News of an upcoming AMD RX 500X series sprung like wildfire yesterday, as users and publications alike tried to quench a thirst for some more GPU solutions from the red camp. However, if recent leaked numbers and information from 3D Mark prove correct, it seems the RX 500X series will likely bring some disappointments to those who were hoping for a refined, Vega-imbued AMD Polaris redesign, or simply push for better clocks and power/performance ratios under a new manufacturing process.

Acer today unveiled the latest addition to its Nitro 5 gaming series, lauded for its refined styling and outstanding performance targeting casual gamers. Powered by up to the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i7+ processors, the newest 15-inch Nitro 5 offers improved speed and threading efficiency to gives users the ultimate thrill as they battle with friends online.

"Acer is excited to be among the first to offer the new Intel Core i7+ processors with our new Nitro 5 gaming notebook," said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer. "The new Nitro 5 provides exceptional performance at an accessible price point which exceeds the needs of most casual gamers, and also professional users that need to power through their tasks on the go."

Acer has expanded its all-in-one desktop offering in the United States with the new award-winning 23.8-inch Aspire S24, its slimmest ever featuring a side profile of only .235 inches. Built with a dual focus on design and premium functionality, it makes a stylish, yet practical addition to any room.

A black and matte gold color scheme lends the ultra-slim S24 a luxurious appeal. The Full HD IPS screen delivers a vivid and crisp viewing experience with accurate colors up to 178-degrees. An ultra-narrow .106 inch bezel provides a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, meaning more viewable space for seeing digital images, spreadsheets, movies and more.

The Predator Helios 500 is Acer's 17.3-inch gaming laptop featuring one of Intel's upcoming six-core mobile Coffee Lake processors. Consumers can choose between a Core i9-8950HK with a 2.9 GHz base clock and 4.8 GHz boost clock or the lower-spec Core i7-8750H that runs at 2.2 GHz base clock and 4.1 GHz boost clock. Independent of processor model, the Helios 500 comes with a Full HD 144 Hz IPS display with NVIDIA G-Sync support. The onboard NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is responsible for graphics duties. The Helios 500's other specifications include 16GB of DDR4-2133 memory and a 256GB M.2 SSD for primary storage. In terms of connectivity options, consumers receive three USB 3.0 ports, two USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt support, HDMI port, DisplayPort, LAN port, and two audio connectors. The Intel Core i9-8950HK version costs 1999 PLN ($3500) while the Intel Core i7-8750H version goes for 8999 PLN ($2630).

Acer today unveiled the first education tablet running Chrome OS, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 (D651N). The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is designed for Acer's education customers and will be used in K-12 classrooms to expand and enhance student learning by bringing the speed, simplicity and security of Chrome OS into the tablet form factor.

"The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 combines advances in hardware and application support to enable more meaningful learning for an even wider range of K-12 students," said James Lin, General Manager, Commercial & Detachable Notebooks, IT Products Business at Acer. "The new Acer Chromebook Tab 10 encourages students to discover new ways of understanding the world around them."

NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 is the company's cheapest and smallest GPU based on its "Pascal" graphics architecture, and is targeted at people who need IGP-replacement graphics cards around $50. Besides fewer shaders, it has a reduced software feature-set, with the notable omission of NVIDIA G-SYNC, the company's proprietary adaptive V-sync technology. We get that someone who pays the $150-200 premium for a monitor that supports it is unlikely to game on a GT 1030, but one user found otherwise.

With the latest GeForce drivers, Redditor "wantkitteh" found that their MSI GeForce GT 1030, when paired with an Acer Predator G-SYNC capable monitor (best guess XB272), was offering G-SYNC controls in the NVIDIA Control Panel. The monitor's OSD settings utility confirmed G-SYNC to be enabled. To meet the requirement, you need GPU and monitor to support G-SYNC, and be connected by a compatible DisplayPort 1.2 (or later) cable. It's something.

It looks like Intel has achieved the design goals of its new Core i7-8705G multi-chip module, built in collaboration with AMD. Combining a 4-core/8-thread "Kaby Lake" CPU die with an AMD "Vega" GPU die that has its own 4 GB HBM2 memory stack, the ruthless duo put similarly-priced discrete GPU setups to rest, such as the combination of an 8th generation Core processor + NVIDIA GeForce MX 150. More importantly, entry-level discrete GPU combinations with high-end mobile CPUs have a similar power/thermal envelope as the i7-8705G MCM, but at significantly higher PCB footprint.

Dell implemented the Core i7-8705G on one of its latest XPS 15 2-in-1 models. The device was compared to an Acer Swift 3 (SF314-51), which combines a Core i5-8250U processor with GeForce MX 150 discrete graphics; and a Dell XPS 13 9370, which implements an 8th generation Core processor that has Intel's workhorse graphics core, the HD 620. The three devices squared off against each other at "Rise of the Tomb Raider" game benchmark. The i7-8705G averaged 35 frames per second (fps), while the MX 150 barely managed 24 fps. The HD 620 ran a bored intern's PowerPoint slideshow at 9 fps.

Acer today unveils its 65-inch Predator Big Format Gaming Display with NVIDIA G-SYNC, introducing big screens to PC gaming. The supersized Predator gaming display builds on the same top-of-the-line specifications that its smaller cousins boast, and integrates NVIDIA SHIELD streaming capabilities to play movies and TV shows in stunning 4K HDR.

Massive yet Nimble
At 65-inches, the Predator Big Format Gaming Display (BFGD) features ultimate gaming specifications that consumers have come to expect from Predator gaming displays. It sports NVIDIA G-SYNC Variable Refresh Rate technology which provides a buttery-smooth, tear-and-stutter-free gaming experience, as well as ultra-low latency at 4K 120Hz. A full-array direct backlight delivers up to 1,000 nits peak luminance, and local dimming provides higher contrast, deeper blacks and brighter whites.

Acer today introduced its new Chromebook 11 line that offers strong everyday performance and a portable design with all-day battery life of up to 10 hours. The new Acer Chromebook 11 (CB311-8HT / CB311-8H) offers an 11.6-inch display in a portable and fanless design, so it's great for consumers and families who will move the device around or use in shared spaces. Plus, connecting peripherals, charging phones and other devices, and even sharing content on a large display can be done thanks to the Acer Chromebook 11's two USB 3.1 Type C ports.

"The new Acer Chromebook 11 continues Acer's tradition of delivering strong performance with all the benefits of Chrome OS at an excellent value," said James Lin, General Manager, Commercial & Detachable Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Chromebooks are widely known as a fast, easy and secure way to work and play both online and offline. Customers can play games, stay productive, enjoy content and do even more with the new Acer Chromebook 11 thanks to its support of Google Play."

Acer today launches the world's thinnest laptop, the new Swift 7 (SF714-51T). At just 8.98 mm thin, the new Swift 7 is an always-connected PC running Windows 10 that's designed for mobility, with an ultraportable design packing a powerful Intel Core i7 processor, all-day battery life and a personal, trusted 4G LTE connection.

"We're extremely proud to make the world's thinnest laptop even thinner with the new Swift 7," said Jerry Kao, President of IT Products Business of Acer Inc. "Building on the engineering breakthroughs from the previous generation, the new Swift 7 steps up the game with an even slimmer chassis, powerful performance and always-on 4G LTE connectivity for professionals on the go."

Acer today announced its new Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop, designed for casual gamers seeking great performance in an attractive laser-textured design. Powered by Windows 10, the new 15-inch laptop is targeted towards mainstream users who enjoy the thrill of gaming with friends, and building their own network of like-minded players.

"With performance to effortlessly power mainstream titles, the Acer Nitro 5 houses essential technologies that casual gamers value most," said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "We've developed the Nitro 5 knowing that gamers want powerful specs to enable great experiences on the go. The new Nitro 5 is designed to tackle these needs and features a striking exterior for added uniqueness."

