Acer Ferrari 4000 4005WLMi Notebook
Reviewed by Barry Little - September 21, 2005
Manufacturer: Acer, Inc.
Model: LX.FR406.035
Few names personify the word legend in the world of Formula One racing and exotic dream cars as Ferrari. When Acer, one of the world’s top five PC manufacturers, joined
forces with AMD and Scuderia Ferrari to create the Ferrari 3000 notebook back in October 2003, they had an immediate winner on their hands. A year later, Acer blew the industry away with the Ferrari 3200 and 3400 notebooks. They were a tough act to follow, but like all true champions who never rest on their laurels, Acer went back to the drawing board in their never-ending quest to perfect their racing-heritage notebook. On May 26, 2005, the Acer Ferrari 4000 4005WLMi Notebook was born—lighter, faster, more powerful and feature-packed than any of its predecessors. Today, we’ll take a look at this race-bred beauty to see if it’s truly worthy of its namesake.
Whether on the racetrack or in business, strategic partnerships are crucial to success; so the partnership between the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile)—the governing body of international motor sports, AMD and Acer was a natural and logical choice. Cutting edge technology is crucial to the advancement of auto racing, and you’d be hard pressed to find a more cutting-edge company than AMD, whose award-winning Athlon™ 64 Processors made them a force to be reckoned with against long-time rival Intel.
Acer immediately recognized that the high profile relationship between one of the world’s top racing organizations and a company who was seriously challenging Intel’s dominance and winning, was a unique opportunity to increase their name recognition and market share. Unlike their competitors who either dismissed or ignored the AMD and Ferrari partnership, Acer knew a good thing when they saw it, and got on board immediately. The rest, as they say, is history.
Page 1 of 1
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
Now a little about Acer from their website:
About Acer
Acer ranks among the world's top five branded PC vendors, designing and marketing easy, dependable IT solutions that empower people to reach their goals and enhance their lives. In 2000, Acer spun-off its manufacturing operation to focus on globally marketing its brand-name products: desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Established in 1976, Acer Inc. employs 5,600 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Revenues in 2004 reached US $7 billion.
Acer Ferrari from Past to Present
Below is a table summarizing the features and specs of Acer’s Ferrari-series notebooks:
|
Series |
Processor |
|
Operating |
|
Display |
|
System |
|
HDD |
|
Optical |
|
Dimensions & |
|
|
|
|
system |
|
|
|
memory |
|
|
|
devices |
|
weight |
|
Ferrari |
AMD Athlon™ XP- |
|
Microsoft® |
|
15.0” SXGA+ |
|
256/512 MB |
|
60 GB or |
|
DVD- |
|
330 (W)x272 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
M processor 2500+ |
|
Windows® |
|
TFT LCD |
|
|
|
higher |
|
DUAL |
|
(D)x31 (H) mm |
|
|
|
|
XP Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
drive |
|
2.93 kg (6.45 |
|
|
|
|
Edition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
lbs.) |
|
3000 |
|
|
preloaded |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ferrari |
Mobile AMD |
|
Microsoft® |
|
15.0” SXGA+ |
|
512 MB |
|
80 GB |
|
Slot-load |
|
330 (W)x272 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
Athlon™ 64 |
|
Windows® |
|
TFT LCD |
|
|
|
|
|
DVD- |
|
(D)x31 (H) mm |
|
|
processor 2800+ |
|
XP Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Super |
|
3.014kg (6.64 |
|
|
|
|
Edition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Multi |
|
lbs.) |
|
3200 |
|
|
preloaded |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
drive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ferrari |
Mobile AMD |
|
Microsoft® |
|
15.0" SXGA+ |
|
512 MB |
|
80 GB |
|
DVD- |
|
330 (W)x272 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
Athlon™ 64 |
|
Windows® |
|
TFT LCD |
|
|
|
|
|
Super |
|
(D)x31 (H) mm |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 2 of 2
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews
http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
|
Series |
Processor |
|
Operating |
|
Display |
|
System |
|
HDD |
|
Optical |
|
Dimensions & |
|
|
|
|
system |
|
|
|
memory |
|
|
|
devices |
|
weight |
|
|
processor 3000+ |
|
XP Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Multi |
|
3.014kg (6.64 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
Edition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
drive |
|
lbs) |
|
3400 |
|
|
preloaded |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ferrari |
AMD Turion ª 64 |
|
Microsoft® |
|
15.4” |
|
512MB/1GB |
|
80/100GB |
|
Slot-load |
|
363 (W) x 267.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
ML-37 or ML-30 |
|
Windows® |
|
WSXGA+ |
|
|
|
|
|
DVD- |
|
(D) x30.5/34.3 |
|
|
Mobile Technology |
|
XP |
|
185-nit color |
|
|
|
|
|
Super |
|
(H) mm |
|
|
|
|
Professional |
|
TFT LCD, |
|
|
|
|
|
Multi |
|
2.86kg (6.3Ibs.) |
|
|
|
|
x64 Edition, |
|
15.4” WXGA |
|
|
|
|
|
double- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft® |
|
185-nit Acer |
|
|
|
|
|
layer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows® |
|
CrystalBrite |
|
|
|
|
|
drive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
XP |
|
color TFT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional |
|
LCD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4000 |
|
|
(Service |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pack 2) , or |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft® |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Windows® |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
XP Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Edition |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Service |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pack 2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
preloaded |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Courtesy of Acer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ferrari 4000 arrived in a larger box with additional packing to protect it during shipping.
