Acer 15" Laptop: Core i3-2310 Sandy Bridge CPU, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD, USB3.0, $499 @ Costco 5/12

[whenry83]

Just got my Costco coupon book in the mail and saw this sweet deal on a Sandy Bridge laptop:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11642229&search=571152&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=571152&Ntt=571152&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial

Acer 15.6" HD LED Laptop PC
Intel Core i3-2310 CPU
4GB DDR3 RAM
500GB HD
DVDRW
USB3.0
1.3MP HD Webcam
HDMI
Wireless N
Win 7 Home Premium

Costco gives 2 year warranties on laptops. Use Amex for a 3rd year :)
Only $499 after instant savings starting 5/12

[janneken]

let me hunt down a link

[allstardeals]

Good deal..not get this deal down but costco had Acer i5 (1st generation) 15.6" screen 6GB ram for 540$ a week back in costco (YMMV). I though of buying but i am looking for a 14"...

Just got my Costco coupon book in the mail and saw this sweet deal on a Sandy Bridge laptop:

Acer 15.6" HD LED Laptop PC
Intel Core i3-2310 CPU
4GB DDR3 RAM
500GB HD
DVDRW
USB3.0
Wireless N
Win 7 Home Premium

Costco gives 2 year warranties on laptops. Use Amex for a 3rd year :)
Only $499 after instant savings starting 5/12

[justinblaine23]

Do you have the model # by any chance? I'm the type of guy that has to look at reviews before I buy anything....haha :)

[WiiFit]

Link = ?

[justinblaine23]

This comp isn't on the Costco website yet, that's why there's not a link, hopefully it'll be up there sometime soon!...

[Thryn7686]

OP, is there any info on a video card? If this has anything more than the Intel 3000 graphics, this might be really really slick.

[Lopportunity]

OP, is there any info on a video card? If this has anything more than the Intel 3000 graphics, this might be really really slick.

Intel 3000 is the latest integrated GPU by Intel, I'm not sure you're going to find anything better unless it's Nvidia. Intel 3000 is a big improvement over last generation, here's more info: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html

[Thryn7686]

Intel 3000 is the latest integrated GPU by Intel, I'm not sure you're going to find anything better unless it's Nvidia. Intel 3000 is a big improvement over last generation, here's more info: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html

Right. But I'm looking for a cheap gaming laptop, and those integrated graphics just don't work well enough for me. I'd like to see less jagged edges, please. :)

[moSom]

The odds of this having a good video card for gaming is .01%. Just saying.

[dpollitt]

Saw this in the costco ad I got. I also found a very similar package for an HP Probook at $499.

HP ProBook 4530s XU015UT 15.6" Notebook, Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz), 4GB DDR3 Memory, 320GB (7200rpm) HDD, DVD Super Multi-Drive with LightScribe, Intel GMA HD 3000, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Same price as Amazon and Buy. Here is the Buy.com link (http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-probook-4530s-xu015ut-15-6-notebook-intel-core-i3-2310m-2-10ghz-4gb/q/loc/101/220391714.html)

Not sure if I made the right choice going with the HP Probook over this Acer. Something about the Acer brand makes me think that the HP is a better deal. I also think the probook is going to be a bit better build quality. Also, the obvious differences are that the Acer has a bigger HD(500GB not 320), but I'm not sure what else. Anyone have any comparisons one way or another?

[justinblaine23]

Saw this in the costco ad I got. I also found a very similar package for an HP Probook at $499.

HP ProBook 4530s XU015UT 15.6" Notebook, Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz), 4GB DDR3 Memory, 320GB (7200rpm) HDD, DVD Super Multi-Drive with LightScribe, Intel GMA HD 3000, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

Same price as Amazon and Buy. Here is the Buy.com link (http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-probook-4530s-xu015ut-15-6-notebook-intel-core-i3-2310m-2-10ghz-4gb/q/loc/101/220391714.html)

Not sure if I made the right choice going with the HP Probook over this Acer. Something about the Acer brand makes me think that the HP is a better deal. I also think the probook is going to be a bit better build quality. Also, the obvious differences are that the Acer has a bigger HD(500GB not 320), but I'm not sure what else. Anyone have any comparisons one way or another?