As part of Microsoft's "12 Days of Deals" push towards achieving more and better sales of Microsoft-branded products, the company has pushed a pretty hefty discount for its MR HMDs mere months after their release. The discounts see the Acer Windows Mixed Reality, Dell Visor, HP, and Lenovo Explorer take price-cuts of $200 over the base price, while Samsung's Odyssey HMD sees a much more level $50 price-cut.

With a move so close to holiday season and in the wake of steep discounts from Virtual Reality headset makers Oculus and HTC, Microsoft is pushing as hard as it can towards shipping enough units to build a new VR ecosystem. Consumers are the ones that stand to gain the most here, however. Though if you want to get your hand son one of these, be fast: the Acer and Dell options are already sold out, and the others' supply might also be inferior to the demand. So go there, and grab them while they're hot.

Acer introduced the PE320QK (full model name PE320QK bmiipruzx), a 32-inch (31.5-inch viewing area) monitor for graphics professionals. This monitor boasts of 130% coverage of the sRGB palette, and 95% coverage of DCI-P3, and 4K-HDR. Key specifications of its IPS panel include 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution, 60 Hz refresh-rate, 4 ms (GTG) response time, 10bpc (1.07 billion colors), 178° viewing angles, 350 cd/m², and dynamic mega-contrast ratio. Its thin-bezel design benefits multi-monitor setups. Display inputs include two HDMI, and one DisplayPort. Available now, it is priced at USD $1,199.

Asetek today announced Acer as a new data center OEM partner. Acer will incorporate Asetek liquid cooling technology into its Altos dual Skylake high performance servers (W2200h-W670h F4). Asetek will be displaying an example of an Acer server with liquid cooling at its booth (#1625) at SC17 in Denver, CO November 13-16th, 2017.

"Given their engineering and design expertise, we are pleased to have been selected by Acer as they incorporate liquid cooling into their next generation of high density and high wattage server designs," said John Hamill, Asetek Chief Operating Officer. "Partnerships with OEMs such as Acer are a key component of our strategy to develop the emerging data center market."

Acer's new Aspire A615-51G laptop is set to launch on January 8th. The A615-51G is 19.95 mm thick and sports a sleek and sturdy all-metal body. The IPS display measures 15.6 inches and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. There are two models planned so far. The standard model comes with an Intel Core i5-8250U processor and a 256GB SSD, while the higher-end model features the more powerful Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 128GB SSD, and a 1TB HDD for additional storage.

However, the two models do have some characteristics in common. Both will come with 8GB of RAM and employ NVIDIA's GeForce MX150 graphics card with 2GB GDDR5 memory. The standard model will cost $825 approximately, and the high-end model will set you back $1000.

Starbreeze AB (NQSE: STAR A, STAR B) and Acer Inc. (TWSE: 2353, LSE: ACID) announce today that a new capitalization plan has been agreed for the StarVR Corporation - the joint venture for marketing and sales of the StarVR Virtual Reality (VR) headset. Under the new agreement, Acer will inject USD 5 million into the joint venture and increase its interest to 66.7%. Starbreeze will be relieved from its remaining capital commitment of USD 7.5 million and its interest will be 33.3%.

The joint venture, originally announced 25 June 2016, was created with a capitalization plan of up to USD 25 million to be shared equally between Starbreeze and Acer through capital injections on a set schedule. As of today, a total of USD 10 million has been injected into the company in equal amounts by the two parties. Under the new arrangement, Acer will provide a capital injection of USD 5 million into the joint venture. No further capital injections have been agreed, but the parties are proceeding in their support of the joint venture. As majority owner Acer will be able to facilitate future financing for StarVR Corporation should further capital needs arise.

Acer has introduced a new monitor to its line of offerings which brings a particular attention to design. The ED273 monitor features an eye-catching white and silver design, which looks at one time bold and elegant, and offers an interesting mix of features for the average user. The panel is a 27" VA, 1800R curved panel, which offers 1080p resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate and a 4 ms response time. Pair this with support for AMD's FreeSync (which every monitor should carry nowadays anyway), and the ED273 materializes as an interesting option for users that don't require higher resolutions nor breakneck-speed frames.

