Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi
Published August 25, 2008 at 01:15:49 PM, by Thai Tan
OverviewAs the leading computer notebook brand in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Acer has teamed up with Ferrari to be the official supplier to Scuderia Ferrari, the racing team of Ferrari. Leveraging this partnership, Acer is able to introduce exclusive, racing inspired notebooks that are elegant, cutting-edge, and powerful, much like the actual Ferrari automobile. The new Acer Ferrari 4000 revamps the previous generation Acer Ferrari models by pumping more horsepower and sporting a new design.
The Acer Ferrari is designed to impress, especially with its sleek looks and powerful components. Like the Acer TravelMate 8100 series, the Ferrari 4000 is composed of Acer's Folio design. To distinguish the new platform from its predecessors, the 4000 retains its own racing-inspired theme made up of an elegant thin-and-light carbon fiber casing in sleek black and Ferrari-red trims. Even the included Bluetooth mouse matches the system. Under the hood, the Acer Ferrari 4000 (model 4005 WLMi) sports AMD's new Turion 64 mobile processor, running at 2.0GHz on ATI's Radeon Xpress 200M chipset. Other prominent features include a luminous 15.4-inch widescreen LCD with razor sharp 1680 x 1050 native resolution, a new modular slot-loading dual layer DVD burner, 100GB hard drive, and 1GB RAM. This attractive package also combines a myriad of other bells and whistles.
Avid gamers will be satisfied with the performance from the mid-range ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 graphics with 128MB DDR VRAM. Although the Ferrari 4000 possesses some characteristics of a desktop alternative, it measures only 1.2 inches thin and weighs 6.3 pounds with its 8-cell battery. While not the most ideal computer for intensive travel, it's still a well-balanced machine suited for moderate portability and is actually more portable than other notebooks in the same class.
The stunning Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi gives you power and status, for a hefty $2,199 price tag.
Design
Portability
Although the Acer Ferrari 4000 possesses some attributes similar to a desktop alternative notebook, this is a performance laptop that won't break your back. Measuring 14.3-inches wide, 10.5-inches long and only 1.2-inches thick at the front section and extending 1.4-inches thick towards the back, the Ferrari is ideal for large sized cases and backpacks. I had difficulty slipping this computer in most of the mid-sized carrying cases, but I found the lightweight Samsonite L35 carrying case to be the perfect companion. Even the stylish Boa XM backpack from Booq will house the Ferrari comfortably.
The Bluetooth mouse matches the system nicely.
At 6.3 pounds with the 8-cell battery, the Ferrari is not intended to accompany you everywhere you go, but is rather suited for occasional travel. Unlike the Fujitsu N3510, which weighs a pound more and is .4-inches thicker, the Ferrari is a well-balanced machine that is feasible for travel while offering a spacious viewing area. The thought of being able to watch a DVD movie on such a large display anywhere I go makes it more appealing to take out and about, where typically laptops with a screen of this caliber are made to be used on the desk and nowhere else.
Case and Design
Acer and Ferrari were able to assemble an aesthetically impressive notebook that illustrates originality and style. The new Ferrari 4000 uses the same chassis as the Travelmate 8100 series and is composed of the same Folio design, but instead possesses its own racing-inspired theme. Moving away from the all Ferrari red design found in the previous generation Ferrari models, the revamped Ferrari 4000 comes in a sleek black finish but keeps the Ferrari's 'Rosso Corsa' red trim on the side panels and on the edge of the top lid. Not only is the carbon fiber lid lighter and stronger than other materials, it also gives off a distinctive look with the black and grey checkered shades.
The silver Acer logo is emblazoned in the top lid while the yellow prancing horse emblem is embossed in the center of the carbon fiber lid.
The two tone color scheme keeps it sleek and refined, with the interior constructed from polycarbonate plastic wrapping around from the keyboard area to the bottom chassis. The edges are curvaceous and the rubberized surface around the palm rest and keyboard area is smooth, resembling the texture of a racing tire - it's also one of the most comfortable textures my palms have ever rested on. In addition, the rubber-like texture serves to insulate heat generated from the internal components.
Sleek and durable chassis gives it an original style.
The yellow prancing horse emblem is found again on the palm rest area.
There are two sets of status indicators found on the computer; the first is located on the upper-left corner above the keyboard (below the display screen) and the second set is on the front of the computer. The upper-left corner below the display contains LED indicators for power (power button), hard disk, caps lock, and num lock. All indicators emit a greenish glow when activated.
Conveniently located on the front panel are a set of highly useful indicator lights which provide a quick glance at the power, battery charge, Bluetooth, and Wireless LAN. Both the power and battery status indicators emit a green glow when active (or amber for the battery when it's charging) , while the Bluetooth and Wireless LAN buttons light up a dazzling blue and amber glow, respectively. The Bluetooth and Wireless LAN buttons are used to enable or disable their associated functions.
Located on the upper right hand corner are four easy-launch keys to instantly launch your frequently used applications. Each button has symbols designated for email, web browser, Acer eManager, and a user programmable option. The email button is used to launch your email client, such as Microsoft's Outlook; however, it is also user programmable to designate other applications. The web browser key is used to launch your favorite web browser, but is also user programmable. The Acer Empowering key ('e' symbol) is used to launch the Acer eManager application (more on this in the software section). Lastly the user programmable button is available for you to assign your favorite application via the Launch Manager software. Unfortunately there are no multimedia hot keys despite the available room around the top section of the keyboard.
Quickly launch your favorite application.
Design Continued
Keyboard
The black, full-sized 88-key ergonomic keyboard contains all the essential keys, particularly the Windows and Ctrl keys at the bottom left of the keyboard, where normally some laptops contain only the Fn key. The PgDn, PgUp, Home and End cursor keys are also present and are placed vertically on the right side of the keyboard. The Caps Lock, Shift, Alt, Tab, Backspace, and Enter keys are of appropriate size. Like most laptop keyboards, the numeric keypad is embedded within the keys located near the center of the keyboard and is activated with the num lock key. In addition, there are function keys to adjust the audio volume, alter the screen brightness, put the system to sleep, disable or enable the touchpad, and switch to an external monitor when connected. When toggling one of these function keys, such as the audio for example, it will activate an on-screen volume indicator. This helps you identify exactly which volume settings you want to select. The on-screen indicator applies to other function access buttons as well, with the exception of the screen brightness, which is not available.
With respect to usage, the 'Acer FineTouch' keyboard offers decent key travel distance and excellent response. You will notice from the picture the keyboard employs a five-degree curve for a more ergonomic placement, which I find neither an advantage nor disadvantage compared to the straight-laced arrangement keyboards. Some users may need to be accustomed to this unusual layout while others will pick it up immediately. On that note, I can type quickly, accurately, and comfortably with this keyboard. You may think this is the same keyboard found on the Acer TravelMate 8100 series, but in fact it feels slightly different in terms of its depression levels and noise generation. The keys are soft and feel light when depressing them (not as stiff as the ThinkPad T42, softer than the Acer TravelMate 8103/8104, but not as soft as the PowerBooks). Overall, the Ferrari keyboard has minimal spring, allowing the keys to be quite responsive (slightly more responsive than the Acer TravelMate 8103/8104) while exhibiting little noise (quieter than the TravelMate 8100 series' keyboard). Like the TravelMate 8103/8104, the keys depress at a comfortable 2.5mm of depth which feels comfortable when typing. Some may find the travel too shallow, especially if you're accustomed to the 3mm travel distance from the IBM ThinkPads. The keyboard is centered nicely with 1.2-inches of room on each side, and there is sufficient room around the palm rest area to ensure your wrists also enjoy a comfortable typing experience. This is certainly a solid keyboard that comes close in comparison to the likes of the IBM ThinkPads and even Apple Powerbooks. As I've stated similarities and differences, I prefer the Ferrari keyboard over the the TravelMate 8100 series' keyboard.
Touch pad
To match the laptop's overall wide-aspect design, the touchpad measures 3-inches wide and 1.5-inches in length, offering sufficient surface area to allow comfortably gliding of one's finger. Like the palm rest area, the black flush surface is clean and smooth, sensitive to touch and responds accurately to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons. To the right and bottom edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll vertically or horizontally. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction.
The two click buttons are appropriately sized, emitting slightly less noise than the TravelMate 8100 series' touchpad buttons. For added convenience, there is a useful center click button that serves as a four-way scroll button to scroll up or down and move left or right within a page. The left and right click buttons are brushed in gray metallic.
