~*~ Acer Aspire 3690 ~*~

I bought this laptop four years ago when I started University. At the time, I was a loyal desktop computer user and really didn't want to take the laptop plunge, but there was no room for a 'proper computer' in my room so it had to be done. I purchased my Acer for a bargain price, just over £200. At the time I only expected to keep it for a year or so, until my student loan allowed me to get something better. Four years later, I'm still using it!

~*~ The problems I've had ~*~
This laptop has been through a lot with me - it's drank several cups of tea, a cocktail or two and a bowl of spaghetti hoops, and I'm amazed to say that this hasn't phased it at all! I've simply turned it upside down to let it drain, given it a few days and each of the times it has made a fully recovery on it's own. Brilliant!!

The one problem I have had is with the battery, it no longer holds the battery and has to be left plugged in constantly or it runs out in a matter of minutes which is quite annoying but I believe it is normal to need these replaced every couple of years for laptops.
Barring the battery the only other problem I have had with my Acer is with keys sticking, however, this is purely my own fault as I have eaten, drank (and on some occasions slept on) my laptop!

~*~ The spec ~*~
This laptop has a 1.6GHz Intel Processor and 512MB RAM (can hold a maximum of 2GB, I had mine upped straight away). It has a 60GB hard drive which wasn't bad at the time but obviously now you expect a lot more for your money.
As far as burning CD's goes, there is a write speed of 24x (CD) and 8x for DVD which is quite slow but you get used to it, just leave it to it and make a cup of tea! I'm not going to go any further into the specifications as these can all be found online and to be honest not much else makes any sense to me so there's no point me even trying to explain it to someone else!

~*~ Who would I recommend it to? ~*~

This laptop is ideal for someone who just needs to use it to surf the internet, read emails and type up reports and work, so it makes it good for students like me. I'd definitely buy this one again if I went back in time. The laptop is sturdy, efficient enough for what I use it for and has not let me down once in four years, so I'm very happy, especially considering what a bargain price I got it for!

I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is looking to do gaming on the laptop, as it won't keep up with what is on the market these days. However, if you see one going cheap on eBay (and you will...) and are looking for a reliable laptop for general use, this would be ideal.