This attention- |
No mistaking |
Ferrari's holographic |
The inner flap |
grabbing design |
Ferrari's |
sticker of |
displays multi- |
would look just as |
commitment to the |
authenticity. |
lingual instructions |
much at home on the |
product here. |
|
on unpacking the |
showroom floor of a |
|
|
Ferrari 4000. |
Ferrari dealership, |
|
|
|
as it would on the |
|
|
|
shelf of your local |
|
|
|
computer store. |
|
|
|
Page 3 of 3
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
The first thing that |
Let's get this thing |
The only thing |
All of the software |
Here's a closer look |
greets you when you |
unpacked. |
missing is that new |
and accessories are |
at the Quick-Start |
open the box is this |
|
car smell. |
in this box. |
fold out. |
Quick-Start fold-out |
|
|
|
|
As you can see, the Acer Ferrari Notebook has evolved quite a bit over the years.
Let's see just how much...
Packaging
FedEx delivered the notebook in a large box filled with Styrofoam packing peanuts. Additional protection was provided by the Acer factory box sealed with tape designed to show any tampering of the contents, and had shipping labels from the Acer plant in China and its final destination at an Ingram Micro distribution center in California. The boxes were in good shape and showed no sign of rough handling or damage.
The Ferrari 4000’s display box has the clean, tasteful and expensive look of a highquality automotive publication gracing the glass top of a living room table with its glossy finish. Striking photos of the notebook are set off against a black and carbon fiber-background, with Acer’s corporate logo, “Ferrari 4000” in sleek, red letters, and Ferrari’s world-famous “Prancing Horse” crest. A closer look reveals the brushed aluminum “Ferrari Official Licensed Product” logo and holographic sticker on the side of the box. First Class all the way—but then, you’d expect nothing less from anything with the Ferrari name on it.
You have to give Acer’s marketing team credit; the box is designed to do more that just grab your attention and protect the product (though it does both exceptionally well). Opening the box, unpacking it, and removing the Ferrari 4000 from its protective wrapping invokes almost the same awe and excitement as sliding behind the wheel of the real thing.
The Notebook
To say that the Ferrari 4000 lives up to its four-wheeled namesake would be an understatement. Gone is the predominantly Rosso Corsa (Ferrari Red) finish of previous models. For this incarnation of the Ferrari notebook, Acer decked the lid of the 15.4” Wide-Screen LCD display with real carbon-fiber—the same tough, lightweight material used in race cars—with the Acer corporate logo in the upper lefthand corner, and the Ferrari crest right in the middle. Acer’s SignalUp™ Technology
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
places two PIFAs (Planar Inverted F-Antennas) inside the top of the Ferrari 4000’s LCD display, creating a perfect omni-directional signal sphere for enhanced wireless network reception even in low-reception areas, as indicated by the SignalUp logo on the red styling strip running along the upper edge of the LCD display.
WHOA!
The 71 W Li-ion battery fully charges in 2.5 hours, and lasts for 3.5 hours in use—not bad for a laptop with this much power.
Unlike the previous Ferrari notebooks, the Ferrari 4000 is decked out with a more conservative black motif with Ferrari Red accents— and a genuine carbon-fiber lid!