Connectivity Options
Thanks to its wide frame, the Ferrari 4000 is loaded with a multitude of connectivity options surrounding all sides of the computer. Since the cables are spread out on all sides of the machine, there are no protruding parts that can accidentally break off during transit; as an added benefit, cable clutter is greatly reduced. The computer offers a whopping four USB 2.0 ports instead of the common two ports found in most laptops. For users who prefer to connect their laptop to an external monitor, television or projector, the Ferrari 4000 supplies all available video outputs, including DVI-D, VGA, and S-Video. DVI is an option not commonly found on your average consumer notebooks. This is a must for anyone planning to use an LCD monitor or digital projector.
DVI-D & S-Video
VGA
On the front panel, you will immediately notice the left and right speaker grilles made of tiny hole-punches that gives the notebook a very distinctive look. The 5-in-1 card reader is capable of reading Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard (MMC) and xD-Picture cards, allowing the transfer of files from the majority of digital cameras. Next to the 5-in-1 card reader is a built-in mono microphone that is stationed inside a tiny hole-punch. An Infrared port is available for short range wireless IR devices such as PDAs and printers. The Speaker/Line-out/Headphone jack connects to audio line-out devices such as speakers and headphones and includes SPDIF support. Next to it is the Line-in/Mic-in port that accepts microphones and line-in devices such as an audio CD player. As mentioned in the preceding section, there are two backlit buttons for activating Bluetooth and Wireless LAN. Both radios can also be disabled when not in use in order to conserve the battery.
Two stiff hinges hold the LCD panel together, located near each corner of the display. The LCD panel contains dual latches that keep the lid securely closed, preventing any type of movement when shuffling the laptop around. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by eight rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.
On the rear, there is a DVI-D port that supports digital video connections like modern LCD flat panel monitors. There is also the requisite S-Video port to connect to a television or display device with S-Video input. Lastly we have the huge 124-pin Acer ezDock connector that connects to the Acer ezDocking station for expandability.
The battery pack fits nicely without protruding and is made to offer a hand grip when carrying the notebook.
On the left-side: VGA port, ventilation slots, Ethernet 10/100/1000 jack, phone port, one of the four USB 2.0 port, 4-pin IEEE 1394 FireWire port, and PC Card slot.
On the right-side: the remaining three USB 2.0 ports are found positioned horizontally, the slot-load Super-Multi DVD+/-RW drive (hot swappable), power connector and security keylock to connect a Kensington-compatible security lock.
Heat and Noise
In a notebook, components such as the hard drive and the cooling fan are responsible for generating heat and noise. The cooling fan on the Acer Ferrari, which is located on the left side of the notebook, operates constantly regardless of whether the processor throttles down . Unfortunately, the Ferrari's fan noise is more noticeable than that of the Acer TravelMate 8100 series. During general Internet/email usage with the AC power plugged in, the continuously spinning fan creates a low-pitched whooshing sound as the air passes through the system's vents. When using the Acer Ferrari for gaming, also with the system plugged into the AC power, the noise generated from the fan is substantially more noticeable as it spins faster to remove excess heat from the chassis. Whether or not the noise level of the fan is tolerable will depend on the individual user. After using a wide range of notebooks and experiencing vastly different levels of noise, I found that the fan noise generated from the Ferrari is louder than I would prefer.
Heat build up on the Ferrari is minimal. Mobile Meter reported around 45-49 degrees Celsius at full performance (2.0 GHz) when idle. During heavier loads, temperatures reached around 51 to 56 degrees. The system becomes warm, but never reaches uncomfortable levels. A few areas like the touchpad and palm rest can become lukewarm. Compared to the Acer 8104, which recorded 61 degrees during heavy load and 46-50 degrees during idle, the Ferrari actually runs cooler, perhaps due to the faster and louder spinning fans. The rubber material as mentioned in the Design section may also play a key role in minimizing the heat output.
Upgrading and Expansion
Upgrading the Acer Ferrari 4005 is simple, thanks to the easily accessible compartments located on the bottom side of the machine. The Wi-Fi mini-PCI adapter, memory, and hard drive are all user replaceable. There are two RAM modules pre-installed in the computer, two 512MB sticks of 333MHz (PC-2700) DDR made by Hyundai for a total of 1024MB (1 GB).
