14 DAY TRIAL // Intel has introduced its Clarkdale and Arrandale processors and, of course, companies are now happily showcasing their respective systems powered by the new central processing units. Acer is, naturally, eager to please the consumers' eyes with its new additions to its Aspire laptop line. The company has launched the AS5740 and AS7740 laptop models and hopes to score big on the mobile market with the products' Gemstone Blue design and their configurations capable of a high-end performance and multimedia playback.
Both Aspire mobile computers introduced by Acer America employ the new, 32nm process-based Intel chips. These central processors, codenamed Arrandale, have, in this case, core clocks of 2.26 GHz and 2.13GHz and are combined with high amounts of RAM and powerful graphics for an excellent consumer experience.
The AS5740 seems to be the grander of the two models. Its 2.26 GHz Core i5-530M CPU is slightly more capable than the 2.13 GHz Core i3-330M used in the AS7740. The laptop's total RAM capacity may reach 4GB and the hard drive may pack as much as 500GB or 640GB of storage. In addition, excellent graphics capabilities are provided by the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card.
The 15.6-inch screen has a maximum resolution of 1366x768 pixels and the configuration also includes Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi connectivity, as well as a built-in webcam. The six-cell battery will provide the product with a life of up to four hours. In addition, Acer designed the configuration with an 8x DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive for multimedia capabilities.
The AS7740 has the aforementioned slightly slower 2.13GHz processor, but a larger screen (17.3 inches), which also boasts a better maximum resolution, namely of 1600 x 900 pixels. The memory and storage specifications are similar to those of the AS5740, but the major drawback is the lack of high-end graphics. This system uses, instead, the Intel GMA HD with 128MB of dedicated video memory. As such, high-end gaming is most likely excluded, but the company is offering this laptop with a Blu-ray drive for watching 1080p HD movies and videos. Another downside, when compared with its sibling, is the computer's shorter battery life, namely of 3.5 hours.
Both systems will become available on the 17th of January and will have a starting price of $600. The listed configuration, however, is being priced at $750.