Acer Aspire 8920G

Acer Aspire 8920G
18.4-inc laptop will turn heads with its stellar display

THE $2,599 ACER ASPIRE 8920G is a snappy-looking desktop-replacement notebook that features one of the nicest displays we've seen. Its high-end Penryn processor will handle anything you throw at it, although serious gamers will likely require more 3D muscle.
Decorated in an attractive, dark blue metallic finish, the centerpiece of the 9-pound Aspire 8920G is its beautiful 18.4-inch glossy wide-screen TFT, which can display 90 percent of the color gamut. The result is an exceptional picture with deep, rich color and excellent viewing angles. Even better, the display has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels and an aspect ration of 16-to-9, so you can view high-definition (HD) movies in their natives format, without having to deal with black bars or stretched images. Using the built-in Blu-ray optical drive, we were blown away by the image quality, expecially when it came to skin-tone accuracy and color reproduction. Complementing the HD screen is Acer's CineSurround sound system, which provided true six-channel sound that's among the best we've heard from a notebook system. THe 8920's full-size black keyboard is responsive and comfortable, but the real eyecatcher is the CineDash media player console, which containts white-blacklit, touch-sensitive media controls and a dial that raise and lowers the speaker volume. (We found the latter a bit difficult to master.)
As for connectivity, the system has both VGA and HDMI video outputs, but FireWire and S-Video connections are nowhere to be found. Even more glaring is the absence of a TV tuner, an odd omission, considering the 8920G is billed as an entertainment system. With its 2.6GHz COre 2 Duo T9500 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 2 dedicated 512MB nVidia GeForce 9650 GS graphics card, the system performed well on our productivity and multimedia benchmark test. Gaming performance wasn't as stellar - we managed just 23.8 frames per second (fps) on Company of Heroes at the 8920's native resolution. While that isn't good news for hardcore fraggers, this system should satisfy casual games.



What's the Deal?
The 18.40-inch Acer Aspire 8920G is a real head-turner that will dominate your media collection, even if it is lacking some entertainment features and gaming prowess.

What it's for: This 9-pound desktop-replacement notebook can handle just about any media or productivity chore with ease. It's fine for casual gaming, too, though enthusiast gamers will want to look elsewhere.

Who it's for: Users who want a stay-at-home system that's built for showcasing HD movies, playing music, rendering video, and other media-intensive tasks.

What's included: 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo T9500 CPU; 4GB of RAM; 320GB hard drive; Blu-ray burner; 18.4-inch TFT; Acer's CineSurround sound system; touch-sensitive media buttons; HDMI out.

The bottom line: Though it's missing a few entertainment options, the big, brawny, and beautiful Aspire 8920G is still one of the hottest multimedia notebooks around.

www.acer.com