To replace the hard drive, the user simply needs to remove the hard drive access panel. The Acer Media Bay, which currently houses the slot-load optical drive module, allows the user to swap the optical drive for another modular device, such as a secondary battery or hard disc drive. Simply release the latch located at the bottom to detach the optical drive. In addition to the Ferrari's wide-array of connectivity options, the optional Acer ezDock is available to transform the notebook into a true desktop computer with many of the same connectivity and expansion options.
The slot-load optical drive bay can be swapped out for another drive.
Features
Processor/Chipset/RAM
The Ferrari is powered by the high-end AMD Turion 64 ML-37 clocked at 2.0 GHz with 1MB L2 cache. Essentially, the Turion 64 processor is a mobile variant of the Athlon 64, meaning Turion retains the powerful AMD64 micro-architecture. As the '64' moniker implies, Turion supports 64-bit operation and is designed to work with 64-bit operating systems like Windows XP 64-bit and the upcoming Windows 'Vista' (Codenamed Longhorn). There are two types of Turion chips, ML and MT flavors. Since Turion is still relatively new, the ML variety is the most common. ML chips have a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of 35W, meaning at most the chip will dissipate 35W of power. The MT chips stand to offer the most competition against Intel's Pentium M as they consume a mere 25W, but right now the MT Turion's are few and far between. The AMD64 architecture does not use a conventional front side bus (FSB), instead using HyperTransport technology to interconnect the different components and runs at 1600MHz (800MHz upstream & downstream).
Similar to Intel's SpeedStep technology, Turion 64 and the AMD64 architecture support PowerNow technology, where the clock speed and voltage will adjust dynamically based on system usage. When the processor clocks down to 800 MHz, it is still fast enough to watch DVDs or do general-purpose computing (Web browsing, word processing) with respectable performance. Clock speed can be adjusted in the power options located in Window's Control Panel to 'Portable/Laptop'. A nifty little application called SpeedSwitchXP can also be used to force the processor to run at Full, Adaptive, or Slow speeds with or without the adapter.
As stated in the preceding section, the Ferrari 4005 comes with two 512MB DDR333 (PC-2700) sticks for a total of 1GB and is upgradeable to a total of 2GB (2x1GB sticks). CAS latency is rated at 2.5-3-3-7 for each stick. Turion's integrated memory controller supports single channel DDR400 (PC-3200) memory however out of the box, the Acer Ferrari will only support DDR333; after testing this with two sticks of 512MB DDR400 (PC-3200) RAM modules from OCZ.
Unlike the Centrino platform, which consist of all Intel components (processor, chipset, and Wi-Fi), Turion can be used with chipsets supplied from a number of vendors; in this case the Ferrari uses ATI's Radeon Xpress 200M chipset with a Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN card.
GPU
The Radeon Xpress 200M chipset package supports a discrete PCI-Express video card with dedicated video memory. PCI-Express GPUs demand more power compared to the AGP solutions, potentially affecting battery life. Aimed at performance-oriented thin notebooks, the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 powers the video of the Ferrari 4005 WLMi . The X700 is ATI's first midrange native PCI Express based mobile GPU. The chip inherits the architecture of RADEON X800 and is similar to its desktop counterpart, the X700. Key features include DirectX 9 hardware acceleration support, 8 rendering pipelines, 6 vertex pipelines, and 128MB of dedicated video DDR RAM.
The core clock is rated at 358 MHz while the memory runs at 345 MHz, or 690 MHz effective . The Centrino-based Acer TravelMate 8104 has the same core clock, but the memory is clocked at only 297 MHz (or 594 MHz effective) on the same X700 GPU. ATI's X-series of Mobility Radeon GPU's include a number of features made specifically for mobile computing, like new power-saving (POWERPLAY 5.0) and image quality (LCD-EE) technology. The POWERPLAY 5.0 technology monitors system activity and dynamically adjusts clock and voltage based on system usage. ATI's LCD Enhancement Engine (LCD-EE) technology compensates LCD response time and allows for better image scaling, perfect for high-resolution widescreens such as the one on the Ferrari 4000.
