Acer Aspire 1410: Single-Core CULV Takes on Atom
by Vivek Gowri on May 6, 2010 1:31 AM ESTIn and Around the Acer Aspire 1410
In use, the AS1410 is similar to the 1810T. The glossy plastic exterior is somewhat cheap feeling, and aesthetically doesn’t impress. This is understandably a cost-driven measure, but the amount of flex shown by the LCD lid is still disappointing nonetheless. Build quality is similar to that of the Aspire One 532h netbook.
On the inside, the faux, brushed aluminum looking plastic used for the palm rests is appreciated, mostly for its non-glossy finish. It feels good to the touch, better than the glossy plastic used on the 532h, but does exhibit some flex under stress. With that said, the palm rests are so small that you’ll probably end up resting your palms on the desk you’re typing on and won’t ever really put pressure on the palm rests.
I personally like the keyboard, since it’s a full sized chiclet unit that is easy to use. Jarred didn’t like the keyboard that much, but I honestly have no problems with it and think it's one of the better ultraportable keyboards out there. The Dell Inspiron 11z has a smaller 92%-sized keyboard, as do all netbooks, so the key size alone makes this one better to type on. There’s a slight amount of flex to it that reinforces the feeling that this is a low priced laptop. The multitouch trackpad works as advertised, though it’d be nice if the mouse buttons weren’t quite so clicky.
The ports are pretty similar to most netbooks, with one major, major addition: HDMI! And because the CULV platform can actually deal with HD video playback, said HDMI port is actually usable. Other than that, we’ve got the standard three USB, VGA, headphone out, line in, Ethernet, Kensington lock, 1.3MP webcam, built-in mic, and a memory card slot. The webcam and mic work fine for Skype—no complaints on either end. The speakers are located at the bottom of the notebook and work okay for an ultraportable. I mean, hey, at least it’s got two speakers, unlike some of the business-class 12-inchers that make do with one. But the real story here is HDMI. That and the HD video playback alone are worth the extra $50 over a netbook.
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barich - Thursday, May 6, 2010 - link
I have the 1410 with the dual-core Celeron SU2300. At $450, it's only $50 more than the reviewed single-core unit, and it's clocked at the same speed as the SU7300 in the 1810T. The only differentiating factor in the CPU is that it has less cache. I suspect that it performs much closer to the 1810T than the 1410 in this review. I don't think it can be beat for performance for the money considering the size.Roland00 - Thursday, May 6, 2010 - link
Unfortunately the 1410 with the su2300 seem to have disapeared from the market. A quick google search shows only 5 places carry them new, 2 of them have it on backorder and the other 3 are small online stores I have never seen before and don't have much google ratings and thus I wouldn't trust.Now the 1410 with the su2300 is an awesome laptop. I have the blue version with 160gb hard drive. Got it for $349+8.25% sales tax a couple of months ago.
JarredWalton - Thursday, May 6, 2010 - link
Don't forget that the Gateway EC14 is pretty much the same thing as the Acer 1410:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtool...
SU2300 is a 1.2GHz chip, so SU4100/SU7300 as 100MHz faster and have 2x to 3x the L2 cache, but overall the SU2300 is an interesting option. When you could find those laptops for under $400, it was even more interesting.
xeopherith - Friday, May 7, 2010 - link
I just bought a nice little Asus 1201T because of this article. I was waiting for a netbook with a decent resolution and affordable price before buying. Newegg has them for 369 today.AkumaX - Saturday, May 8, 2010 - link
its too bad AT didn't have this article when the AS1410 came out in oct/nov 09 with the SU2300 (celeron) part for around $400 (forget about the celeron 743...). the differences between the SU2300 and SU3500:SU2300 vs SU3500
1.2ghz ---- 1.4ghz
1MB L2 --- 3MB L2
10w -------- 5.5w
2 CPUs --- 1 CPU
they're still both based on the Penryn arch.
which one do you think's better ;)
Probedude - Sunday, October 3, 2010 - link
I have the SU2300 version of this laptop. Since day one it will discharge the battery 5% per day when turned completely off. Tried everything, even sent it in for repair only to be told 'it's normal.'I see Acer just came out with a bios in the last couple of weeks that may fix the problem. 2 users have already said it has worked for them. I'm waiting until tomorrow to check mine.
Anyways, if you too have battery drain problems with this laptop when off, update the bios and see if it fixes the problem for you.