The Wireless Network and FCC certification sticker, with another Ferrari hologram sticker
Acer's corporate logo in the upper lefthand corner.
The 2.5" 100GB 5400 RPM hard drive.
The world-famous Ferrari "Prancing Horse" crest sits in the center of the lid.
The integrated controllers for the Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet NIC, Bluetooth Wireless Mouse, and the IrDA Fast Infrared port.
Let's take a look at the Ferrari's undercarriage. The battery slides into the back of the laptop.
The Acer Ferrari 4000 comes with 1GB of DDR333 RAM. It can be expanded to 2GB; but with only 2 sockets available for memory, you'll have to remove these two 512MB soDIMMs first.
At 14.29 x 10.46 x 1.2/1.36 inches, the black and red-trimmed Ferrari 4000 certainly isn’t the smallest notebook around—but at a svelte 6.3 pounds with the battery installed, it’s certainly one of the lightest in its class, made possible by the carbonfiber lid. Up front, a pair of 16-bit stereo speakers flank a 5-in-1 Card Reader that accepts Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC (MultiMediaCard), SD (Secure Digital) and xD-Picture cards; a built-in Microphone, Infrared Port, Power and Battery Indicators; a Headphone/Speaker and Microphone jack; a Bluetooth wireless button/indicator and a Wireless LAN button/indicator.
On the left side of the notebook, we find a DB-15 Female VGA port next to the ventilation slots, to connect either a monitor or LCD projector; an RJ-45 port for the
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
Ferrari 4000’s integrated Broadcom NetLink 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet adapter and an RJ-11 port for the built-in Agere Systems AC’97 56K ITU V.92 modem; a USB 2.0 port; a 4-pin IEEE 1394 “Micro” Firewire port; and one PC Card Slot that accepts any standard Type II PCMCIA card.
The latch on the left releases the DVD burner; the one on the right, the battery.
From left to right: the RJ-45 port for the integrated
Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet port; the RJ-11 port for the
Agree Systems AC'97 56K modem; a USB 2.0 port, and an IEEE-1394 4-pin Firewire port.
Here's the rear view |
A DVI-D and S- |
The 124-pin |
On the right, we find |
of the Ferrari 4000 |
video/TV-out |
connector to park |
a standard DB-15F |
with the battery |
(NTSC/PAL) port |
your Ferrari 4000 in |
External VGA display |
installed. |
lets you connect the |
an Acer eZDock |
port for monitors |
|
Acer Ferrari 4000 to |
docking station. |
and projectors next |
|
a wide range of |
|
to the ventilation |
|
supported devices. |
|
slots. |
Up front is the Type |
On the left side of |
The optical drive |
Finally, we have |
II PC Card slot with |
the laptop, is the AC |
supplied with the |
three more USB 2.0 |
removable dust |
Power Jack, and a |
Acer Ferrari 4000, is |
ports. |
cover, and the PC |
security key lock |
a slot-loaded |
|
Card slot eject |
that accepts any |
Matshita UJ-845S |
|
button. |
Kensington- |
DVD-RAM drive that |
|
|
compatible |
can read and burn to |
|
|
Computer Security |
a wide range of |
|
|
Lock. |
standard-sized CD |
|
|
|
and DVD media— |
|
|
|
including dual-layer |
|
Moving to the right side of the notebook, there’s a Kensington-compatible Computer Security Lock and the power jack for the AC adaptor; a Panasonic/Matshita Model UJ845S Slot-Loaded, Dual-Layer DVD-RAM burner. Upon closer inspection, you can tell that the faceplate has been painted red, rather than made of red plastic; yet the color matches the rest of the notebook’s hi-impact red-trimmed plastic chassis and accents perfectly without the slightest variation. But this is a Ferrari, so you’d expect nothing less when it comes to quality and attention to detail. There are also three more USB 2.0 ports next to the drive. Out back is a 124-pin Acer ezDock connector for Acer’s docking station, an S-video port to connect the notebook to a TV or display device with an S-video input, and a DVI-D port that connects to monitors or other devices that support digital video connections. The Model 10696SANYOZF01 Sanyo
Page 6 of 6
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
71w Li-ion (Lithium Ion) Battery Pack snaps in the rear of the notebook, takes 2.5 hours to fully charge, and holds that charge for an average of 3.5 hours under normal use. Carefully turn the notebook over, and you’ll find the latches that release the battery and Matshita optical drive, as well as compartments containing the Wireless LAN, hard drive, and memory. There’s also another set of ventilation slots.
