Acer AS8943G Notebooks Does DirectX 11, 1080p
Acer launched two new laptops that should tickle the gamer in all of us.
Consumers looking for a meaty notebook should take a look at Acer's two new models in the Aspire AS8943G series. Acer went all out with these new portable rigs, offering top-of-the -line features geared for the demanding power user with the likes of the Intel Core i7 CPU and DirectX 11-capable graphics. However these notebooks won't come cheap: the series starts at $1,549.99 USD.
A listing on Newegg shows the Acer Aspire AS8943G-6782 sporting the 1.60 GHz Intel Core i7 720QM processor, 8 GB or DDR3 RAM, a 5400 RPM SATA 500 GB HDD, and a Blu-ray combo optical drive. On the graphics front, the notebook uses the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 GPU with 1 GB of DDR3 video memory, and a CineCrystal 18.4-inch LED backlit screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Although it's not (yet) listed on Newegg, Acer also mentioned the Aspire AS8943G-6190 notebook. It's assumed that this version will offer only 4 GB of memory, however both models can provide up to 16 GB if needed. They also share the same traits for the most part including an additional eSATA and FireWire Port, Dolby Home Theater Audio enhancements, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, Gigabit LAN and WLAN connections, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, and more.
"The Acer Aspire AS8943G Series of notebooks are first-class multimedia centers that deliver an unparalleled high-definition personal theatre experience," said Ray Sawall, Acer product marketing. "Designed for the most discriminating and style-conscious consumer, these new notebooks combine an elegant, simplistic design with top-of-the line technologies and usability features, taking PC-based entertainment to a whole new level."
Both laptops are supposedly available now, however as mentioned above, the 6190 has yet to appear online.
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1.6GHz doesn't seem very powerful to me, especially for $1500..
1.6Ghz is the standard speed for mobile i7. Also it looks gigantic in size.
This should compete very well for top end gaming notebooks. It's got 1080p, bluray, good graphics, plenty of RAM, etc... If they should change anything it would be a 7200 RPM HDD instead of 5400. But at that price point, I think they made the right hardware choices for the most part.
looks a little lack luster next to the G series... for $50 less I can get one with a 5870m and a 7200rpm hdd.
1080p. Sigh. When will these peecee manufacturers wake up and realize that 16:9 aspect ratios are terrible for a computer screen? I'd take 1280x1024 any day, over 1080p.
I heard this model has a very long battery life for a system with the top range components.
BTW, thats a Core i7 version. It offers a Turbo Mode up to 3.33ghz. Its downclocked on notebooks to save juice and turns on when needed.
good price n specs if u ask me. customize alienware with those specs and tell me how THAT turns out
1080p. Sigh. When will these peecee manufacturers wake up and realize that 16:9 aspect ratios are terrible for a computer screen? I'd take 1280x1024 any day, over 1080p.
I'll stick with 1920 x 1080 lines of resolution over 1280 x 1024 lines thank you VERY much.
By the way, you can give up your rotary phone now. They have really cool wireless ones with buttons and digital signals!!!
lol, i agree about widescreen being here to stay, and the high rez is impressive, I just have to wonder if 1080p on an 18" screen is just overkill though... still better more than less i sez
Desktop replacement, unless they up that battery life...
But still, nice.
Those i5 and i7 chips seem much more efficient per clock cycle in terms of raw performance. 1.6 Ghz seems right in line with a nice mid-powered system, and that isn't taking into account the hardware acceleration afforded by the GPU...
lol, i agree about widescreen being here to stay, and the high rez is impressive, I just have to wonder if 1080p on an 18" screen is just overkill though... still better more than less i sez
When you are close up to your screen, as is usually the case with notebooks, every bit of resolution helps. 1080p is NOT overkill IMHO... Wish it was 1920x1200... Vertical resolution is where it is at, especially since I can't practically rotate the screen.
At 18.4", I wouldn't even want to carry that around. I'd probably end up just hooking it up to my TV so screen resolution doesn't really even matter so much.
This is horrible the ole' ASUS G73jh had a i7-720QM, a 5870 for 1,499 and 6 months ago.
5850 + DDR3 = fail. (Really; compare the 5850 + GDDR5 in the MSI GX640 to this to see what I mean).
I know it states 8 gig of RAM above in the specs but is this a typo? 4 gig of what memory or RAM?
Quote
"So buyers are going to get 4 gig of memory on a SSD, with the price of the laptop buyers should get al the very least 40-60g of SSD storage and one can expect every new buyer to use cloud just yet.
I know it states 8 gig of RAM above in the specs but is this a typo? 4 gig of what memory or RAM?"
What are you going on about? Ram & memory both refer to System memory that the system has to run Windows & the software. Storage would refer to hard drive. I do not see any where where it says anything about SSD which is also refered to as a storage device not ram or memory.
So buyers are going to get 4 gig of memory on a SSD, with the price of the laptop buyers should get al the very least 40-60g of SSD storage and one can expect every new buyer to use cloud just yet. I know it states 8 gig of RAM above in the specs but is this a typo? 4 gig of what memory or RAM?
SSD devices are mentioned nowhere; it is meant that the cheaper model will start with 4 gig of RAM and the "flagship model" at 8 gig, both expandable up to 16 gig of RAM.
While 4 gig is nothing special any more, 8 gig is quite nice.
In the UK Acer are selling this with the same cpu/gpu, 16gb ram, 2x 640gb hdd and a bluray writer for £1999
I just bought an 8942G thats nearly the same thing except it has a core i3 instead of an i7. Very nice system. About as heavy as my old aspire 7520, the power brick is larger however. The battery lasts about an hour longer than the 7520 also, abuot 3 hours of mixed use. scores a 5.8 on the WEI and thats only because of the slow HDD. only paid 450$ for mine tho, employee discount. very nice system.
and the i7 720 turbos to 2.8ghz when needed.
If they should change anything it would be a 7200 RPM HDD instead of 5400. But at that price point, I think they made the right hardware choices for the most part.
Should just pop in an SSD.
It looks big.
5 minutes battery life