Acer Updates C910 Chromebook With Intel Core i5 Broadwell CPU

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By Kevin Parrish
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Acer recently claimed "the industry's fastest" with the launch of its updated Acer Chrome 15 (C910), which now packs a 5th-generation Intel Core i5-5200U "Broadwell" processor. The previous C910 Chromebook models included slower 5th-generation Core i3 and Celeron processors.

Like the models before it, the updated Chromebook is designed for commercial use, meaning it's an ideal laptop solution for schools and businesses. Acer said that the C910 was designed to take the physical punishment of students, as it can withstand up to 130 pounds of force and features corners that can withstand drops of up to just under 18 inches. Acer indicated that the Chromebook can handle more twisting and stress than other solutions on the market.

Slated for an April release, the updated Chromebook features a 15.6-inch LED-lit anti-glare screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and wide viewing angles. Backing this screen is the Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a battery that promises up to eight hours of life on a single charge. Acer also said that the C910 has the largest touchpad in a Chromebook to date.

Also included in the updated Chromebook is 32 GB of internal storage via an SSD, an SD card slot, dual-band Wireless AC (2x2 MIMO) and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. There are two full-sized upward-facing speakers. Rounding out the package is a webcam, a digital microphone, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port and an HDMI port. The Chromebook weighs 4.85 pounds and measures 15.4 x 10.08 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH).

Acer originally introduced the C910 Chromebook line during CES 2015 back in January. The company called "world's first," as this new line featured a 15.6-inch screen, a first for Chromebooks. The C910 was also the company's first Chromebook to feature a 5th-generation Intel processor with the Core i3 and Celeron. Pricing for these two older models starts at $249.99.

In addition to the C910 with a Full HD display, Acer said it also plans to offer a version of the Intel Core i5-powered Acer C910 Chromebook with a 1366 x 768 resolution. However, the company's latest announcement only provided the price tag of the Full HD model, which will retail for $499.99 when it launches in the U.S. next month.

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Kevin Parrish
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • shafe88
    Isn't an I5 kinds overkill for a chrome book. If I'm buying a portable computer with an I5 I want windows or at least a fully functional Linux distro like Ubuntu.
    Reply
  • eumakant
    i have a new acer bay trail atom chromebook , and we can now use some android apps on our chromeos and out of it i use skype which works but not very well , i feel with i5 and more software updates , we should be able to use all android apps and chromeos on chomebooks which will basically replace our main computers , if not entirely for most of the computers uses who dont use professional software like creative suite and others
    Reply
  • ImpedingMadness
    Isn't an I5 kinds overkill for a chrome book. If I'm buying a portable computer with an I5 I want windows or at least a fully functional Linux distro like Ubuntu.
    No, this is 'fake' i5 as it is only 2 cores. Even if they put i7 u model, it is still 2 cores
    Reply
  • eumakant
    eh for browsing you dont need multicore processor, may be for other applications on android but most of the android as still not optimized for multi cores
    any ways haswell dual core i5 and i7 are very fast and this is broadwell so should be better . i feel cores are only useful for certain specific tasks if it was not new apple macbooks wont have just a dual core processors .
    Reply
  • jchap1590
    Isn't an I5 kinds overkill for a chrome book. If I'm buying a portable computer with an I5 I want windows or at least a fully functional Linux distro like Ubuntu.
    No, this is 'fake' i5 as it is only 2 cores. Even if they put i7 u model, it is still 2 cores

    it's not "fake", it's a mobile processor.. mobile i5 CPUs and half of the lower-end i7 CPUs have always been 2 cores with hyperthreading.. as far back as Sandybridge. all i5s and i7s were 2C/4T in the Westmere gen.
    Reply
  • Durandul
    To everyone in the comments: install seabios, load linux distro of choice, profit. The hardware is wonderfully specced for the price.
    Reply
  • Durandul
    15516150 said:
    i have a new acer bay trail atom chromebook , and we can now use some android apps on our chromeos and out of it i use skype which works but not very well , i feel with i5 and more software updates , we should be able to use all android apps and chromeos on chomebooks which will basically replace our main computers , if not entirely for most of the computers uses who dont use professional software like creative suite and others

    Eh, I'm looking forward to some more web based applications, and ChromeOS ports of both windows and linux software before I see it as a true desktop alternative, but having mid range hardware is definitely exciting on this platform, and would be a great laptop for anyone not needing windows for a specific program.
    Reply