Here's a head-on |
The Acer Ferrari |
From left to right: |
Here are the |
When using the |
view of the Ferrari |
4000 is equipped |
the other half of the |
button/indicators for |
button/indicators to |
4000. Not only is it |
with a versatile 5-in- |
Infrared Port; Power |
Bluetooth (left) and |
manually enable or |
slim, but at 6.3 |
1 card reader that |
and Battery LED |
Wireless (right) |
disable either the |
pounds, its one of the |
supports Memory |
indicators; and an |
communications. The |
Bluetooth or |
lightest notebooks in |
Stick, Memory Stick |
Audio-Out jack for |
laptop powers-up |
Wireless LAN, the |
its class. The series of |
Pro, MultiMediaCard |
things like |
with Bluetooth and |
status will also briefly |
perforations flanking |
(MMC), Secure |
headphone and |
Wireless networking |
show on LCD display |
the ports in the |
Digital (SD) and xD- |
speakers. |
enabled by default. |
via the OSD (On |
center are the 16-bit |
Picture Card. Further |
|
Both can be manually |
Screen Display). |
stereo speakers |
to the right is the |
|
enabled and disabled |
Here, Bluetooth has |
which sound |
Internal Microphone |
|
by pressing the |
been enabled by |
surprisingly good for |
and part of the |
|
appropriate button, |
pressing the |
a laptop. |
Infrared Port. |
|
or by using the Acer |
Bluetooth |
|
|
|
Launch Manager. |
button/indicator. |
...and here it's |
Thanks to Acer |
The Ferrari 4000 |
The red styling strip |
The Ferrari 4000's |
disabled. You'll see a |
CrystalBrite |
signature logo |
running across the |
"sponsors." |
similar message |
technology, |
adorns the LCD |
top of the Ferrari |
|
displayed for the |
everything from |
display. |
4000's LCD display |
|
Wireless LAN and |
spreadsheets and |
|
isn't just for looks. |
|
speaker volume. |
presentations, to |
|
Dual PIFAs (Planar |
|
|
movies and games |
|
Inverted F-Antennas) |
|
|
look simply fabulous |
|
are installed |
|
|
on the Ferrari 4000's |
|
underneath to |
|
|
15.4" XGA wide- |
|
improve wireless |
|
|
screen LCD. |
|
signal reception—part |
|
|
|
|
of Acer's SignalUp |
|
|
|
|
technology. |
|
When you’re ready to “pop the hood” and get down to business, you’ll be greeted by Acer’s gorgeous, high-contrast 15.4” WSXGA+ CrystalBrite™ LCD display with a
Page 7 of 7
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
native resolution of 1680 x 1050; Acer’s 89-key ergonomic FineTouch™ keyboard, and a generous-sized touch pad framed in aluminum-colored plastic with matching mouse buttons and a neat scroll pad button in the center. To the right once again, is the Ferrari’s Prancing Horse crest, and on the left are OEM logos displayed like sponsor decals, of the primary components that power this race and sports carinspired beauty: the AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile Technology Processor, ATI’s X700 Mobility™ Radeon® PCI Express graphics controller with 128MB of high performance GDDR3 VRAM, and the familiar Microsoft “Designed for Windows XP” label with a surprising twist: Windows XP x64 Edition is also listed on the “Designed for” label as well.
The Ferrari 4000’s boot screen consists of a full-color photo of a Ferrari Formula One car and a simple “Press <F2> to Enter Setup” message at the bottom for entering the notebook’s BIOS. When Windows XP Professional SP2 starts, a .WAV file of the F1 racer shown on the boot-up splash screen roars through the dual 16-bit stereo speakers, while Ferrari World provides some cool desktop background imagery that changes monthly and displays the latest calendar on your desktop. A Ferrari World Flash-animated screensaver protects the 15.4” WXGA+ LCD display while impressing passers-by. The surface surrounding the keyboard area, which Acer refers to on the Ferrari 4000 home page as their “Soft-touch Coating,” not only makes for a comfortable palm and wrist rest but feels—not surprisingly—like the surface of a racing slick tire.
