Acer releases 2018 range of 8th gen PCs and notebooks

Acer used its next@acer Global Press Conference to announce some high-powered offerings that will be seen in Australia soon.

These include

Acer Nitro 50 desktop

• 8th generation Core i7 desktop processors
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPUs for up to 4K displays
• 512GB to 3TB NVMe SSD
• Realtek Dragon LAN (Gigabit Ethernet directly connected to the PCIe bus)
• Aimed at gamers with a striking and edgy armour-inspired housing with front-facing LED lighting that emits a sinister red glow.
• Equally good for high demanding processing and graphics requirements for both content creation and consumption.
• Integrated Qi charge pad

Acer Nitro VG0 and RG0 series monitors

• IPS LED/LCD, 144Hz refresh, 178° viewing angle
• Radeon Free Sync
• Integrated Visual Response Boost for 1ms MPRT
• Black boost enables gamers to select from 11 black level options to optimise visual advantage
• Stand tilt from –5 to 20 degrees [–5 to 15 degrees for RG0 series]
• 72% NTSC standard and delivering a 250 cd/m2 brightness
• Stereo 2W speakers
• Integrated Acer Game Mode. Eight pre-set display modes include Action, Racing, Sport, User, Standard, ECO, Graphic and Movie

Acer Predator Orion 5000 (high-range) and Orion 3000 (mid-range) Gaming Desktops

• 8th generation Core i7 processors and Intel Z370 chipset
• 2-way NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GPUs in SLI.
• Up to 32GB Intel Optane Memory
• VR ready
• Supports 4K gameplay
• IceTunnel 2.0 airflow management design segments the system into different thermal zones and provides each sector with its own airflow tunnel to expel heat.

Acer Predator gadgets and accessories

• Cestus 510: a customisable high-performance gaming mouse with a precise optical sensor that supports up to 16,000 DPI
• Gaming Chair: includes detachable cushions, superior ergonomics, and lumbar spine support to give players an edge on marathon gaming sessions
• Hard Case: protects the most valuable assets with a hard-as-rock outer shell and customisable foam inserts that fit exactly around your computer
• Aethon 500 extra-durable mechanical keyboard with a lifespan of 70 million strokes per key, customisable with 16.8 million colours
• Mousepad series available in plastic or fabric finishes with dramatic cinematic landscapes to keep the player in the game

Acer Predator Helios 500 Notebook

• 8th Gen Intel Core i9+ processors
• Overclockable NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics
• Up to 64GB Intel Optane Memory
• NVMePCIe SSDs
• Killer DoubleShot Pro networking
• 4K UHD or FHD IPS 17.3-inch, 144 Hz panels with NVIDIA G-SYNC
• Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, and display and HDMI 2.0 ports support up to three external monitors. Two speakers, a subwoofer, and Acer TrueHarmony, Waves MAXXAudio and hyper-realistic 3D audio using Waves Nx
• Two of Acer’s proprietary AeroBlade™ 3D metal fans, and five heat pipes
• Blue lighting and trim accents that pop on its obsidian-black chassis
• Backlit RGB keyboard, four lighting zones, 16.8 million colour. Anti-ghosting technology for executing complex commands and combos, via five dedicated programmable keys.
• Acer’s PredatorSense app controls and monitors the notebook’s vitals from one central interface, including overclocking, lighting, hotkeys, temperature, and fan control.

Acer Predator Helios 300 Special Edition

• 8th Gen Intel Core i7+ processor
• 16 GB of DDR4 memory, and is upgradable to 32GB Intel Optane
• Overclockable GeForce GTX 1060 graphics
• Gigabit Lan AND 2×2 Wi-Fi AC, dual-band
• 6-inch FHD IPS display, 144Hz refresh rate

Other announcements. We are not sure if these will come here.

Acer 15.6-inch Swift 5 Notebook

• Choice of 8th generation Intel Core mobile processors
• FHD IPS screen with 87.6% screen to body ratio (very narrow bezels)
• Up to 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD
• one USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 port (10 Gbit/s inc power delivery and external display)
• two USB 3.1 Type-A ports (one with power-off charging)
• HDMI port
• SD card
• Intel Wireless-AC 9560, 2×2 and Bluetooth
• LED-backlit keyboard and fingerprint reader
• Under 1Kg using ultra-light magnesium-lithium alloys

Acer Chromebook Spin 13 (360° hinge) and Chrome 13 (clamshell)

• 8th Gen Intel Core processors (i5-8250U or i3-8130U and other choices)
• New 13.5” FHD+, 2256×1504, 3:2 ratio, touch screens (like Microsoft Surface)
• Up to 16GB and 128GB eMMC
• Dual USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 1 (5Gb/s)
• USB-A 3.0 port
• MicroSD card reader
• Wacom EMR stylus
• 10-hour battery

GadgetGuys’ take – Acer should be on your shopping list

Acer (Australian website here) typifies the Taiwanese work ethic of taking on the world and winning. From its beginnings, in 1976 it has evolved to become one of the top five global PC makers (top three in Australia).

In a former life as a major shareholder in Techmart (Queensland computer superstore), we sold Acer desktops, laptops, monitors and more. It was among the most trouble-free products and had great after sales service. I like Acer because it has committed to Australia with a large assembly and service facility in Sydney. It’s not just an importer but adds value here.

It lost direction until its founder Stan Shih, took it back over in 2013 and since then he and Jason Chen (president and CEO) have charted a steady course back to the top. Its strength is currently in Government and Education, but it is re-emerging in the consumer field via major retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Bing Lee, Officeworks and many dedicated computer stores.