BenQ Launches Joybook A53, Misses the Penryn Train

BenQ has just announced its latest notebook PC offering, the Joybook A53 series. The fourth model in the manufacturer's A family is the flagship computer and is dedicated to notebook enthusiasts and hardcore computing users.

The notebook comes in the 15.4-inch form factor and is powered by a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7250 processor. The chip is built on Intel's previous generation of processors manufacturer at the 65-nanometer production node. BenQ's offering is quite puzzling, given the fact that the most important notebook manufacturers are replacing the 65-nanometer CPUs with the newer 45-nanometer chips, and most of the times, they are available as a free update.

Despite the notebook being touted as part of the flagship series, it is limited in its hardware capabilities, because offering up a Core 2 Duo T7250 with just 512MB of RAM exceeds the limits of common sense. Why waste the power of a $250+ processor on a crippled 512 MB of RAM configuration? This is not the only downside of the computer, given the fact that the battery life is rated at an approximate 2.3 hours by the manufacturer.

Under the hood, you'll also find 80 to 200GB hard drive choices spinning at 5,400 rotations per minute, dual-layer DVD writer, 15.4-inch WXGA running at a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 800, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, as well as audio in / out connectors. The standard 512 MB of memory can be extended up to a maximum of 2 GB. The connectivity options are covered by integrated Ethernet / WiFi, a 4-in-1 multi-card reader and a 0.3-megapixel webcam that you will use once, then forget about its existence.

The A53 is currently available in Poland, Russia, China, Thailand and Australia, with more countries slated to get the new notebook soon. The company has not announced pricing yet.