Being a VA panel, viewing angles stay at the usual 178 °, while brightness is a paltry 250 cd/m2, which means that users who expect to use this monitor in bright environments should be wary. Contrast ratio is being touted as a 1,000,000:1, and display interfaces include 1x DVI-D, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, and audio jacks. The Acer ED273 monitor is available from Newegg for $199.

Acer today announced new additions to its premium Predator gaming line, which include the Predator Orion 9000 series gaming desktops with Windows 10, its most powerful to date; and the Predator X35 monitor leveraging NVIDIA G-SYNC and Acer HDR Ultra technologies for ultra-smooth performance and stunning visuals.

Designed to intimidate enemies and inspire game play, the commanding aesthetics of the Predator Orion 9000 series feature a black-and-silver spacecraft-like exterior with customizable RGB lighting along the sides of the front bezel. A massive side window panel showcases the striking and powerful interior with a design that keeps electromagnetic interference (EMI) levels in check despite the size of the opening. Optional fans with customizable RGB lighting create a virtual light show for an even more arresting appearance. Outfitted with two handles and wheels covered with a carbon fiber pattern, the new rigs can be easily moved from one location to another. Tool-less side panels make component upgrades easy and the push-open top gives users a quick way to switch fans. A front-access headset cradle and cable management help keep the game area tidy.

Intel has just opened the proverbial lid on their 8th Gen "Coffee Lake" family of CPUs, which should bring about a democratization of cores for the masses. Acer has been quick to jump on the 8th Gen bandwagon, by announcing their new Nitro 5 Spin laptop, which brings with it the increased performance and "UHD graphics" of Intel's 8000 series of CPUs.

The Nitro 5 Spin is being marketed as a convertible, gaming-focused laptop, whose 15.6 1920*1080 IPS panel can be rotated to multiple locking positions through a 360º hinge. The gaming part of this laptop seems a little subdued - an NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card is confirmed to be on board - while memory configuration, and even the specific Intel 8th Gen processor inside, are still a mystery. The company also said that 802.11ac MU-MIMO Wi-Fi will be par of the course for their new offering, and that we should expect this take on Intel's 8th Gen mobility CPUs to be available sometime in October, for a respectable $999.

It's confirmed: no 144 Hz 4K gaming with HDR in 2017 for NVIDIA gamers who want to make use of G-Sync t avoid screen tearing in their games. Acer last week announced that its 4K HDR Predator X27 gaming display would be delayed to Q1 2018 (meaning, no such thing below your Christmas tree or on your fireplace sock, sadly.) But it isn't Acer's fault, apparently: ASUS's ROG Swift PG27UQ, which features virtually the same specifications, has also been delayed to 2018. Both these monitors are based of an NVIDIA reference design showcased at Computex 2017 (you may remember a slight foul play there as well.)

The Acer Predator X27 and the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ are based on AU Optronics' M270QAN02.2 AHVA panel, which offers a 3840×2160 resolution and can reach a 144 Hz refresh rate. Something that really should make these monitors shine is the usage of a direct LED backlighting system with 384 zones, which can be individually dimmed or brightened as needed, which allows the panel to deliver much higher levels of contrast, needed for true HDR display. At least until OLED panels make their way to high-performance gaming monitors, these are expected to be the best of the crop.

PC major Acer will be among the first manufacturers to deploy Intel's 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors on its products. The company's Swift 3 notebook, which is already open to pre-orders on Amazon, has one of its CPU options as Intel Core i5-8250U, as discovered by LaptopMedia, in an article. It goes on to describe the i5-8250U as a quad-core chip clocked at 1.60 GHz with up to 3.40 GHz boost, with 6 MB of L3 cache. This is particularly big for the ultra-slim notebook segment as the i5-8250U is among the first quad-core "ultra low power" ("U" suffix) SKUs based on a high performance core, by Intel. The listing doesn't reveal when the notebook will ship.