I don't have much personal experience with either, but have heard that HP is kinda hit or miss and most of them aren't built very well. I'm not sure so much about Acer, other than I have heard it is a bit better than HP. I have been looking at laptops for a couple months now and haven't bought a couple of good deals on HP's because of their reputation.

[kingjuno23]

The odds of this having a good video card for gaming is .01%. Just saying.

Lol totally agree.

[yarnim]

Right. But I'm looking for a cheap gaming laptop, and those integrated graphics just don't work well enough for me. I'd like to see less jagged edges, please. :)

no such thing as cheap gaming laptop

[tomtexas]

If you are looking for a really good laptop for little money I would look at the Latitudes 6410/6510 at the Dell Outlet. I bought a 6410 FULLY loaded for $730 (new these run around $1500 after discounts). With a 20% coupon you might get a 6410 for under $700
(1440x900, i5, graphics card, 9 cell, backlight keyboard, 3 year warranty etc.). The Latitudes (business laptops) normally get returned by business types and look brand new.

http://www.facebook.com/DellOutlet?sk=wall
http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/latitude-laptops

[fastmate]

I don't have much personal experience with either, but have heard that HP is kinda hit or miss and most of them aren't built very well. I'm not sure so much about Acer, other than I have heard it is a bit better than HP. I have been looking at laptops for a couple months now and haven't bought a couple of good deals on HP's because of their reputation.

No question the HP is the way to go. Aluminum case, thumbprint reader. better display. What you bought in my opinion is the best value on the net or anywhere for that matter under $600. Good job!

[wamo]

No question the HP is the way to go. Aluminum case, thumbprint reader. better display. What you bought in my opinion is the best value on the net or anywhere for that matter under $600. Good job!
How do we know that hp has a better display? I still haven't seen anyone post the full specs on the acer, or what model number the acer is. Anyone?

[madmike32]

If I had to guess, its probably an AS5750.

[joshuaNH]

This is decent....
Very interesting.

How fast is the HD?

[wdidb]

Nice find, might have to pick one up

[dpollitt]

No question the HP is the way to go. Aluminum case, thumbprint reader. better display. What you bought in my opinion is the best value on the net or anywhere for that matter under $600. Good job!

Thanks for the confirmation! I am quite an avid researcher when I spend this much dough, and I'm also in IT(not saying much). I know the entire brand preference debate is never ending, but I think that the HP Probook line looks pretty nice from what I can tell. We will have to wait and see on the specs of this Acer Costco deal to find out the full spec sheet I guess.

[VampHuntD]

I don't see the one this deal mentioned, but I do see this one (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11626492&search=acer&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=acer&Ntt=acer&No=2&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1)....Thoughts?

[dpollitt]

I don't see the one this deal mentioned, but I do see this one (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11626492&search=acer&Mo=4&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=acer&Ntt=acer&No=2&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1)....Thoughts?


The model you posted is 17.3" not 15.6", and has the older processor. The new processor "sandy bridge" all start with i3-2xxx. So yea this has some similarities, but I would hold out for the new processor if possible.

[Barmat]

Here is a link to a PDF of the coupon book this was in. The Acer is on page 9 with the other no coupon needed items. So it's instantly discounted at check out and It's also available online.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1Kl_qCFUTPXNWRmODk4ZjItMzY2NS00ODIwLTllNWMtOTkyNjViYzczNjQ3&hl=en

[dpollitt]

@Barmat - You didnt add a PDF.

[Barmat]

@Barmat - You didnt add a PDF.

Fixed:omg:

[justinblaine23]

Do either of you actually see it online? or in the store? I haven't seen it in either one, I'm starting to wonder if it's possibly just an area based thing?

[Barmat]

Do either of you actually see it online? or in the store? I haven't seen it in either one, I'm starting to wonder if it's possibly just an area based thing?

