[macpaul54]

Hi everyone. I hope you can help me out. I'm considering buying a quad core Acer desktop (the Aspire e700-662, sometimes called the ASE700-662). However, although I've certainly heard of Acer, I haven't heard much about Acers, whether they're any good, reliable, etc, other than that their laptops are pretty good. I'd really appreciate any feedback you can give me on this brand. Are they well-made? Do they use decent quality components? Are they reliable? How good is their tech support, and are their phone support folks English speaking / understandable?

I'd also appreciate any feedback on the particular Acer model I'm considering. Here in Canada, it's on sale for $1,099 including the Samsung 21" monitor, and Windows Vista Home Premium (normal price is about $1,350). I'm not a gamer, but I need fairly decent graphics capability for my work. Here are the system's key specs:

Intel Core 2 Q6600 Quad
Processor Speed -- 2.4GHz
RAM -- 2048MB DDR2 RAM (Up to 4GB)
Hard Drive -- 500GB 7200RPM
Optical Drives -- DVD+/-RW Dual Layer
Graphics Card -- ATI Radeon X1650 256MB (512MB Hypermemory) PCI-E 16X Video Card Available
Expansion Bays -- 1 x 5.25", 4 x 3.5"
Available Expansion Slots -- 1 x PCI Express X16, 3 x PCI V2.3 (5V), 1 x PCI Express X1
Cache -- 8MB L2
Sound Card -- High-Def Audio 7.1-Channel Audio Support
FSB -- 1066MHz
9-in-1 card reader
Samsung 216BW 21.6" digital LCD monitor with 300cd/m2 brightness and 3000:1 contrast ratio

My other alternative is a Dell desktop system which is selling for about $150 more than the Acer system. It has a slower processor, but would I really notice the difference? Would you choose the Acer or the Dell? Which would be more reliable? Here's the Dell system:

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6320 (4MB L2 Cache,1.86GHz,1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium Edition, English
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
22 inch E228WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel Monitor
Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007
13 in 1 Media Card Reader

My last several comps have been Dells. They've been fairly good in terms of reliability, but Dell's tech support is bloody awful. I'm not writing them off, only because my impression of the actual product is not bad. But I'm now very open to buying something else.

So...Acer or Dell. Please help!

Thanks a ton, everyone.

[slipend]

Out of them two, the dell is better spec, only just though.

Have you considered a custom built computer. Either built by yourself or by some reputable internet dealer e.g pcspecialist.co.uk

[Dave Hybrid]

The Acer is much faster, for a start it's Quad Core when the Dell is Dual. It's way more future proof.

The Dell does have a much better graphics card though.

They are not really comparable, it's not an even playing field.

Originally Posted by slipend Out of them two, the dell is better spec, only just though. Have you considered a custom built computer. Either built by yourself or by some reputable internet dealer e.g pcspecialist.co.uk

You say build custom like pcspecialist, but that company is no different to Dell, branded PCs.

Custom is when you buy the parts individually and put them together yourself.

[iva]

I will recommend you that it is a damn good machine in terms of reliability and performance. I would say Acer is better then dell. There is nothing wrong with the configuration.

[slipend]

Originally Posted by Dave Hybrid You say build custom like pcspecialist, but that company is no different to Dell, branded PCs. Custom is when you buy the parts individually and put them together yourself.

Mmm yeah, I mean custom as in you pick what parts you want and someone builds it for you, other than buying a complete ready made 'puter.

[iva]

I think building your own system is always better since you know all you needs and your budget. But before that you should have some research on it.