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Acer TravelMate TM2304LCi Intel Celeron M 1.30GHz

Thursday, August 25th, 2005 | Laptop and Notebook Computers, Reviews

A laptop computer aimed at the very low budget category. It’s price is as low as many desktop computers, but it’s performance does not match them. Ideal for those looking for a great deal, but beware the hidden cost of software upgrades.

At a glance this computer includes…

• Intel Celeron M 350 1.30GHz processor
• 15″ monitor
• 256MB of 333MHz memory (minimum for Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
• 1 PCI type II card slot
• 2 rear USB ports, one front port
• RJ45, RJ11 as well as wireless LAN
• On board audio with front audio plugs

The Intel Celeron M processor is a low range processor, it lacks power compared to it’s bigger brother the Pentium. It still has desirable features like low power consumption, which allows longer battery life. It will handle everyday tasks.

256MB of memory is enough to run Windows XP but not much more. When you use more than one program at a time, it’s the memory that makes the biggest difference to how fast those programs run. If you want to boost that performance there is an extra slot for more memory.

Inclusion of a CD-RW/DVD-ROM will allow you to read any disk and write CDs. This might be limiting for those who copy DVDs, but it’s a good feature on this range of computer.

A standard set of extras are included, like LAN support, dial-up support, wireless LAN as well as USB and sound card features. What is lacking is a firewire slot, which although not always standard on laptops is a great extra feature. It also misses the ever popular card readers which allow the reading of common memory cards.

There is very little software with this computer. Anything you need will need to be bought. It may not seem like a big deal, but the price of software pushes up the overall price of the computer, when many come with the software already.

At 14.3″ x 11″ x 1.5″ and 6.4lbs it’s not light, but not too bulky for it’s price range.

Final verdict:
Good:

• Great price
• Long battery life
• Many extras

Bad:

• No firewire
• Quite heavy
• No extra software packages

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