Acer seems to have a new desktop tower, the M5800—though you’d never guess
it from the Acer Website, which is splashed with images of its Aspire One D250
netbook.
Acer intends the M5800 for consumer home use, and it features a handsome brushed-metal
exterior. Inside is a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor with 6MB of Level 2
cache and 1,333MHz FSB, or a dialed-down 2.50GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processor
with 4MB of L2 cache and 1,333MHz FSB.
The chip set is an Intel G43 Express, and users have a choice of Nvidia GeForce
GT230 graphics or ATI Radeon HD 4650.
There's 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 750GB SATA
hard drive, VGA and HDMI ports, and PCI Express 2.0 x16 graphics card support.
In the interest of ease of use, the top of the M5800 is a covered storage
compartment for cables and other items, according to Acer, and ports are
positioned toward the top for easy access.
And for a more dramatic appearance, the tower—which measures 14.7 inches wide
by 17.4 inches deep by 7.1 inches high—features a transparent vertical side
strip, which colored LED lights shine through.
Engadget reports that the M5800 will
sell for $800, but good luck finding that information on the Acer site.
As for that show-stealing netbook, Acer introduced the Aspire One D250 in Milan
earlier this month. It features a 10.1-inch display with CrystalBrite LED
technology and a resolution that's 1,024 by 600 pixels.
Included is a microphone and Crystal Eye Webcam, an Intel Atom processor, and
the option of a Mobile Intel 945GSE Express
or 82801GBM chip set. There’s a 160GB internal hard drive and a multi-in-one
card reader, and memory is up to 2GB of DDR.
Connectivity options include 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and wireless
3G, and the operating system is Microsoft Windows XP Home.
To personalize beyond the chip sets, however, and show off this 2.44-pound
number, users can choose from high-gloss finishes in seashell white, sapphire
blue, ruby red or diamond black. Pricing begins at $295.99.
Additionally,
on June 2 Acer introduced the U.S. market to its thin-and-light Aspire Timeline
series of notebooks. Featuring ultra-low-voltage Intel processors, they're
said to offer "all day computing."