14 DAY TRIAL // As the mobile computing market is demanding more and more laptops and notebooks from the computer hardware manufacturers and vendors, some companies are trying to cut cost and production times and come up with revamped versions of earlier models of their offerings.
It looks like this is the case with the newest Acer laptop the Aspire 5520 machine that is very similar in design terms with the Gemstone line of products fro the same manufacturer. In an effort to increase is foothold on the mobile market Acer switched the hardware configuration of the older Gemstone line of laptops, called the Aspire 5920, and came up with the new version, the Aspire 5520. The 5520 model shares only the external lines with the older 5920 as it is based on a completely different hardware platform: it uses the dual core and 64 bits enabled AMD Turion processor that runs at a clock frequency of 1.8GHz instead of the Intel's Centrino Core 2 Duo CPU.
The AMD Turion processor is powerful enough for all modern day applications including some of the latest 3D games, while maintaining a lower price tag that its Intel counterpart that is based on the Centrino architecture. Apart from the AMD made CPU, the Aspire 5520 features a 15.4 inch LCD screen with wide aspect ratio and Acer's proprietary CrystalBrite technology, coupled with an integrated Nvidia GeForce 7000 graphics card that can share up to 896MB of memory thanks to its TurboCache technology. For users demanding better graphics performance, there is the option of adding a discrete graphics card, the Nvidia GeForce 8400MG, that comes with 128MB of dedicated video memory apart from the system memory that can still be shared through TurboCache.
The storage capabilities of the Aspire 5520 laptop are enhanced by the presence of large and fast Serial ATA compatible hard disk drive, while the Acer QuicCharge technology is used in order to cut recharging times and extend battery life. Another technology from Acer, the Acer Empowering Technology, make is easy to control the essential parts of the laptop, adding so efficiency and improved performance. The Acer Aspire 5520 comes with three different versions of the Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system: Home Basic, Home Premium and Starter, allowing users to choose the best environment for their needs.