Acer, the world's second largest computer manufacturer, has taken the opportunity to roll out a couple of new notebooks at this year's CES.
Joining Acer's Aspire range are the all-new AS5740 and AS7740, a pair of 15.6in and 17.3in notebooks that retain a familiar Gemstone design but differentiate from their predecessors by using Intel's latest 32nm Arrandale processors.
Acer's 15.6in AS5740 features a 2.26GHz Intel Core i5 530M processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM and surprisingly-potent graphics in the form of a dedicated 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card. The system's display offers a 1,366 x 768 resolution, there's up to 500GB of storage and Acer's six-cell battery is said to offer up to four hours of battery life.
The 17.3in Aspire AS7740, meanwhile, may surprise readers as its larger dimensions don't result in improved performance. Acer has equipped the system with a slightly slower 2.13GHz Core i3 330M processor, 4GB of RAM and integrated Intel graphics. Despite the selection of downgraded internal hardware, storage capacity remains at 500GB and Acer throws in a couple of useful upgrades - including a higher screen resolution of 1,600 x 900, and a Blu-ray drive.
What's interesting is that both the 15.6in and 17.3in systems are expected to reach retail on January 17th priced at $750 apiece. Unfortunately, an administrative slip-up has resulted in the systems not reaching Acer's CES stand - hence the lack of hands-on impressions. On paper, though, a 15.6in notebook armed with a Core i5 processor and dedicated DirectX 11 graphics for around £500 sounds mighty useful.