To test the ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700 GPU, I loaded one of the more graphically intensive games available, Half Life 2.With the resolution set to 1024-by-768 and recommended image settings (mostly all on high) set by the game, frame rates varied between 70-100 frames per second according to the in-game FPS display. Overall I was impressed with the detail and fluidity of game play. Moving on to Doom 3 running at 1,024-by-768 resolution on high image quality, it is very playable and varied between 40-60 frames per second. During scenes with heavy action, frame rates varied between 20-30 frames per second. Visually speaking, the graphic detail surrounding the creatures and the environment looked convincingly lifelike. Like in Half-Life 2, game play was smooth and purely playable. Stuttering is noticeable only when every graphical option is set to the max, but for the most part, both Half Life 2 and Doom 3 perform very well and better than I expected. Based on this analysis, the RADEON X700 GPU will certainly satisfy casual gamers, allowing games to run at modest resolution, particularly 1,024-by-768 with image quality features set in the middle to high range.
[Note: CPU speed was set to run at full performance during game testing.]
Display
One of the great features on this power-thin-and-light notebook is its wide-aspect 15.4-inch WSXGA+ TFT LCD screen. Considering the Ferrari 4000 is such a high-end notebook, I'm surprised Acer didn't incorporate their CrystalBrite technology (glossy screen) to enhance image clarity. Even though a transmissive display (as opposed to a transreflective/glossy screen) was used, image quality is still bright and clear, but by no means as impressive as transreflective screens. In 2D desktop use, it does offer sufficient brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and true. Text is very sharp and perfectly legible at the high-resolution, and the response rate is fast enough to keep up with games and movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit motion blur.
Beautiful luminous widescreen display is identical to the Acer TravelMate 8100's display.
The viewing angle is sufficient.
The 15.4-inch widescreen offers large and wide viewing estate, thanks to the 1680-by-1050 resolution. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth; pictures and colors look bright, but lack the 'true color' vibrancy you would get from a transreflective screen. In addition, an image rendered on screen does not seem to be as crisp as with transreflective displays. Compared to DVD playback on the Toshiba Satellite M45 (which uses a transreflective LCD screen), color rendering on the Toshiba is more vibrant and brightness is more consistent. It also has better color accuracy and a slightly wider viewing angle than what is offered from the Acer Ferrari. But if you want to compare between matte screens, the screen on the Acer Ferrari and TravelMate outperforms the Asus V6V's display in all respects.
Sound
Instead of using RealTek's High Definition audio codec (found in the Acer TravelMate 8103/8104 and in Sonoma based notebooks), the Ferrari comes equipped with the standard AC'97 audio specification. The on-board stereo speakers are positioned in the front panel behind the distinctive hole-punched grills. Although the speakers produce loud and clear sounds, they lack bass, a common trait among most laptop speakers.
Like the Sony VAIO notebooks, the Ferrari's on-board speakers can reach high volumes without becoming distorted. Dialogue in movies sounded clear and the surround sound effect was impressive but bass was non-existent. Sounds and vocals were crisp, but once again bass was lacking during MP3 playback. The gaming environment sounded impressive. I was immersed with the sounds from Doom 3 as the audio's 3D sounds amplified the atmosphere and feeling of isolation. I listened to the sound produced from the Acer TravelMate 8104 with high definition audio and I did not notice any differences in sound clarity between the Ferrari with AC' 97 audio and the Acer TravelMate 8104 with High Definition audio.
Overall, the sound capabilities produced from this machine are above par compared to most notebooks with a non-branded set of speakers (ie. Harman Kardon). Music, gaming, and movies sounded excellent with my trusty Sony headphone connected. It should be noted that an optical cable with a mini-jack adapter on one end and a toslink on the other is required if you want to connect the notebook to a receiver with Dolby Digital enabled.
Features Continued
Wi-Fi
The Ferrari 4005 WLMi uses a Broadcom wireless card, which can connect to 802.11b or 802.11g wireless networks. Although Acer does not mention this anywhere, this wireless card comes with a feature called 'Afterburner' technology developed by Broadcom, more popularly known by the 'SpeedBooster' moniker coined by Linksys. 'Afterburner/SpeedBooster' claims to increase 802.11g speeds by up to 35%. At default, the feature is disabled but can be enabled from the device manager.
