Configuration

The Acer TravelMate 371TCi is based on the Centrino platform, featuring the i855GM chipset, an Intel Pentium M 1.4GHz processor (Banias core, 0.13-micron technology, 400MHz FSB and 1MB L2 cache). This configuration also boasts a Seagate ST94011A HDD (5400rpm spindle rotation speed, 2MB cache-buffer, 40GB capacity).

The system uses an integrated graphics subsystem with Dynamic Video Memory technology. The necessary amount of graphics memory (up to 64MB, according to Acer) is allocated dynamically from the main RAM. Curiously, the BIOS Setup contains an item that sets the amount of graphics memory to 16MB and you cannot change this value.

The TravelMate 371TCi also has two memory slots, both occupied by modules of PC2700 DDR SDRAM, 256MB each. According to Acer, the maximum supported memory amount is 2048MB. To reach the slots, you undo the screws at the sides of the special cover at the bottom of the case.

The integrated audio subsystem and the speakers give a voice to the computer, although a quiet one. It is enough for applications and games, but poor at reproducing music. Well, hi-fi music reproduction is not a responsibility of this notebook.

The external optical DVD/CD-RW combo drive you get with the notebook connects to the IEEE1394 port, burns CD-R and CD-RW media at 24x speed and reads DVDs and CDs at 8x and 24x speeds, respectively. By the way, this drive can get power from the notebook’s own battery, so you can use it on the run, too.

The compactness and small size of the TravelMate 371TCi suggest that you use it in the so-called field conditions and the Wi-Fi technology of the 802.11b standard is another point for that.

The power management system employed in the notebook keeps watching over your system and if you don’t use the input devices (I mean the mouse and the keyboard) as well as the hard drive and other peripherals for a while, they are stopped to save power. The power management system supports ACPI.

This model of the notebook uses a low-noise cooling system. Interestingly, the area below the keyboard was noticeably hot to the touch during work. We used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the surface of the TravelMate 371TCi when it was crunching through Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004:

• 38°C on the keyboard’s panel;
• 46°C at the output of the cooling system;
• 44°C on the bottom surface.

The thorough list of the technical characteristics of the TravelMate 371TCi notebook follows below: