It may not have Dell's flexible configurations, but most of Acer's machines sport components that are well-thought out and target a specific group. The Aspire 4937G is a midrange entertainment laptop that offers a comfortable mix of performance and portability. Though at S$1,798 (US$1,277.44), the Aspire 4937G is not exactly a low-cost machine, comparable multimedia notebooks such as the HP Pavilion dv4 and Dell Inspiron 14 actually cost a little more with slightly lower specifications.
...

Read first take of the Acer Aspire 4937G »

First Take

It may not have Dell's flexible configurations, but most of Acer's machines sport components that are well-thought out and target a specific group. The Aspire 4937G is a midrange entertainment laptop that offers a comfortable mix of performance and portability. Though at S$1,798 (US$1,277.44), the Aspire 4937G is not exactly a low-cost machine, comparable multimedia notebooks such as the HP Pavilion dv4 and Dell Inspiron 14 actually cost a little more with slightly lower specifications.

Upside: One of the most important aspects of an entertainment laptop is the screen, and in this area the Aspire does not disappoint. The 14-inch LCD is HD-ready with a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels and comes with HDMI output for hooking up to larger displays. We also like the 16:9 aspect ratio that allows widescreen movies to be displayed without black borders.

Though this is hardly an affordable machine, Acer does try to give maximum value by cramming in high-end components to increase its value. The default bundle sports a powerful 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor, generous 500GB harddisk and large 4GB RAM. The graphics chipset comes from Nvidia's latest lineup, though the midrange GeForce G105M video card is really only suitable for decoding high-definition movies and playing less resource-intensive games. A nice touch is the fingerprint sensor for easy logins, though without a TPM security chip to store encryption keys we don't recommend using this Aspire to store sensitive data.

Last, but not least, with Windows 7 around the corner you'll be glad to know that the preinstalled Vista Home Premium is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium (but shipping and handling fees still apply).

Downside: The new Gemstone redesign looks really good and classy. However, it cannot hide the fact that the Aspire 4937G is one of the thicker and heavier models in its class, with a 2.5kg heft and 42.5mm height. It is still portable enough for a backpack, but not light enough for long distance travel in a shoulder bag.

This laptop is powerful enough to play Blu-ray discs, except that no Blu-ray drive option is available for this model. Though you can use an external optical peripheral, this is an inelegant solution. We hope the next iteration will at least include a Blu-ray combo drive.

Outlook: The Acer Aspire 4937G, with its excellent mix of performance and affordability, is one of the better choices in the market for those looking for a portable entertainment laptop.

Rate It Now

Rating guidelines

Acer Aspire 4937G (Core 2 Duo T9550 Processor 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM)

Rate this product:
1 - Abysmal 2 - Terrible 3 - Poor 4 - Mediocre 5 - Average 6 - Good 7 - Very good 8 - Excellent 9 - Spectacular 10 - Perfect

Need help? Read our guidelines for what each number rating represents.

Submit your opinion

User Reviews

chaithu1983

 View profile
 Send mail

Good for Home usage purpose

Dec 9, 2009

Rating: 8 out of 10 (Excellent)
Pros: Best configuration for best price
Cons: Keyboard can be bit better.
Opinion:
Overall is gud

 

See all user opinions »

User Discussion

pope1star: Ph58,000.00

uaanw101: how much it cost

More discussion »

• Most Popular

• Upcoming

Latest Downloads

What's Hot