Simply enable 'SpeedBooster' in the Window's device settings.
In addition to 'Afterburner/SpeedBooster', Acer employs its own SignalUp technology to enhance the antenna signal strength and range. According to Acer, their SignalUp feature can achieve a boost up to 25% in wireless signal strength compared to wireless notebooks from Dell, HP/Compaq, and Toshiba. For added security, it has support for Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the Ferrari 4000 includes the now common wireless hot key to turn on or off the Wireless LAN Card located on the front panel, which helps conserve battery when Wi-Fi is not needed.
Simply push the buttons to enable or disable.
In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall. My tests mainly consisted of connecting to a home 802.11b/g wireless network with no difficulty to speak of. Signal strength was reported between 'very good' to 'excellent' while using the laptop in my home network, even when being about 30 to 40 feet away from the wireless base station.
Bluetooth
The Ferrari also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices like printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones. I connected the included Bluetooth mouse (more on this later) and the Logitech MX900 Bluetooth mouse with ease, thanks to theAdd Bluetooth Device Wizard that detected the mouse immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. The MX900 Bluetooth mouse felt responsive and precise without ever loosing connection. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously. If Bluetooth and WiFi are not enough, the Ferrari comes with infared (IrDA) communication that allows you to synchronize with PDAs or mobile phones.
Bluetooth Mouse
To accompany your Ferrari, Acer included a matching Bluetooth optical mouse. The cool-looking mouse bears the same Ferrari Red stripes, black rubber surface and the prancing horse label. The rather large mouse is powered by a pair of AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and can be charged with the included USB charging cable.
To recharge the mouse, plug one end of the cable into your Ferrari's USB port and the other end into the Bluetooth mouse.
Synchronizing the included Ferrari Bluetooth mouse with the system was seamless, but using it was a different story. The Ferrari mouse did not perform as well as the Logitech MX900 Bluetooth mouse. At most it was erratic, and at times simply would not respond, even after a long charge. It's also fairly heavy compared to the MX900 and exhibits a loud noise when clicking. It's unfortunate that a laptop of this caliber would include a flaky performing mouse.
Optical Drive
A new feature for Acer laptops is the Ferrari's slot loading Super-Multi DVD+/-RW Dual Layer drive; previously slot load drives were found only in Apple's PowerBook and iBook laptops. The versatile drive is capable of burning DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW and reading DVD-ROM & DVD-RAM discs. The drive loads incredibly fast; as soon as I insert a disc the movie or application loads almost instantly. Made by Matshita, the drive is modular or 'hot-swappable,' meaning it can be removed from its drive bay. This allows another module such as a second battery or hard disk drive to be placed inside the bay. The drive burned a system backup DVD and a couple of audio CDs with no problems to report.
Simply insert a disc directly to the slot-load or push the eject to spit it out.
The supported disc formats, read and burning capabilities are as follow:
Read: 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD-ROM, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW, 3X DVD-RAM, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 24X CD-RW, 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R
Write: 8X DVD+R, 8X DVD-R, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-RW, 4X CD-RW, 2.4X DVD+R DL, 2X DVD-RAM, 24X CD-R
Hard Drive
The Acer Ferrari 4000 does not disappoint when it comes to storage capacity. Acer includes a massive 100GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 (ST9100823A) hard disk drive with 8MB data buffer and a reasonable 5,400 RPM rotational speed. This is the identical drive installed in our Acer TravelMate 8103 and 8104 test models. Thanks to the SoftSonic FDB bearing motor in the Seagate, the drive is virtually silent when operating. When the disk drive seeks, it exhibits only a slight crunching noise that is just barely audible. Although the drive provides 100GB of storage space, it is not contiguous. The hard drive oddly came in FAT32 formatted with two partitions. Acer included a hidden restore partition reserved on the C: drive so that users can restore the operating system, drivers, and utilities to factory default using the eRecovery utility. In respect to performance, the drive outperforms the Hitachi 60GB 5400RPM in our performance test. This has everything to do with the areal density of the platter. Areal density refers to the amount of data per square inch that can fit onto the disc platter. Since there is an arm that physically moves around the drive to read data at different points, the more data you can fit in a square inch means the less movement that arm has to do. The less 'seeking' the arm has to do, the more data it can read in a given period of time. The Seagate drive has a 21% greater areal density, allowing it greater performance despite the same spindle speed and cache.
Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery is 4,800 mAh and 14.8V, respectively. The physical shape of the battery with grip support makes for an excellent carrying handle when toting the notebook around by hand. It weighs almost a pound at 15.4 ounces and measures 8.3-inches long, 2.5-inches wide and 1.1-inches thick.
Designed to offer grip-support when carrying with your hands.
During general use like web browsing, word processing, MP3 playback, and photo editing, the battery lasted a little over 2 hours and 25 minutes with the power scheme set to 'Portable/Laptop'. With the brightness setting set in the middle and power scheme set to 'Portable/Laptop', the 122-minute DVD movie 'From Hell' played through the entire duration with 20% remaining. Unfortunately, the Acer Ferrari did not come bundled with Acer's ePowerManagement application utility, which allows for you to control all the computer's power schemes and battery efficiencies.
AC Adapter
The AC Adapter is a commonly overlooked part of a notebook's features, even though it is the most important part! The included AC adapter weighs exactly 13 ounces and measures 5.2-inches long, 2.3-inches wide, and 1.2' thick, which is slightly larger than the TravelMate 8100's AC adapter but is more compact compared to ones from Sony or Dell. Still, the AC adapter is extremely light and can easily slip in a carrying case or backpack pocket. Unfortunately, it is missing a strap or some form of cable management around the adapter to organize the lengthy power cables.
The AC Adapter is slightly larger than the AC Adapter used for the TravelMate 8100 series.
Both the Ferrari 4005 and the Acer TravelMate 8104 can operate without the battery pack installed if the AC adapter is plugged in.
Software
Acer included a vast array of software applications to streamline your computing experience. The Acer eManager is comprised of three software utilities to manage the system:
- Acer eSetting to control and modify your device settings and boot sequence.
- Acer ePresentation software helps make connecting the notebook to a projector quicker and simpler.
- Acer eRecovery can backup and restore your system.
One of my favorite programs is Acer's GridVista that helps organize and manage the numerous open application windows so I can have two, three or four windows in plain view when I work, eliminating the need of minimizing and maximizing each application window and reducing screen clutter. Simply run the program and select the number of windows you want to view simultaneously: double, triple, and quad.
Simply drag and drop each window into the appropriate grid to view all of them simultaneously.
The The Ferrari wallpaper is cool!
Setup MethodThe Acer Ferrari 4005 WLMi was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activatesPowerNow technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50% and Wi-Fi & Bluetooth were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.
Business Winstone 2004 runs business related applications through a series of scripted activities and uses the time a PC takes to complete those activities to produce its performance scores. Each application runs 5 tests through a series of demos and activities. Business applications include:
- Microsoft Access 2002
- Microsoft Excel 2002
- Microsoft Frontpage 2002
- Microsoft Outlook 2002
- Microsoft PowerPoint 2002
- Microsoft Project 2002
- Microsoft Word 2002
- Norton AntiVirus Professional Edition 2003
- Winzip 8.1
Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004 is a single large test that runs multimedia applications through a series of scripted activities and returns a single score. Applications include:
- Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1
- Adobe Premiere 6.50
- Macromedia Director MX 9.0
- Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 6.1
- Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 Version 9.00.00.2980
- NewTek's LightWave 3D 7.5b
- Steinberg WaveLab 4.0f
Business Winstone 2004 Batterymark measures a laptop computer's battery life by simulating real-world usage. The program measures the time it takes to drain the battery by running applications such as Microsoft Office XP, Norton AntiVirus, and WinZip through a series of scripted activities to drain the battery in a realistic way.
3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.
3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.
PCMark 2004 build 1.3.0 uses real life application tests to generate a combined score by running specific tasks like application loading, game tests, 3D rendering, multimedia encoding, and more. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.
PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.0.1 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.
Doom 3 (Version 1.1) using the built-in time-demo, initiated with the console command 'timedemo demo1 precache'.
