Acer announced a series of new notebooks for the CES that rely on Intel processors and Nvidia graphics in all price ranges. AMD is largely ignored, although the Taiwanese manufacturer was one of the first laptop suppliers to use AMD CPUs in its models more than twenty years ago and has continued this partnership for a long time. Now, however, Acer is emphasizing the equipment with Intel’s new Core i-13000 and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40 graphics chips, from new gaming machines to flat and light ultrabooks.
These include the new Predator Helios 16 and Predator Helios 18 gaming notebooks with 16 and 18 inch displays respectively. These mini LED panels come in 16:10 format and with resolutions of 1920×1200 or 2560×1600 pixels and refresh rates of 165 or 240 Hz. In addition to Intel’s Core i9 or i7 HX processors of the 13th generation and Nvidia’s graphics solutions such as a GeForce RTX 4080 Acer relies on Intel’s Killer E2600 Ethernet controller, up to 32 GB DDR5 main memory and M.2 NVMe SSDs (PCIe 4.0) with up to 2 TB for these gaming laptops.
USB3.2 Gen.2, HDMI 2.1, two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 and a microSD card reader are available as connections. The notebooks should be available from February from 2400 euros (Predator Helios 16) and from March from 2500 euros (Predator Helios 18). The price includes a month-long Xbox or PC Game Pass with access to hundreds of games, so buyers can get started right away.
Gaming notebooks around 1500 euros
Acer is also launching slightly cheaper Nitro gaming notebooks with 16 and 17.3-inch screens, which are also based on Intel’s new mobile CPUs and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40 series. The maximum configuration of main memory and hard disk space is identical, but the displays offer a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz. Compared to the previous Nitro generation, the monitor bezel is said to have been reduced to improve the screen-to-bezel ratio (now 81 and 84 percent respectively).
Acer Nitro 16 and Nitro 17 offer HMDI 2.1, microSD card reader, two powered Thunderbolt 4 ports and three USB 3.2 Gen.2. Both notebook models should be available from May from 1500 and 1550 euros respectively.
All-rounder under 500 euros
The Aspire 3 and 5 all-round notebooks are also refreshed with Intel’s 13th generation Core processors. They are said to be available for less than 500 euros, but they do without Nvidia’s latest graphics solution, instead relying on Intel’s integrated graphics unit or a GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, which was introduced just over a year ago. CPU and GPU are available with up to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 1 TB of hard disk space via M.2 SSD.
(Picture: Acer)
Acer’s Aspire 3 and 5 are offered with 14, 15 and 17 inch screens. The Aspire 3 with a 15-inch display should be available from 500 euros as early as this month, the other models such as the 17-inch Aspire 3 from 600 euros or the Aspire 5 with a 14 or 15-inch monitor from 800 euros Euro will follow within the next few months.
Swift Go Ultrabooks from 1100 euros
A new model series from Acer is called “Swift Go”. It should be according to an international press conference are particularly thin and light notebooks with OLED displays that offer a slim frame and refresh rates of up to 120 Hz. The screen sizes are 14 and 16 inches with resolutions of 2880×1800 or 3200×2000 pixels. They are based on Intel’s Core i-13000 processors from the H series and are said to offer battery life of more than nine and a half hours.
These ultrabooks weigh around 1.3 or 1.6 kilograms and are only 14.9 millimeters thick. Nevertheless, two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and a microSD card reader are available as connections. Up to 16 GB of DDR5 main memory and up to 2 TB of hard disk space via PCIe-4 SSD are possible. The Acer Swift Go 14 should be available from February from 1100 euros. The Swift Go 16 will follow a month later but doesn’t have a price yet.
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