G:

Pros:
-   Better specs (2 years newer in hardware).
-   Larger track pad with a smoother surface.
-   Lighted keyboard.
-   Higher screen resolution. True 1080P specs, Faster refresh rates, and all.
-   Better implemented Cine Dash feature (found on the right of the keyboard).
-   A few more hook up features for electronics.

Cons:
-   The power brick is larger and heavier than the older version.

Just how large you ask?



Yep, the big one is the newer one. A big step backwards for someone who has to lug this into work on occasion.

ACER Aspire 8920G:

Pros:
-Still awesome feature set, and it is two years after the introduction of this model. (I got it a year after introduction).

Cons:
-   The Cine Dash found on the left. Very Star Treky, but in person, the touch volume sucked in usage. The newer model has a large round dial. They must have heard about the complaints. However, show it to your friends, and they are amazed at it. A feature that sounds great on paper, but in reality…

Both laptops are great. As with everything, newer tech usually beats out older tech. Even so, the 8920G still holds its own, and has the features to back it up. Both have 18.4” screens, 5.1 surround sound, blue ray players/DVD burner combo drives, a neat if sometimes gimmicky Cine Dash feature that makes using their entertainment software and features a pleasure to use. Both are large and heavy laptops that weight around 9 to 10 lbs. The newer laptop came with Windows 7 home edition, and the older one, with Vista Home Edition.

So if you are looking for a large heavy feature rich laptop, you can’t go far wrong with the ACER Aspire 8900 series. Never thought I would say anything all that good about ACER.

[Pacu]

I love the blu-ray feature with hdmi out for traveling.

[cerbera147]

Nice comparison Chako  

Mine just a Dell Latitude from work, pretty basic  

My HDD 80GB, yours 500GB  

I like the idea of the backlit keyboard how do you find it?

[Chako]

Awesome. all my desktops have backlit keyboards. It is a feature you don't think you need or will use until you get it.

[Whoey]

I have a Logitech G15 keyboard for my desktop... it's an awesome keyboard, and I'm really glad I got it. A friend of mine has a Gseries keyboard on his laptop and swears by it.

new one has really nice specs and does look a lot better than the old, only thing putting me off would be the radeon video card... I'm not a fan of ATI cards...

[Chako]

I have two desktops. One has dual Radeon 4870s, and the other, dual Nvida 280s. To be honest, I can't tell the difference in games. The reason I went with two systems using different graphic brands, was that of compatibility. In the old days, Radeons had the crappiest drivers, and as such, plenty of games wouldn't even run on them, and if they did, tearing was your prize. Nowadays, I can't see much of a difference between them. (shrugs).