Acer’s latest 15.6.in and 17.3in laptops, the Aspire 5740 and 7740, are among the first to come equipped with Intel’s latest laptop processors, the Core i3, i5 and i7.
Depending on the specific model, the Aspire 5740 will have a dual core Core i3, i5 or i7 processor and an integrated Intel graphics chip. The 15.6in screen will have a resolution of 1,366 x 768 pixels. 5.1 surround sound output will be standard on all models, but read-only Blu-ray drives will only be found the more expensive variants.
The 5740DG variants will not only have a dedicated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics processor, but also have the added ability to show stereoscopic 3D images and video, which Acer calls TriDef. You’ll need to wear the included glasses to see the 3D effect though. 5740G variants will have the dedicated graphics chip, but lack the TriDef 3D screen.
The Aspire 7740 is the 17.3in version of the 5740. The larger screen will have a higher resolution of 1,600 x 900 pixels. Some models will also have the benefit of a quad core Core i7 720QM or 820QM processor which won’t be available on the 5740. Other specifications are almost identical, but oddly the 7740 series won’t support TriDef 3D. According to Acer, the 7740 will weigh 3.3kg – 500g more than the 5740.
Acer has yet to confirm pricing, but a 5740 with a Core i3 330M, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB hard disk, a DVD writer and Windows 7 Home Premium can be pre-ordered from Play.com for £500. An otherwise identical Core i5 520M version can be pre-ordered from Oyyy.co.uk for £655. An Aspire 7740 with a Core i3 330M, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard disk, a DVD writer and Windows 7 Home Premium can be pre-ordered from Kikatek for £600.
We’ll bring you full reviews, including our evaluation of Acer’s TriDef 3D technology, as soon as the new laptops arrive in our Labs.
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