Why You Can Trust CNET Acer TravelMate 8100 review: Acer TravelMate 8100
A textbook example of a good mainstream laptop, the Acer TravelMate 8100 has it all.
The Acer TravelMate 8100 is a textbook example of a good mainstream laptop. It offers an exceptionally well-designed case that's loaded with impressive parts--a fast Intel Pentium M processor, a wide-aspect display, and a DVD burner, to name a few. The TravelMate 8100 makes quick work of basic computing tasks and has respectable battery life. At $1,999 (as of August 2005), its somewhat high price is the single chink in its otherwise solid armor, but we think it's a smart buy if you can afford it (or find it for less money). If you're looking for a less expensive mainstream laptop, check out the Dell Latitude D510.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The TravelMate 8100's 6.6-pound, 14.3-inch wide, 10.5-inch deep case is built of the magnesium alloy and black plastic seen on most mainstream laptops. The case measures 1.4 inches thick at the back and tapers to 1.2 inches in front, which gives the big machine a sleeker look. The laptop's considerable dimensions are on a par with those of other mainstream systems, such as the HP Compaq Presario V4000 and Toshiba Satellite M45, and its three-pronged AC adapter weighs an average 0.8 pound.
Acer gave the TravelMate 8100 some excellent design features. Your fingers will enjoy the expansive, curved, ergonomically friendly keyboard. The touch pad, mouse buttons, and extra scroll button are all unusually big--a boon for broad hands. The front edge features two handy on/off buttons for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi hardware. The system lacks buttons for manipulating disc play, but it does offer four convenient, programmable buttons for launching your favorite programs. Last but not least, the broad, 15.4-inch display offers a high 1,680x1,050 native resolution that renders graphics in fine detail.
A couple of cool ports that are uncommon among laptops--DVI and a headphone jack with S/PDIF support--make an appearance here. The remaining lineup of ports and jacks is impressive, as well: four USB 2.0, four-pin FireWire, S-Video out, infrared, modem, Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, microphone, and a docking connector. Along with the standard Type II PC Card slot, the TravelMate 8100 includes a handy 5-in-1 card reader that supports Secure Digital, Memory Stick/Pro, MultiMediaCard, and xD flash memory cards.
Besides the Windows XP Professional operating system, the TravelMate 8100, like many mainstream laptops, comes with a sparse selection of software. You get CyberLink's PowerDVD player, NTI's CD Maker disc-burning app, and Acer's eManager utility for establishing passwords and other system settings. For a $2,000 laptop, we think Acer should have at least thrown the Microsoft Works 8.0 productivity suite, too.
We tested the TravelMate 8104WLMi, which is one of two prebuilt systems in the TravelMate 8100 series. At $1,999 (as of August 2005), the system costs more than most mainstream laptops, but it also offers higher-end parts. Its components include a fast, 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760 processor; a hefty 1GB of quick, 533MHz memory; a huge 100GB, 5,400rpm hard drive; a cutting-edge, 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X700 graphics chip; a sweet, single-layer, multiformat DVD burner; 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi; and Bluetooth. The $1,579 HP Compaq Presario V4000 and the $1,249 Toshiba Satellite M45 both cost significantly less than the TravelMate 8104WLMi, but they also carry less powerful parts. For example, the Toshiba's Pentium M processor runs at a slower 1.73GHz, and the HP has an integrated graphics engine that's less powerful than the TravelMate's discrete GPU.
In CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks, the TravelMate 8104WLMi used its potent parts to full advantage. The system finished our tests 20 percent ahead of both the HP Compaq V4000 and the Toshiba Satellite M45, though again, the latter two laptops featured less powerful configurations. The TravelMate 8104WLMi also earned a long battery score of 3 hours, 31 minutes, compared to the HP's 3 hours, 7 minutes and the Toshiba's 3 hours, 1 minute. We should note that the Acer ships with a much bigger battery than the HP and the Toshiba.
As with most mainstream laptops, standard warranty service for the TravelMate 8100 lasts for a single year. During that period, you can mail or carry in your laptop to a service outlet near you for repairs. You can also call Acer's toll-free phone-support lines for help, though you'll reach a live technician only between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT on weekends. Outside those hours, you can leave a detailed message, and the company promises that a technician will call back within an hour. Unfortunately, the company's support Web site doesn't have much going for it, mainly consisting of a limited knowledge base and driver downloads.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | BAPCo MobileMark 2002 performance rating |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
| BAPCo MobileMark 2002 battery life in minutes |
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System configurations:
Acer TravelMate 8104WLMi
Windows XP Professional; Intel Pentium M 760 2GHz; 1,024MB PC4300 DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon X700 128MB; Seagate ST9100823A Momentus 100GB 5,400rpm
Compaq Presario V4000
Windows XP Professional; Intel Pentium M 760 2GHz; 1,024MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM 333MHz; Intel 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express 128MB; Toshiba MK8025GAS 80GB 4,200rpm
Toshiba Satellite M45
Windows XP Home; 1.73GHz Intel Pentium M 740; 512MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM 333MHz; Intel 915GM/GMS 910GML Express 128MB; Toshiba MK1031GAS 100GB 4,200rpm