Here is the link to the Acer site that the model probobly is. I've not seen it in costco and will wait until friday to make the trip(screw high gas prices).

The only difference I can tell with the limited specs from the coupon is 4GB vs 6GB.

If they have a demo and I like it I'll buy it.

http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/LX.R9702.104

[justinblaine23]

That has all the same specs except it has 6GB RAM and the ad only has 4, that's my biggest problem with laptops at costco...no model numbers posted anywhere..

[VampHuntD]

The model you posted is 17.3" not 15.6", and has the older processor. The new processor "sandy bridge" all start with i3-2xxx. So yea this has some similarities, but I would hold out for the new processor if possible.

Ah I see, I did not know that. I'm trying to pick between these three:
Lenovo G560 (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11631474&search=568637&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=568637&Ntt=568637&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial)
Asus AS7741 (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11631474&search=568637&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=568637&Ntt=568637&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial)
And The Acer mentioned in this thread.

I was leaning towards the Lenovo, but I'm not very familiar with the newest PC setups...are either of those $600 setups worth it? I know the Acer would do what I need it to, but I'm wary of Acer PCs....

[Barmat]

I'd bet it's the same model minus the 2GB stick and some special Costco only model number. 6-2= $150 off.

[truongphusy]

Sorry, kinda new at this. I noticed a lot of these computers have "Intel HD" graphics. How does this kind of GPU perform compared to ATI 4250, etc?

I was looking for a new laptop that could at least run StarCraft 2, under $550. So far, many of the laptops I've come across meet the criteria.

I'm waiting on the GPU specs for this laptop, and hopefully other deals don't pass me by. In case this IS "Intel HD" graphics, would it be able to run SC2?

Thanks :wave:

[ratherDashing]

I'd bet it's the same model minus the 2GB stick and some special Costco only model number. 6-2= $150 off.

Which IMHO is a pretty darn good deal. 4GB is more than enough for stuff today, and in a year(s) in the future if you want to throw 8GB in it, I bet 2x 4GB sticks will be $40-$50.

That plus Costco warranty is pretty much second to none.

Is there any risk with using my parents's costco card? Do you need to be the name on the card to get this deal or to get work done on the laptop under warranty? What happens if they are no longer a member next year?

[edit]

It's on their website already. It's the Acer Aspire AS5750: http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11642229&whse=BC&Ne=5000001+4000000&eCat=BC|84|56670&N=4047229%204294965745&Mo=4&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

[edit 2]

FYI Sales tax MAY be on the pre-discounted price so the laptop comes to 545.49 with NJ 7% sales tax if that's the case or 534.99 if not.

[xxxxxx]

It's there now:

Click Here (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11642229&search=571152&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=571152&Ntt=571152&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial)

[ratherDashing]

It's there now:

Click Here (http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11642229&search=571152&topnav=&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode%20matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=571152&Ntt=571152&No=0&Nty=1&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial)
yeah don't know if i should pull the trigger.

I want to go play with it first to see if the quality is good but I don't personally have a costco card, my parents do. I'm just using their number. I don't know if they will a) let me in and if they do b) just use my parent's costco info.

[pointbob]

Just wondering if you walk in to a physical costco do you get the $499 price? I don't have a coupon.

thanks

[JamesCastle]

- Costco return policy has changed in the recent years so there's no advantage of buying a laptop there unless it's cheaper than you can find anywhere else

-A i3 4GB/500GB hd laptop can be had from most places including Dell for a little less than the $499 costco price

-Unless things have changed alot, dells, hps, etc are better in quality than acers

[Barmat]

- Costco return policy has changed in the recent years so there's no advantage of buying a laptop there unless it's cheaper than you can find anywhere else

-A i3 4GB/500GB hd laptop can be had from most places including Dell for a little less than the $499 costco price

-Unless things have changed alot, dells, hps, etc are better in quality than acers


A 2yr warranty free is still a good deal.

