Acer Ferrari
With a name like Ferrari, you would expect this laptop to be the fastest notebook on the market. It should be so blindingly fast that you can’t even see applications executing because they’re moving so incredibly quickly. Well, the answer is, that yes, this is a fast laptop. There are three different models of the Acer Ferrari, the 1000, 4000, and 5000.

Performance-wise, there is not too much of a difference between the three. They all contain Turion 64 X2 processors, which are AMD’s dual core mobile chipsets. The 1000’s processor clocks in at 1.8 gigahertz, while the 4000 and 5000 models give the user a choice between a 2.0 gigahertz Turion and one that runs at 2.2 gigahertz. These are very fast processors, and with the Ferrari’s standard configuration of between 1 and 2 gigabytes of RAM, the performance should be that much greater.

The display on the Acer Ferrari is just average, with the 1000 model measuring at 12.1 inches diagonally, and the 4000 and 5000 models having a 15.4 inch display. The true test lies in the graphics hardware, and in this arena, the Ferrari doesn’t disappoint. All models contain a form of the ATI Radion Express Graphics hardware, which is a very good graphics processing unit.

If you’re looking for the next generation of wireless network connectivity, you won’t find it here, except in the 1000 model, oddly. Both the 4000 and 5000 models only contain 802.11 b/g WLAN adapters, while the 1000 has an 802.11 n adapter, the latest protocol for wireless networking. In Acer’s defense, though, very few laptops have this type of adapter built in as of yet, and it is a wonder that even the 1000 has it.

Although the 1000 is a lightweight, highly portable laptop, one problem that it has is that the DVD combo drive is a separate unit, requiring the users to carry it around as well if they want to load software, listen to music, or watch movies. So, what good is having a super light laptop if you have to carry around another piece of equipment anyway? Some would argue that this is actually a detriment, since the separate drive actually takes up more space than a laptop with an integrated drive. Luckily, the 4000 and 5000 both contain slots to plug in a modular DVD combo drive, so this problem is circumvented in the higher models.

Overall, the Acer Ferrari lives up to its name as being a super fast notebook – no Celeron processors here. It is a bit high on the weight, but it more than makes up for it in speed, connectivity, and overall styling. This is one sharp looking laptop.