My parents are getting me a laptop for my birthday and I don't want them to spend so much money on a laptop so I found this lap[top that was $250. The thing is I just don't want a bad laptop and I've never heard of this brand does anyone know if it's a good laptop or not ?

Acer make good value for money kit, as long as it doesn't go wrong as they are a PITA to repair.

Have you heard of Dell? Acer surpassed Dell (http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2009/10/acer_passes_dell_as_worlds_no_2_pc_maker.html) last year to become the second largest PC manufacturer worldwide behind Hewlett-Packard. I think they are 3rd behind Dell in the U.S. and aren't that visible under the Acer name but do business through their Gateway, eMachines, and Packard-Bell subsidiaries.

Like Curly said they can be good value if you aren't the sort of consumer that is constantly needing support.

Info:
Wikipedia: Acer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_Inc.)

The last 4 laptops I've bought were Acers. They are an excellent value. The last one I bought from WalMart for $399 was pretty loaded, all things considered... 17" screen, DVD burner, 300gig, 3g RAM, webcam, wifi, fullsize keyboard, cardreader)... couldn't beat it!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acer-17.3-320-GB-AS7736Z-4088/13352322

Thank you :D and yes I've heard of dell but people tell me its nt worth the money

These are subjective questions and answers. I've bought and used $400 laptops with good success. I consider the savings a gift and move on.

Others I'm sure have bought low-cost laptops and had problems and would feel it's NOT worth the savings.

Others paid $800 for similarly equipped laptops from better name companies like Dell and HP (I work on an HP at work everyday... it's fine) and will swear by them.

In the end, you will have to choose. A laptop is something you only buy every few years (most people) so it may be worth it to you to spend a few $100 extra.

For me it's not, I'll take two Acers instead. ;)

You get what you pay for. Acer is a good brand, as are Dell & HP. However to make money at $250 a machine, they are going to be using very cheap hardware. Which can be fine. Don't expect this machine to last much more than 3 years. The battery won't hold much of a charge after about 18 months. Your biggest enemy with cheap hardware is heat. Go buy one of those cooling fan platforms. They are like $25 and will outlast the computer.
A couple other tips that will outweigh the choice between "good" brands: uninstall all of the bloatware that comes pre-installed, have no mercy. Don't install all kinds of crazy "freeware." Look down in the right corner, next to the clock. Most of those little icons are just wasting resources. After a reboot the only thing showing in there should be the clock, the volume, internet connection icon and your anti-virus. If things are loading automatically at start-up, find the setting to prevent it from starting up.

Oh, and turn off your computer when you aren't using it and never, never, never let it sit on your bed or couch while it's on, it just won't get enough air flow to cool properly

And... don't feed it anything after midnight. No really, We bought a Laptop for our grandson and I wanted the cheaper one(acer) my husband said no. he said about the same the same thing as the people here have said.

We finally settled on a Gateway.

You know what, even though I whole-heartedly endorse the Acer brand, I think that 3-4-year life-span is dead on.

But as I said, I'd rather spend $400 now and get a fresh one in 3-4 years than spend $800 and try to lengthen that. Personal preference.

I've used Dell exclusively for the past 10 years and have been very satisfied.

I had HP for many years. When It first came out and all the extras cost me 4,000 dollars approximately.

Now I just got a new computer, Emachines, which is owned by Acer. They are all combined. My uncle bought an Acer and is very satisfied. I bought the whole system for 600 dollars and quite happy with everything.


Went from a dinosaur to a new computer is amazing and you know what I am with others. Instead of always expanding or trying too. It is better to wait 4 or 5 years until a newer product comes out.

So, after reading everyone's subjective experiences and opinions (mine included), it really boils down to some simple questions only you can answer for yourself.

1) How much of your budget will you spend on the laptop itself?
2) Are you comfortable with the brand?

You now know you can spend anywhere from $400 - $1000 on your affordable laptop and when your purchase is done, you have to be happy with it and its features. Our experiences won't help in that regard.

I'd say yes, but they have terrible costumer care, you call them and make you call 4 or 5 times. Wheni called because I had questions with the new acer desktop I bought and I coul'ndt get a live representative until like the 45 minutes I tried.

I bought a used Dell laptop and have been very satisfied with this model. It's like used cars to me - let the other person pay the high end and let me pay a reasonable price for a more expensive machine because it's a few years old. I have gone through several cooling tables until I hit on one I like.. It was a $49 Targus model and that keeps my laptop cool. Most times the high temperature is what kills the laptops.

My boss bought 5 Dell 610's used and none of them have dropped dead yet and she useses them every day all day with no cooling tables under several and so far after 3 years none have died.

I am impressed with the Dell website and all the goodies they have on there to download or help you fix your laptop yourself if you are not too timid to do. They take the mystery out of laptops.

I find it a good brand I bought it for 400 dollars today and my only complaint is the mouse and the cheap keyboard it misses the letter that I try to type

Acers are the best laptops ever I have had mine 4years no problms