[ratherDashing]

Just wondering if you walk in to a physical costco do you get the $499 price? I don't have a coupon.

thanks

no coupon needed so says the coupon :)

[ratherDashing]

- Costco return policy has changed in the recent years so there's no advantage of buying a laptop there unless it's cheaper than you can find anywhere else

-A i3 4GB/500GB hd laptop can be had from most places including Dell for a little less than the $499 costco price

-Unless things have changed alot, dells, hps, etc are better in quality than acers

How has the return policy changed. It's a 90 day policy now. The warranty is what's good here. 2 years with the concierge.

Where can you find one with free shipping for $500?

I can't say much about build quality. I still want to go play around with it.

[wpaliga]

This is a great deal for what you are getting. New i3 processor with 500GB harddrive, 4GB of RAM for 500 bucks. Yes it's not a gaming labtop, yes it isn't the best but for the average joe that surfs the web, emails, streams music, you're not going to beat it. The New i3 alone makes it worth it.

[truongphusy]

How has the return policy changed. It's a 90 day policy now. The warranty is what's good here. 2 years with the concierge.

Where can you find one with free shipping for $500?

I can't say much about build quality. I still want to go play around with it.

I actually went to check it out earlier today. The price is $500 with a manufacturer's warranty on the original price. There is also another $8 fee (I forgot exactly what it was for).

All in all, its an okay laptop. I have an old Acer right now, and it's pretty much the same. The surfaces of the of laptop has a HP-like texture on it. Its all plastic, and in my opinion, it feels cheap, which is why it probably so inexpensive. It isn't that thick or thin (pause), and the keyboard and touch pad are okay. In my opinion, Asus and HP have very good keyboards, but this Acer isn't close to that.

After taxes and fees, you'll probably pay $560, and I think you can get a much better laptop for that price. Go check one out at your electronics store and buy online. I'm going to buy the HP Probook from Buy.com that was posted on the first page. Its $499 with free shipping and similar specs. The build quality seems a lot better though.

[dzap]

There is also another $8 fee (I forgot exactly what it was for).
CA e-waste fee.

[Barmat]

In for 1 picked it up in am That's me average Joe. The price and warranty were a good match inmho. Yes it's a plastic light feeling comp but that's ok, I was expecting it.

[wpaliga]

In for 1 picked it up in am That's me average Joe. The price and warranty were a good match inmho. Yes it's a plastic light feeling comp but that's ok, I was expecting it.

2 year costco warranty plus i paid with my costco amex and you get another year. 3 year warranty, sandybridge i3.........in for 2

[VampHuntD]

In for 1 picked it up in am That's me average Joe. The price and warranty were a good match inmho. Yes it's a plastic light feeling comp but that's ok, I was expecting it.

What I'm most concerned with is the internal components. My last two HP laptops have burned out their motherboards with light to normal use. Will this one do the same? I'm not buying HP anymore...

[avalluva]

Got one today. Thanks OP. Repped

[whenry83]

Sorry, kinda new at this. I noticed a lot of these computers have "Intel HD" graphics. How does this kind of GPU perform compared to ATI 4250, etc?

I was looking for a new laptop that could at least run StarCraft 2, under $550. So far, many of the laptops I've come across meet the criteria.

I'm waiting on the GPU specs for this laptop, and hopefully other deals don't pass me by. In case this IS "Intel HD" graphics, would it be able to run SC2?

Thanks :wave:

It is confusing...This laptop has the new Sandy Bridge Intel HD 3000 graphics which are about twice as fast as the ATI 4250.

I checked the laptop out in-store today and it is nice. The 1.3MP HD webcam is really nice.

[tennisplayer123]

I believe with these new laptops, we would need to upgrade to over 4GB of RAM, bc the Intel 3000 uses up to 1.6GB of video memory which I believe is pulled from RAM, so it looks like an increase would be the best, 6Gb looks good.

[ratherDashing]

I actually went to check it out earlier today. The price is $500 with a manufacturer's warranty on the original price. There is also another $8 fee (I forgot exactly what it was for)..

What does that mean? The warranty is on the actual laptop regardless of the price of the laptop.