Test1:
| Test2:
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Half Life 2 (Source Engine 7) timedemos Coast 05 and Canals 08 from Anandtech.com with the following tests and graphic settings:
Test1 (Low Image Quality):
| Test2 (High Image Quality):
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Configurations
| Specifications | Ferrari 4005 | TravelMate 8104 | TravelMate 8103 |
| Processor | AMD Turion 64 Mobile ML-37 | Intel Pentium M Processor 760 | Intel Pentium M Processor 750 |
| Front Side Bus | None | 533 MHz | 533 MHz |
| Chipset | ATI Radeon Xpress 200M | Intel 915 PM Express | Intel 915 PM Express |
| Wireless LAN | Broadcom 802.11b/g with SpeedBooster | Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG (802.11a/b/g) Bluetooth Wireless IrDA | Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG (802.11a/b/g) Bluetooth Wireless IrDA |
| LCD | 15.4' WSXGA+ TFT LCD (1680x1050) | 15.4' WSXGA+ TFT LCD (1680x1050) | 15.4' WSXGA+ TFT LCD (1680x1050) |
| Hard Drive | 100GB Seagate Momentus 5400RPM 8MB Cache (ST9100823A) | 100GB Seagate Momentus 5400RPM 8MB Cache (ST9100823A) | 100GB Seagate Momentus 5400RPM 8MB Cache (ST9100823A) |
| Memory | 1GB DDR333 PC2700 SDRAM | 1GB DDR2-533 SDRAM (2 x 512MB) on Dual-Channel Mode CL=4 | 512MB DDR2-533 SDRAM (1 x 512MB) on Single-Channel Mode CL=4 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon X700 | ATI Mobility Radeon X700 128MB of DDR Video RAM on PCI Express | ATI Mobility Radeon X700 128MB of DDR Video RAM on PCI Express |
| Graphics Interface | S-Video/TV-out/DVI-D | S-Video/TV-out/DVI-D | S-Video/TV-out/DVI-D |
| Optical Drive | Slot-Load DVD-RW Super-Multi Double Layer | Tray-Load DVD-RW Super-Multi Double Layer | Tray-Load DVD-RW Super-Multi Double Layer |
| Modem | Integrated V.90 Modem | Integrated V.90 Modem | Integrated V.90 Modem |
| Ethernet | 10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet | 10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet | 10BASE-T/1000BASE-TX Ethernet |
| Audio | Realtek AC' 97 | Realtek High Definition | Realtek High Definition |
| Audio Interface | Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support | Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support | Microphone, two stereo speakers, headphone/line-out with SPDIF support |
| Ports | 5-in-1 Card Reader FireWire 1394 4x USB 2.0 PC Card | 5-in-1 Reader | 5-in-1 Reader |
| Weight | 6.3 lbs. with 8-cell battery | 6.3 lbs. with 8-cell battery | 6.3 lbs. with 8-cell battery |
| Size (W x D x H) | 14.3' x 10.5' x 1.2'-1.4' | 14.3' x 10.5' x 1.2'-1.4' | 14.3' x 10.5' x 1.2'-1.4' |
| Operating System | Windows XP Professional w/SP2 | Windows XP Professional w/SP2 | Windows XP Professional w/SP2 |
| Battery | 4,800 mAh | 4,800 mAh | 4,800 mAh |
The Ferrari 4005 WLMi shipped with the latest ATI video driver version 6.14.10.6546 dated 6/13/05 whereas the Acer TravelMate 8100 series' lastest ATI video driver is v6.14.10.6497 dated 4/28/05. Something else we discovered, the X700 shipped with the Ferrari is clocked at 345 MHz / 358 MHz (Memory/Core) and the X700 shipped with the TravelMate 8104 is clocked at 297 MHz / 358 MHz (Memory/Core).
Performance
General Usage (Business Winstone 2004)
Business Winstone tests a combination of CPU, RAM, and hard drive. Interestingly, the 4005 and the 8104 offer performance well within the error range.
Multimedia Content Creation (Business Winstone 2004)
This benchmark is heavily dependent on the CPU and RAM subsystems. Interestingly, the Turion-based 4005 wins, even with its substandard DDR333 RAM.
PCMark04
The Ferrari's single-channel DDR333 couldn't edge the TravelMate 8100 series equipped with DDR2 533 but its faster clocked X700 GPU gave it a big lead in the graphics test.
Here are the associated scores (numbers in bold highlights the higher score)
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