In a bid to increase options for budget-minded gamers, Acer has introduced the Nitro 5 gaming laptop, whose wealth of configurations start at a respectable $800. Choosing any kind of gaming-focused laptop over building your own desktop will always look like bad business, but how much one values mobility mays edge the decision towards one side or the other.

Specs-wise, it's a mix of respectable with the bare minimum: it features a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display, up to 32 GB of DDR4 2400 MHz memory, and is available in configurations featuring Intel's Core i5 or Core i7 processors paired with an NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti graphics card, or your choice of an AMD 7th-gen A-series FX, A12 or A10 APUs, paired a Radeon RX550 GPU. Some models will include PCIe SSDs (up to 512GB) with up to 2TB of optional HDD storage. Ports include 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 ports, and 1x HDMI output. The Nitro 5 also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi with a 2x2 MIMO antenna. The Nitro 5 will be available in North America starting July 1. Acer did not release detailed pricing, so there's no idea of what the $800 configuration will net you spec-wise (though an AMD and RX 550 are pretty much guaranteed). The Nitro 5 will also be available in the EMEA in August, starting at a much less interesting €1,139.

Acer has added another entry to their Predator line of gaming monitors. The Z35P comes in to replace the company's now aging Z35, which boasted of a 2560x1080 resolution (which while relatively low for today's standards, I have to say I really enjoy.) The Z35P brings the specs up to speed with today's standards, with a higher resolution and a better contrast ratio than its predecessor. Its design reminds me of a running Flood infection form, honestly, but that may be just me.

The Z35P is based on a 35" AMVA panel with a 3440x1440 resolution (2.39:1 aspect ratio and 106 PPI), has a relatively low maximum brightness of 300 nits (no HDR support here I'm afraid), a 2500:1 contrast ratio, a 100 Hz refresh rate, 178°/178° viewing angles, a 4 ms response time, and a 1800R curvature. Reports indicate the refresh rate can be overclocked from 100 Hz to 120 Hz (with G-SYNC to boot), which isn't all that shabby. Connectivity-wise, the Predator Z25P features 1x HDMI 1.4 port, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 4x USB Type-A headers (with 1x USB-B input) and 1x 3.5-mm audio jack which drives the two 9 W integrated speakers. While in operation, the panel consumes up to 65 W of power. The Acer Predator Z35P is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks for $1099.99.

Microsoft has been slowly building up its mixed reality endeavor, by baking in support for the platform in its latest Windows 10 updates, as well as the recent announcements of actual HMDs from hardware partners like HP and Acer. Acer's solution, their Mixed Reality HMD, will ship to developers and customers with a $400 price-tag for both the headset and a pair of 6 DoF controllers, which easily remind users of HTC's Vive and Oculus's Rift controllers. Microsoft's implementation, however, makes away with the Rift's and Vive's ouside-in trackers, only needing to be within "sight" of the sensors on the front of the HMD to which they're connected, thus making them truly world-scale (if at the expense of some sweet swordplay moves, but I digress.)

Acer, a global leader in computer monitors, today announced the U.S. availability of the Acer ProDesigner BM320, a large 32- inch monitor producing brilliant 4K UHD (3840x2160@60Hz) visuals with professional-grade color. "We're pleased to offer this cutting-edge monitor primed to meet the high demands of graphic designers, film and video producers, animators and others who require optimum color precision and image quality," said Ronald Lau, director - stationary computing.

Outfitted with the Acer ColorPlus technology suite, the Acer ProDesigner BM320 ensures consistent color output in addition to sharper and clearer visuals. These technologies include built-in 100 percent Adobe RGB and 100 percent sRGB coverage for storing, producing and presenting a wide and accurate range of hues required for color matching across applications and print output. Providing the ability to adjust hue and saturation, 6-axis color adjustment lets professionals obtain the exact shade they prefer. In addition, super sharpness technology optimizes the quality of even low resolution images by slightly enhancing the edges.