Page 8 of 8
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
Here's the Ferrari |
A close look at Acer's |
The generous-sized |
At the upper-left, |
Let's get properly |
crest again. |
89-key FineTouch |
touchpad is one of |
above the keyboard, |
introduced to the |
|
ergonomic keyboard. |
the smoothest, |
the Power button on |
Easy-launch buttons |
|
As you might expect, |
quickest and most |
the left fires-up the |
in the upper-right |
|
it may take a brief |
responsive ones I've |
Ferrari 4000. On the |
hand corner, above |
|
adjustment period to |
ever used on a |
right, the more |
the keyboard. |
|
get used to, and |
laptop—but that's to |
conventional Num |
Working our way |
|
you'll either love it |
be expected when |
and Caps Lock |
from left to right: |
|
or hate it (I love it). |
the laptop is named |
indicators are joined |
Mail, Web Browser, |
|
|
after a premier |
by a Hard Disk |
Acer's eManager, |
|
|
exoti-car and race |
activity LED that's |
and one User- |
|
|
car. The center |
filling in for the MIA |
programmable |
|
|
button is used for |
Scroll Lock indicator. |
button. All can be |
|
|
scrolling. |
|
modified and |
|
|
|
|
configured through |
|
|
|
|
the Acer Launch |
|
|
|
|
Manager in the |
|
|
|
|
system tray. |
Ferrari World's |
The Acer Ferrari |
wallpaper applet |
4000 runs as fast |
automatically puts a |
and as good as it |
cool, new Ferrari |
looks. |
photograph and |
|
calendar directly on |
|
your desktop every |
|
month. |
|
In the upper left-hand corner of the keyboard, you’ll find a power button and a Caps Lock, Num Lock and Media Activity LED protected under a transparent dome. In the upper right-hand corner are Acer’s Easy-launch buttons. The button with the Mail icon (an envelope), launches your default E-Mail program; the Web Browser button (the planet with the ring around it) launches your default browser. The Acer eManager button (with the fancy letter “e”) launches Acer’s eManager application. The last button (with the letter “P”) is User-programmable, to launch an additional
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All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
program of your choice. All of the Easy-launch buttons can be reconfigured to your liking with Acer’s Launch Manager software.
As with most notebook keyboards, engaging the <Num Lock> key or pressing the <Fn> + <F11> keys changes the keys to on the right-hand side of the keyboard to a numeric keypad for numeric data entry. The <Fn> (function) key used in combination with specifically-labeled keys perform the usual shift-key functions from blanking and toggling screens when a monitor is connected, to putting the notebook in sleep mode, adjusting the volume of the speakers and toggling the touchpad on and off. The keys are just the right size and have a firm, but quiet touch. The slightly curved ergonomic layout of the keyboard will probably require a brief period of adjustment to get used to. If your local retailer carries the Acer Ferrari 4000 or other Acer notebooks that have the same keyboard—some of the Acer Travelmate 3000 and 4000-series notebooks do—I’d recommend trying it out in a store first to make sure that you like it, before making a commitment. The generous-sized touchpad with its 4-way scroll-button is the fastest, most responsive I’ve ever used on a notebook, requiring only the lightest of touches without any skipping or lagging.
