Intel Launches Fresh Mobile Quad-Core Chip

Intel over the weekend introduced a new mobile quad-core chip, which Acer started offering Monday in its latest Aspire laptop for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts.

In addition, online retailers started offering pre-orders of Advanced Micro Devices' Phenom II quad-core chip, which AMD plans to introduce next month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new product is aimed at high-end desktops.

The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 laptop is powered by Intel's new Core 2 Quad Q9000. On Sunday, Intel released an updated price list that lists the 2.0-GHz Q9000 for $348 in batches of 1,000. Pricing for Intel's other mobile quad cores start at $851, with the highest-price product, the QX9300, listing for $1,038.

Intel also listed four new dual-core processors for laptops, the 2.93-GHz T9800, $530; the 2.66-GHz P9600, $348; the 2.66-GHz T9550, $316; and the 2.53-GHz P8700, $241.

The latest Acer Aspire sports an 18-inch display and includes 4 GB of memory, an Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT graphics card with 512 MB of video memory, and a 500-GB, 7,200-RPM hard disk drive. The system also includes a Blu-ray disc player, built-in Wi-Fi support, a Webcam, and Windows Vista Premium. The manufacturer suggested retail price is $1,800.

AMD's 3.0-GHz Black Edition Phenom II X4 9400 was available for pre-order on Computers4Sure, owned by Office Depot, and A-Power Computer Online. The chip comes with a three-year warranty.

Intel Puts Mobile Quad-core Chip in Acer Notebook

For those of you who have been waiting for someone to cram a quad-core processor into a notebook, your time has come. Intel announced over the weekend of Dec. 27 the launch of a new mobile quad-core chip, the Q9000, which PC maker Acer is selling in its Aspire 8930G-7665 notebook.

Designed for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts on the go, the chip utilizes four processing cores, 6MB of shared Level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz front side bus and clock speed rates up to 2.0GHz. Along with the quad-core mobile processing power, the notebook brings high-definition functionality. The chip is backed by a three-year warranty and the notebook is backed by a one-year warranty.

The notebook PC features an 18.4-inch HD CineCrystal widescreen 1920 by 1080 pixel display, with an 18-inch widescreen, 16:9 aspect ratio for improved color and visual detail. Acer has also thrown in a Blu-ray Disc player, Dolby audio and an Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT graphics card with 512GB of memory. Acer claims all these features provide a "cinematic" experience filled with rich video and sound.

Other features include built-in Wi-Fi support, a Webcam, a six-in-one media card reader, 4GB of dual-channel memory and Windows Vista Premium. The manufacturer suggested retail price is $1,799.95.

"By incorporating the latest capabilities of Intel's Core 2 Quad mobile processors into the Aspire 8930G-7665, Acer is delivering a perfect combination of mobility, innovation and extreme gaming capabilities," Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing for Acer America, said in a statement. "Gamers and enthusiasts who enjoy HD multimedia entertainment will find the performance benefits of quad-core mobile performance in the Aspire 8930G unrivaled [by] other multimedia notebooks on the market."

Intel also announced the launch of four other four dual-core chips, the 2.93-GHz T9800, selling for $530, the 2.66-GHz P9600, selling for $348, the 2.66-GHz T9550, selling for $316, and the 2.53-GHz P8700, selling for $241.