Event Coverage

PC Show 2012 - Notebooks, PC Systems, Networking & PC Accessories Buying Guide

By Team HardwareZone - 7 Jun 2012

Notebooks and Desktops - Acer & ASUS

Notebooks, PC Systems, Networking, PC Accessories Buying Guide

The PC Show is currently taking place at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center. Till the 10th of June, the expo will span four floors (1, 3, 4, and 6), and its doors will be opened from noon to 9pm daily. In this segment, we highlight noteworthy items related to the Personal Computing category, consisting mainly of notebooks, desktops, networking and other accessories. Keep your eyes and ears peeled!

Buying Guide Index

 

 

PC Show 2012 Shopping Resources

Remember to check out the HardwareZone Tech Show Portal for the latest consolidated shopping resources and updates.

 

Notebooks and Desktops

Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors have arrived just in time to grace the notebooks and desktops available at this year's PC Show. The 3rd generation processors are the most powerful yet, and promise much more power, while reducing power consumption, thus of course, prolonging battery life. And that's not the best part about the advent of Ivy Bridge processors. Current Sandy Bridge toting notebooks and desktops will also be priced to clear. If you're a casual user, you'd definitely want to look out for these Sandy Bridge machines because they will be more than adequate to suit your needs -- the same goes for gamers.

The biggest winners when it comes to Ivy Bridge, will be the very thin and light Ultrabooks. This year's PC Show will see a bevy of manufacturers showcasing their latest Ultrabook offerings. And in case you're wondering, they won't all be confined to the 13.3-inch form factor. This PC show, you will also be able to cast your gaze on 14-inch to 15.6-inch Ultrabooks that sport the full gamut of features -- more ports, discrete graphics and even optical drives if you really need it.

Another point to get you into the mood for splurging on a new notebook, is the fact that you can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just S$18 (starting from now) if you buy a machine that comes with Windows 7 pre-installed.

 

Acer (Level 4, 6, Hall 402, 403, 404, 602)

 

Acer Aspire S5

The 13.3-inch, 1.2kg Acer Aspire S5, is a result of Acer's determination to start steering away from its current business model -- cheap and affordable (an example would be the liberal use of plastics). The new Acer Aspire S5 is decidedly very much improved over Acer's first Ultrabook effort, the Acer Aspire S3. It's got a snazzy new look, as well as a full aluminum body which makes it very robust. There is no back-lit keyboard, but there's a mechanized "Magic Flip" port door that opens up at a push of a button, revealing 2 USB  3.0 ports, HDMI and a display port. Talk about luxury! This time, there isn't a cheap hybrid drive option -- instead, there will be options for a 128GB SSD, or a 256GB SSD -- the way Ultrabooks are meant to exist. The only thing taking away this notebook's shine, is the lack of a higher resolution screen, which is a disappointing 1366 x 768 pixels.

  • PC Show Price: Core i5, 128GB SSD - $1,498, Core i7, 256GB SSD - $1,898
  • Usual Price: Core i5, 128GB SSD - $1,698, Core i7, 256GB SSD - $2,098
  • Promotion: Free Acer Folio Case, HDMI to VGA Converter, Bluetooth Mouse

 

Acer Aspire Z3771 (i212M45)

Windows 8 will be upon us soon, and how are you getting ready for it? For less than S$1000, you can get yourself a 21" Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixel resolution) all-in-one PC -- the Acer Aspire Z3771. Granted, there are other models that are bigger and faster, but for casual users, the Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500Gb HDD and integrated graphics is more than enough to get you on the Windows 8 bandwagon. If you get it during the PC Show, you will also be able to upgrade it to Windows 8 Pro for just S$18 when it launches.

  • PC Show Price: $899
  • Usual Price: $1099
  • Promotion: Free Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security

 

Brochures
Click here for Acer notebooks & desktops brochures.

 

ASUS (Level 4, 6, Hall 401, 402, 403, 602)

 

ASUS Zenbook UX21E / UX31E

The ASUS Zenbook UX series haven't been updated to Ivy Bridge processors in time for the PC Show, but that also means that it's priced to compete with the latest Ivy Bridge processors. Under the full aluminum body UX series, there is the 1.1kg UX21E (i5 or i7, 128GB) and the 1.3kg (i5, i7, 128GB or 256GB) UX31E. These Sandy Bridge notebooks are good for casual or business users who don't require any gaming firepower, and need a thin-and-light notebook for travel. For entertainment, there is audio by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. Its trump card over most other Ultrabooks though, is its high-resolution (1600 x 900 pixels) screen.

  • PC Show Price: UX21E-i5 (Core i5, 128GB SSD) - $1,398, UX21E-i7 (Core i7, 128GB SSD) - $1,598. UX31E-i5 (Core i5, 128GB SSD) - $1,498, UX31E-i7 (Core i7, 128GB SSD) - $1,698, UX31E-i5 (Core i5, 256GB SSD) - $1,998
  • Usual Price: UX21E-i5 (Core i5, 128GB SSD) - $1,698, UX21E-i7 (Core i7, 128GB SSD) - $1,698. UX31E-i5 (Core i5, 128GB SSD) - $1,598, UX31E-i7 (Core i7, 128GB SSD) - $1,798, UX31E-i5 (Core i5, 256GB SSD) - $2,098
  • Promotion: Free Trend Micro Internet Security ($59), upgrade 3yrs internationl warranty. In Box: mini-VGA to VGA cable ($69), USB to LAN cable ($69)
  • More Information: HWZ Review

 

ASUS N46VZ-V3019V

The ASUS N46VZ is one of the latest thin-and-light multimedia notebooks to feature an new and powerful quad-core i7, Ivy Bridge processor. It has 4GB of RAM, a large 750GB SATA drive, and even an optical drive. It comes in 2 sizes: 14-inches and 15-inches. Unfortunately ASUS didn't indicate how much the 15-inch version costs, or what components it has. This versatile do-it-all machine also has an NVIDIA Geforce GT650M which is adequate for casual gaming at lower settings and resolutions. The only issue we have with this machine is that its screen is quite low res (1366 x 768 pixels) for a high performance multimedia notebook.

  • PC Show Price: $1,498
  • Usual Price: $1,598
  • Promotion: Free Trend Micro Security ($69), upgrade 2 years international warranty (S$129), notebook bag ($69), optical mouse ($19)

 

Brochures
Click here for ASUS notebooks & desktops brochures.
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