Acer 273XC Specifications

Basic Specs

The machine I bought has the following specs:
Processor1.7Ghz Pentium 4 (Mobile)
RAM256 MB DDR
HDD~20GB (These are HD manufacturer GB, not 'real' GB)
CDCD, DVD, CD-RW Combi drive
FDDBuilt in
USB3 Ports (These do not appear to be USB 2.0)
Firewire (IEEE 1394)Yes, small 4 pin socket
PCMCIATwo sockets
ModemSoftModem, bleeurghh
LANBuilt in 10/100
Video1024x768, Monitor out, S-Video Out
LegacyBoth serial and Parallel ports
MouseTouchpad only, no nipple. There is a PS/2 port
Supplied OSWindows XP Professional or W2K Professional
LocationUK Spec machine

Why an Acer 273?

I needed a machine that would take Linux, and previous experience with Acers had shown that they were Linux happy. Additionally, I needed a machine that was easily portable, but not necessarily light. The Acer has everything I need built in. On top of all these, the machine needs to work in Ethiopia, and Acer are one of the few companies to offer a worldwide travellers guarantee. Although I will probably be unable to take advantage of this because of the way I bought the machine, it makes me happier knowing that there is more chance of finding a place to get the machine repaired should anything go wrong. However, from previous experience, I am not expecting anything to go wrong.

Where to buy Acer

Acer machines seem to be sold by relatively few places in the UK. Compared to the number of DELLs and IBMs, they definitely seem to be in the minority. However, a place of note is Mikrolive. Mikrolive sell refurbished machines. I can't say for sure, but it appears to be 'graded stock', i.e. machines that have failed in testing, been repaired and then sold on. You can look at it that you're getting a failed machine, or a machine that has been through twice as much testing. I like the second option, and can recommend the company. No, I am not on commission.