Acer Aspire AS-Series Uncovered [New Aspire Notebooks Feature Core i3, i5, Budget-Priced]

Tweet

Some of you want the power and screen size of a conventional notebook computer but want a low price that’s closer to netbooks, and Acer is ready to fulfill your needs. The Taiwanese computer giant is planning to release two new notebook computers that will come in at a cheap price but they’ll pack a punch as they’ll both come equipped with Intel’s next-gen Core i3 and i5 processors.

The first of the new computers, the Acer Aspire AS5740 will come with a 15-inch display and will be packing a Core i3-430M (2.26GHz) processor under the hood. Graphics will be supplied by the Dx11 capable ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics card, which has 512MB of VRAM. It’ll come standard with 4GB of DDR3 memory and Windows 7 Home Premium (of the 64-bit variety).

The second new notebook is the Acer Aspire AS7740, which comes in a 17-inch screen. The standard processor of choice is the Core i3-330M (2.16GHz). The default graphics provider is Intel on-board graphics with 128MB of VRAM. Like it’s little brother, it comes with 4GB of DRR3 memory standard, and includes a Blu-Ray drive and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS.

Careful TFTS readers will notice that the 17-inch model has standard specs that are a bit lower than the 15-inch model. Acer’s press release says both models start at $750 – so the difference in screen size will cost the 17-inch model in performance. However, like most computer manufacturers, expect these notebooks to be fully customizable for order. Upgrade options will include the choice to upgrade to the faster Core i5 processors.

These computers will start shipping on January 17th, 2010, with their default configurations listed above.