[VampHuntD]

What does that mean? The warranty is on the actual laptop regardless of the price of the laptop.

I think he meant that if something were to go wrong with the laptop, you'd get the full value rather than the $500 you paid. This would be a positive :) I think I'm going to pick one of these up today...

[whenry83]

Sandy bridge laptops already $499, so old core i3's are gonna be $350-399 really soon :D

[wamo]

Comparison ...

....................Acer AS5750.......HP 4530s
Hard drive....500 (5400)............320 (7200)
USB ports....1 (3.0), 2 (2.0)......1 (3.0), 3 (2.0)
Bluetooth.....No........................Yes
Fingerprint...No........................Yes
Casing.........Plastic..................Aluminum
Warranty......2yr.......................1yr

[killershroom]

no such thing as cheap gaming laptop

Well that isn't true. My Alienware M11X was only $600.:wave:

[truongphusy]

What does that mean? The warranty is on the actual laptop regardless of the price of the laptop.

whoops sorry, I meant "tax", not warranty. :O

[fenderman]

Comparison ...

....................Acer AS5750.......HP 4530s
Hard drive....500 (5400)............320 (7200)
USB ports....1 (3.0), 2 (2.0)......4 (2.0) ***
Bluetooth.....No........................Yes
Fingerprint...No........................Yes
Casing.........Plastic..................Aluminum
Warranty......2yr.......................1yr

***according to HP web site specs, no mention of one USB port being 3.0 ???

Hi, I can confirm that the hp 4530s model XU015UT does infact have a usb3.0 port on the left side (labled SS (Superspeed)). I cannot explain why the website does not list it. I really like the system, runs fast and super cool. For what its worth my previous laptop was an Acer and was super reliable with zero issues. I treated it rough but it held strong. I passed it along to a family member.

[575rider]

Are these available in-store or online only?

[gerrytwo]

On sale in store at the Westbury, L.I. Costco. All you need is the item number (in the coupon book or from the store display), which you give to the cashier. You get the computer after you check out, bring your receipt to merchandise pickup. The hard drive on my Acer computer, which I just bought at Costco, shows the hard drive is only 450 GB. Something I will have to look into further, why it isn't 500 GB?

[whenry83]

The hard drive on my Acer computer, which I just bought at Costco, shows the hard drive is only 450 GB. Something I will have to look into further, why it isn't 500 GB?

When manufacturers of such devices say "GB", they mean what is called a "decimal gigabyte", which equals exactly 1,000,000,000 (one billion) bytes (a byte is a fairly basic unit of storage in computers). When your device's operating system describes the capacity of the storage medium, they typically use what is called a "binary gigabyte", which equals exactly 1,073,741,824 bytes. Because of this discrepancy, a device has less binary gigabytes than decimal gigabytes.

http://www.brettbits.com/Text/MissingHardDriveSpace/

[gerrytwo]

Right you are, But the drive should have had about 465 GB binary showing. Who knows how much bloatware they put in this sucker. So an additional 15 GB storage space somehow gets used up.

[OnyxZ28]

Anyone else having issues with this laptop? I picked one up a week ago -- the laptop lags and the sound stutters while streaming videos for me.

[golfer29]

Got one today. Thanks OP. Repped
How do you like the laptop so far? Does yours lag like the previous poster's?

[nfilipac]

Right. But I'm looking for a cheap gaming laptop, and those integrated graphics just don't work well enough for me. I'd like to see less jagged edges, please. :)

this is about as close as you're gonna get to a "cheap gaming laptop"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=u1289341t2865957f9fp0dd0c0s701&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16834215037

[Thryn7686]

this is about as close as you're gonna get to a "cheap gaming laptop"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=u1289341t2865957f9fp0dd0c0s701&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16834215037

Now see, that's not half bad. I don't need something to replace my desktop, just something that could fill in every now and again. Good find!

[Legionnaire]

I bought two of them for $399 each, I have used them all day and night and no issues. Hopefully no issues ever. >.< anyone else have good/bad experiences with it?

[Legionnaire]

no one?...