Acer's 16-inch Aspire 6930 reviewed: right on the money

In the battle between new 16-inch multimedia notebooks, it's safe to say that Laptop Mag prefers Acer's rig over Samsung's R610. The Aspire 6930 (or 6930G-6723, if we're talking specifics), was said to have an eye-catching design, great Blu-ray playback and solid all-around performance suitable for a media-minded lappie. Not to mention the sub-$1,000 sticker -- that helped, too. In actuality, the only real knock was the fact that a 1080p display wasn't included at the $999 price point, but we all know that's just being greedy. These critics didn't hesitate to dish out a 4 out of 5 star rating for Acer's latest 16-incher, calling it "a winner" for anyone looking for a "relatively lightweight desktop replacement that's not too expensive."

[iEye @ Nov 25th 2008 9:35PM]

"relatively lightweight desktop replacement that's not too expensive."

I prefer the previous HP mini-Q nettop that chick with the tummy was holding... only $386, and the left over $$$ can buy me a netbook to carry around...

Sorry, but if you want to sell computers around here you need a hot chick next to it.

[Richard Lai @ Nov 25th 2008 9:42PM]

Hmm... I don't see the point of having a Blu-ray drive unless you have a 1080p LCD, or that the drive has faster burning speed for making backups (and hopefully with cheaper discs as well).

[Sneakz @ Nov 25th 2008 10:17PM]

Its a freakin' 16 inch screen. I'm pretty sure 720p would suffice.

[Richard Lai @ Nov 25th 2008 10:27PM]

@Sneakz: with 720p I'd rather stick to DVDs.

I'm sat in front of a 17" 1920x1200 LCD right now, with an 18" 1280x1024 external LCD right next to it. Needless to say the difference in sharpness is visually apparent.

[Chin-Poh @ Nov 25th 2008 11:28PM]

It still has an HDMI out port to output to full 1080P. Maybe some nice the lower resolution and easier readibility it brings. I know you can do some things like increase DPI, font size, etc. but for some, a lower res is just better.

[rita hainsworth @ Nov 25th 2008 9:56PM]

Ohhh......16 inches.....

[ED @ Nov 25th 2008 10:01PM]

that's what sh...

uh, why has my life become live action xkcd?

[GiF @ Nov 25th 2008 10:48PM]

I don't see the point of 16-inch screens.
I mean, people have 15-inch and 17-inch to choose from, why do they need a median between?

A 20-inch screen Acer Aspire would be my dream desktop laptop :P

[Matthew C @ Nov 26th 2008 1:27AM]

15 inch is 3:4.

15.4 inch and 17 inch are 16:10

16 inch is 16:9 - best for media playback

and on the topic of screens, since when did laptops start having 2.3 gigs of shared video memory? My laptop only has 2 gigs of ram, and the 768mb vram (256 dedicated, up to 512mb shared) is more than enough, even at a greater than 1080p resolution.

But seriously, check out the specs here:

http://acer.com/products/notebook/as6930.htm

[digitallysick @ Nov 25th 2008 10:05PM]

is that a trackpad for lefties?? why is all the way on the left side?? seems very out of place

[spacedooky @ Nov 25th 2008 10:15PM]

There's a numberpad on the right, so for some odd reason laptop designers make it so that the trackpad is in the middle of the keyboard instead of the laptop itself.

[Morphix @ Nov 25th 2008 10:18PM]

actually the trackpad works fairly well in that position. I have an Aspire 8930G, and the pad is in a similar position. So far i havent had a single problem with it, and im right-handed. in fact, if you look closely, the pad is directly under the space bar which is pretty much standard on most laptops. They just added the num-pad, which makes it look odd, but overall it works very well.

I'm still waiting for some kind of review on my laptop. For some reason the Aspire 8930G isnt even on Acer's website... (basically the 18.4" equivalent of the 6930, with improved media controls from the 8920.)

[Erv @ Nov 25th 2008 10:37PM]

Dear Santa
I want this !

[Zakk @ Nov 25th 2008 10:46PM]

I've been wondering this for quite some time. Since most of the users are right-handed, why all the trackpads on laptops are at the left. Isn't it more comfortable to use it the trackpad is placed at the right hand side?

[Chemo @ Nov 26th 2008 12:22AM]

It's actually quite comfortable to have it under the spacebar, I have a 17" Toshiba that has it under the space bar, so a little left of center (as someone else said because it has a numpad, which I love), and it lets you type and then use that same hand to work the trackpad w/o moving as far, and also lets you use the arrow keys while leaving your thumb on the trackpad.

[who? @ Nov 26th 2008 12:31AM]

Dear Santa:

Can my present this year just be not getting this? That'd be be cool. Thnx.

[Matthew C @ Nov 26th 2008 1:32AM]

im no acer fan, but seriously?

[iouttolunch @ Nov 26th 2008 3:00AM]

Lol, someone should tell acer they didnt include a 1080p display on this laptop: "The 1920 x 1080 resolution captivates with its precision and ensures flawless..." http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/as6930.htm

[Jash Sayani @ Nov 26th 2008 7:10AM]

The new Acer Aspire 6930. Now with a misplaced touchpad !!!

[TehSuigi @ Nov 28th 2008 12:55PM]

I've got a 6920G - the predecessor to the 6930 - and my trackpad is dead center of the notebook where it should be.
Of course, my notebook doesn't have the numpad, but w/e.

[Andy @ Dec 18th 2008 4:56AM]

The trackpad is exactly in the right place. Think about it. As you type (as I'm doing now on my 6930) the pads of each hand rest on either side of the trackpad. Would you want your hands resting on the trackpad when you type?

[NICK_CY @ Dec 23rd 2008 7:19PM]

I'm thinking to buy the 6930g laptop. Anyone knows if it gets easily overheated? does it worth to buy it?

[Misha @ Jan 2nd 2009 10:35PM]

In my opinion Aspire 6920G is the best lap top under $1500 b/c it has huge RAM 3 or 4 GB.
NVIDIA 512 MB, and audio system 5.1.
I think that i buy it in few monthes.

[FireAnt @ Jan 23rd 2009 5:48PM]

My local Best Buy has the Acer AS6930-6809 on clearance for $572.99. How's the battery life on these guys?

[OV @ Jan 25th 2009 6:21PM]

I have this laptop and I hate the keyboard. Whose idea was it to make a shift key smaller than a letter key? The mousepad is off centre. Sometimes the system freezes but that could be vista. I know there's always an adjustment period when using a new keyboard, but this one has keys in the most awkward places. And I'm trying to like this machine and not take it back. (Vista itself is a disaster but that's a whole other matter)