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Not so long ago, laptop manufacturers were scrambling and competing with each other to develop the best netbook. As the netbook continues to be a practical, portable and fashionable basic computing tool, laptop manufacturers are now also starting to compete with making the best multimedia and entertainment laptop. Acer joined the bandwagon and came up with such an offering named the Acer AS8940G-6865. As part of Acer’s Aspire series, the Acer AS8940G-6865 commands a lofty price tag starting from $1,350.

 

The Acer AS8940G-6865, the ultimate multimedia, entertainment and gaming laptop, would only be possible with the development of Intel Core i7, which is Intel’s latest processor that enables easy multitasking and faster computing applications. This processor can also facilitate seamless multimedia functions like watching movies, listening to music, and even hardcore gaming. Let’s see how powerful the Acer AS8940G-6865 is and how it is a cut above the rest.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

 

The Acer AS8940G-6865 is driven by the Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor with a cache of 6 MB and a speed of 1.60GHz. This multimedia powerhouse has the new Windows 7 Home Premium operating system, which is a far better than its Vista predecessor. To avoid lags especially in multimedia functions, the Acer AS8940G-6865 has a generous 4GB of memory that is upgradeable to a whopping 8GB of RAM! Plus, this laptop boasts of a generous storage capacity with its 500GB SATA hard disk drive.

 

Other storage features of the Acer AS8940G-6865 include an optical drive that can read anything up to Blu-ray Discs, a 5-in-1 card reader. It can even accommodate an “outdated” USB 1.44MB diskette drive.

 

As it is a top-notch multimedia laptop, the Acer AS8940G-6865 boasts of a generous 18.4” TFT LCD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and an aspect ratio of 16:9, allowing one to experience that great movie-viewing experience. This laptop is also very friendly to hardcore gamers with the dedicated NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 250M graphics card, which allows the processing of heavy video and editing applications. Connectivity to other external devices is possible with various ports like VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI with HDCP support ports.

 

While not ear-splitting, the Acer AS8940G-6865’s audio system packs a punch with the Dolby-optimized Acer CineSurround sound system with five integrated speakers and one Acer Tuba CineBass booster supporting low-frequency effects. The Acer AS8940G-6865 also comes with those nifty and basic features like the Intel® Wireless WiFi Link network connection that supports 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N wireless LAN. This beauty also comes with Acer’s proprietary software like: Backup Manager, Crystal Eye, eRecovery Management, GridVista, InstantOn Arcade, Launch Manager, PowerSmart Manager and other software.

 

The above specifications are packed in a compact carriage with dimensions of 17.3″ (440.0mm) W x 11.6″ (295.0mm) D x 1.2″ – 1.7” (31.0mm – 43.8mm) H and weighing 10.1 lb. (4.6kg).

 

SPECS	AVAILABLE OPTIONS
CPU	Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Processor
RAM	4GB (2GB installed in each of two memory slots) DDR3 1066 SDRAM
Screen Size	Acer® CineCrystal full HD 18.4″ (1920 x 1080) high-brightness (220-nit) TFT LCD
Operating System	Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
Battery	Eight-cell lithium ion battery: up to 3.0 hours life depending on
	configuration and usage; 2.0 hours recharge time with power off, 3.0 hours
	with power on, 80% charge in 1.0 hour
Graphics	Discrete NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 250M graphics (1024 MB of dedicated
	DDR3 VRAM, up to 1791 MB of shared system memory)

 

 

PROS

 

The Acer AS8940G-6865 is proud of its many features and specifications like the Intel Core i7 processor, the generous 500GB of storage space, the ample 18.4” HD screen, the fantastic Dolby audio system, and its sleek looks, among other things. What more can one ask for in a multimedia laptop?

 

CONS

 

Like any other multimedia laptops, the Acer AS8940G-6865’s main disadvantage is its short battery life of 3 hours. Yes, most movies are less than three hours, but will you just settle for a movie and not do anything else afterward? Like watching another movie or listening to music?

 

Screen reflections are another tiny nuisance in the Acer AS8940G-6865. Reflections are evident, especially when viewing dark scenes or when one moves right or left of center.

 

CONCLUSION

 

For now, the Acer AS8940G-6865 seems like the pinnacle of laptop evolution. It possesses cutting-edge specifications that would keep us on edge. Even the heaviest tasks would be easy with the Core i7 processor. Plus, one can experience a perfect multimedia experience with rich video and audio applications. A potential buyer can overlook its disadvantages. The Acer AS8940G-6865 is one laptop that is hard to miss.

Related posts:

1. Acer Aspire AS5940G – Review
2. Acer Travelmate 5530 – Review
3. Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 – Review
4. Acer Travelmate 6293 – Review
5. Acer Travelmate 5730 – Review

Tags: Acer AS8940G-6865, core i5 laptop

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 3:45 am and is filed under Acer, and is tagged with Acer AS8940G-6865, core i5 laptop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.