This is the Acer |
Acer's eRecovery |
This is the eRecovery |
Here you can restore |
Remember the |
Ferrari 4000's boot |
loads from a special |
Main Menu, which |
the Factory Default |
password you typed |
screen. Pressing |
hidden factory |
uses the arrow keys |
Image, which resides |
in earlier? Here's |
<F2> here will take |
partition. Type in the |
for navigation. Press |
on eRecovery's |
where you change |
you straight into the |
password (six zeroes |
<Enter> to select the |
hidden partition, and |
it... |
BIOS; Hitting |
by default, which can |
highlighted System |
will erase everything |
|
<Alt><F10> will take |
be changed) and |
Recovery option. |
on the hard drive and |
|
you into Acer's |
press <Enter> |
|
restore the Ferrari |
|
eRecovery System. |
|
|
4000 to its brand new |
|
Let's take a look. |
|
|
out-of-the-box |
|
|
|
|
condition. You can |
|
|
|
|
also restore the |
|
|
|
|
laptop from an image |
|
|
|
|
created on CD or DVD |
|
|
|
|
media with eRecovery |
|
|
|
|
under Windows XP. |
|
Page 10 of 10
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews
http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
....like so. Now let's |
The Acer Ferrari 4000 |
This is the Main |
You can tell the |
You can activate the |
reboot and check out |
uses the ever-popular |
Screen where you can |
Ferrari 4000 to |
Ferrari 4000's Gigabit |
the Ferrari 4000's |
and widely-used |
configure basic |
automatically detect |
Ethernet NIC's ability |
BIOS. |
Phoenix BIOS. This is |
system settings: |
and use a second |
to boot from a |
|
the Information |
Quiet Boot |
external display if |
network here. |
|
Screen which gives a |
determines whether |
detected on power- |
|
|
peek at what's under |
you see the cool |
up, or force it to look |
|
|
the Ferrari 4000's |
Ferrari splash screen |
for and use both the |
|
|
impressive hood. |
on boot-up or the |
laptop's LCD and |
|
|
|
more pedestrian text- |
external display for |
|
|
|
based BIOS and |
those fussy external |
|
|
|
system startup info. |
display devices that |
|
|
|
|
need a little coaxing. |
|
The engine beneath the Acer Ferrari 4000’s hood is a fast and energy-efficient 2.0 GHz AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile Technology ML-37 Processor with a 1GB cache, mounted in a Socket 754 motherboard powered by the new ATI Radeon® Xpress 200P chipset, with 1GB of Single-Channel DDR 333 RAM upgradeable to 2 GB. Mass storage is provided by a Seagate Momentus ST9100823A Ultra/ATA 1000 5400 RPM 100MB IDE hard drive with an 8MB buffer and 12.5ms access time.
Included with the Ferrari 4000 is a Bluetooth rechargeable wireless mouse. Powered by two rechargeable AA batteries, the full-sized scroll wheel mouse is colorcoordinated to match the notebook with the Ferrari’s glossy Rosso Corsa finish, black rubberized “Soft-Touch” side grips, and an ambidextrous design. With the included USB charger cord, it takes approximately five hours to fully charge the mouse, and the charge lasts about a week and a half under normal use.
Enabling this will bring up a menu of options that will let you choose which device in the Acer Ferrari 4000 to boot from.
D2D is the Disk-to- |
The LCD Auto Dim |
With the exception of |
Adding, changing, or |
Disk Backup and |
automatically lowers |
the Infrared Port, |
clearing system |
Recovery system, |
the brightness on the |
both the Serial port A: |
passwords is done |
which can be |
LCD display to |
and Parallel port |
here, at the Security |
accessed by hitting |
conserve power when |
entries are useless, |
Screen. Here, the |
<Alt><F10> while |
the laptop is operated |
as the Ferrari 4000 |
Supervisor Password |
the laptop is booting. |
on battery; then |
has neither. |
controls access to the |
Page 11 of 11
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews
http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.
You'll probably want |
brightens the display |
BIOS. |
to leave this enabled. |
when the laptop is |
|
|
plugged into a power |
|
|
outlet. |
|
This enables or |
Here, you can select |
disables the |
the boot order the |
password protection |
Ferrari 4000's |
on the hard drive for |
available bootable |
the aforementioned |
devices. |
D2D utility which is |
|
run from a special |
|
hidden partition on |
|
the hard drive, or |
|
Acer Recovery |
|
through Acer |
|
eManager. |
|
And finally, here's the Exit screen where you can load system defaults and save or discard any of the BIOS settings.
Acer even throws in a Ferrari Red cleaning cloth to clean the notebook with—a good thing, since the reflective carbon-fiber lid shows fingerprints easily, and the rubberized surface around the notebook’s keyboard has a tendency to show dust, lint, and oils from your hands (or food if you’re an eat-while-you-work person). The supplied cloth handles the typical build up of dust and minor smudges on the lid and elsewhere without any problem, but you may need additional help from a soft, lintfree cloth dampened with cool water for more the more stubborn cleaning jobs. The 26-page User’s Guide has the same black, carbon-fiber and Ferrari Red motif as the notebook, and gives you the basics on operating the Ferrari 4000 (with more detailed info in the notebook’s online documentation).
Page 12 of 12
Barry’s Rigs ‘n Reviews
http://www.barrys-rigs-n-reviews.com
All trademarks used are properties of their respective owners.
Copyright © 2003-2007 by Barry Little. All Rights Reserved.