That's Asus laptops, not Acer -- BIG difference in public opinion. Looking around on various forums, computer review sites, and e-store comments, I've found that people really love the increasingly popular Asus brand. A solid college computer at a reasonable price should be what most college students look for when shopping for laptops, and Asus has just as many sub-model options as other brands to make that happen for you.
The Asus brand is a bit harder to describe than others. They don't label many of their laptops with a specific model name, such as the Toshiba Satellite, the Macbook, or the HP Mini....instead, Asus has a larger variety of very specific models such as the A series, the K series, the G series, etc, etc. To try and simplify things, I'll present the most popular models in order of performance and value. They just put up some cool 360 video presentations on each series as well, which I'll add for the people who don't like to read ;)
Asus U-Series
All sub-models in the Asus U-series have at least one common feature: they all come super thin (under an inch thick). The U-series are generally the baseline laptops of the Asus brand. With that said, many customers are extremely happy with this particular model. Customers boast solid performance and a longer than average battery life.
The Good
Some of the thinnest and lightweight laptops on the market
Decent graphics capabilities for baseline laptops
Longer than average battery life
The Bad
While hardware is better than average, some owner experience mechanical problems
Asus' U.S. customer support could be better
Many reviews indicate that the speakers are "awful"
** College Student Tips - The U-Series Asus laptops are definitely a good choice for college student use. This is mostly because you get the most "bang for your buck", as they say (with the exception of the new Zenbook). Slightly pricier than the competition, the U-Series seems to offer slightly better hardware and processing capabilities.
Asus N-Series
The N-series may rightfully be dubbed "the supreme multimedia notebook". The poor sound quality that plague the U-series is blown away by N-series technology. The N-series adds a bunch of new features, such as a built-in, high quality webcam, full HD resolution, the new USB 3.0 technology, and other various features that relate to multimedia.
The Good
Beautiful display
Superior audio quality
Powerful graphics chipset
The Bad
PRICEY
Battery life takes a dive compared to U-series
Customer service...
** College Student Tips - If you have the money and like "pretty" graphics and extraordinary detail, the N-series offers that and more; however, college students generally don't have the money to buy this model. It's hard to justify the price for class use, which makes it harder to recommend to the average student. Stick with the U-series for general, all-purpose computing; otherwise, if you want something with a little more power and have the extra cash, check out the G-series.
Asus G-Series
The G-series carries slightly better hardware than the N-series, but is also finely tuned for gaming. The body of the laptop casing is also a bit more stylish. The cooling system get an upgrade as well, seeing as this laptops can, and will, get VERY hot! Obviously the battery will not last all that long in these either (as with most gaming laptops). All this "top-of-the-line" gaming hardware doesn't come cheap; however if you were thinking about purchasing an N-series Asus, you might want to think long and hard about springing the extra couple hundred for a G-series.
The Good
Awesome graphics capabilities
3D technology
Ergonomic design is excellent
The Bad
No eSATA port
Super expensive (but comparable to other gaming laptops)
Heavy
** College Student Tips - There really isn't very many reasons a college student would actually need a G-series laptop, but if you're really into gaming and multimedia, the Asus brand is the way to go. Asus laptops of any series review well around the Internet, so if you are in the market for a premium laptop with a premium price tag, the G-series might be perfect for you.
