Tag Archives: Intel

[Next@Acer 2020] Acer Unveils New, Feature Packed Swift 5

Acer’s Swift series has always been one of the forerunners of the thin and light segment of laptop. The Swift 5 has become Acer’s top selling model in the series and the one that Acer has been putting their muscle behind. Just last year, the Swift 5 was refreshed with a new, thinner design; this year, the company is raising the bar with even more features and design tweaks that make the laptop even sleeker and more appealing; coming in at less than 1kg and under 15mm in thickness.

The new Swift 5 comes with a few design tweaks that give the laptop some thoughtful improvements. While the over all design hearkens back to the Swift 5 of last year, the new refresh comes with a new hinge design which lifts the laptop ever so slightly to increase the airflow. The increased airflow allows the components to be cooled more efficiently as more heat is able to be dissipated. The display on the new Swift is a 14-inch, Full HD IPS panel with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. The screen is touch enabled and also comes with options for an antimicrobial coating and Corning Gorilla Glass. The bezels of the Swift 5 are slim which allows the display to cover a whopping 90% of the upper clam of the laptop.

The biggest change with the Swift 5 is the inclusion of Intel’s brand new generation of processors with their new Xe architecture. The new Xe architecture ups the ante when it comes to performance and power efficiency. It has a new 7nm process which allows the processors to draw more performance with less power. Of particular interest, is the increase in graphical performance from the integrated graphics component of the processor. However, if you need even more graphical prowess, the Swift 5 also comes with versions with a discreet NVIDIA GeForce MX350 graphics processor.

The refreshed Swift 5 comes with the same all day battery life that Acer has been touting since last year. However, this year, you’ll be able to get up to 4 hours of use with 30 minutes of charge. The increased power efficiency of the next generation Intel cores also allows it a slightly longer battery life, allowing it to be a trusty companion when it comes to working on the go.

Pricing & Availability

The new Swift 5 will be available starting in October 2020 with prices starting at USD$999 (MYR4,271.30) in North America, EUR 1,099 (MYR5,323.54) in Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA); and RMB 6,999 (MYR4,238.50) in China.

Specification will vary according to region. The Swift 5 will be available in Mist Green and Safari Gold.

Official Specifications

Acer Nitro 5 – Gaming on a String in 2020 for MYR 3,799

Video games and budget does not usually go together. Gaming notebook PCs are usually a little bit more expensive than the usual notebook PCs you can find in the market. That is usually because these things are high-powered thingamajis that you can carry anywhere you go. You can take your games anywhere with you. Because of more powerful internals, gaming PCs become a little more expensive. So up until a few years ago, budget gaming PCs do not really exist. 

The advancement of technology is a wonderful thing however and makes gaming more accessible to the market. That translates to products like the Acer Nitro 5. The Acer Nitro 5 has always been Acer’s entry-level gaming notebook PC. They have a new one this year, and it is even better than before. 

The Acer Nitro 5 has always been a looker, so it is no surprise that the new one still looks good. This time though, you get RGB keyboard that can be customised via NitroSense. There is a new thermal solution within the body of the Nitro 5 for better cooling and airflow. Added with the proven CoolBoost technology, you can squeeze a little bit more power from the Acer Nitro 5.  

Source: Acer

Of course, all these are just enhancements in the minimal sense. To get the most out of theese cooling solutions, you need better hardware inside. This entry-level gaming notebook PC packs more power than before with 10th Generation Intel ‘Comet Lake’ Core processors starting with the Core i5 up to the Core i7. Paired to the new, powerful CPUs are the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs (up to GTX 1660Ti).  

Of course, price is always a concern. The Acer Nitro 5 starts at MYR 3,799 and tops out at MYR 4,899 for the top specced NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti. Considering the entry-level Predator Triton 300 packs an Intel Core i7 paired to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, the Nitro 5 is a real bargain. 

Source: Acer

The Acer Nitro 5 will be available on the 15th June onward. You can get your hands on one via Acer’s official online store and official Lazada store. From the 15th to 19th June 2020, Acer will have some online exclusive promotions for these two notebook PCs. Among the free gifts that you can expect are Predator Gaming Chairs, predator gaming headset, gaming mouse, and backpacks. For more information on the Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebook PC, do check out Acer’s website.  

Acer’s Brand-New Predator Triton 500 2020 – More Power, More Value at MYR 7,999

Acer wowed us a little bit last year when they launched their new Predator Triton 500 package. When it was released in its Navy coloured aluminium body with a super thin body profile, it was quite a remarkable powerhouse you can take anywhere without breaking your back. What is even more amazing is that the power brick that comes with it is smaller than most power bricks that comes with notebook PCs with that kind of power.  

The new one is technically no different from the old one. When we say that though, we are just talking in terms of appearance. Compared to the older Predator Triton 500, you are looking at roughly the same body shape and size. Same package, if you might. But inside packs more power than ever before. 

What you get inside is the latest 10th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) to unlock the true power of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (up to) Max-Q GPU you get in a 17.9-inch think body. The all-metal body weighs about 2.1kg. That is not to say that it is a light package, but it is lighter than most gaming PCs. It packs plenty of power in less weight and smaller package than a pack of rice.  

Source: Acer

While the older Predator Triton 500 only packs a display with 144Hz, the new one for 2020 is a performance powerhouse with 300Hz refresh rate. Who needs 300Hz? We do, with Full HD to make sure everything is smoother than a baby’s bottoms. It is fast too at 3ms response time and G-Sync enabled. Of course, colours are important, so the display gets up to 100% in sRGB colour gamut coverage. 

The cooling solution in a body this thing has not changed all that much really. It is still the proven fourth generation AeroBlade 3D fans pulling hot air out of the internals of the notebook. Why fix something that is not broken, right? Still, to ensure that you do not burn up the PC when you game intensely or even edit videos, there is CoolBoost with Vortex Flow to ensure the Predator Triton 500 is at its maximum cooling capacity. You can see all these things and control your RGB lighting effects on the keyboards in Predator Sense.  

The Acer Predator Triton 500 will be available from Acer’s own online store and Lazada from the 15th June 2020. You can find it in stores starting 20th June 2020. The Predator Triton 500 will be available with online exclusive promotions though, starting from the 15th June 2020. The new 2020 updated version of the Acer Predator Triton 500 will start at MYR 7,999 onward. For more information, you can check out Acer’s Predator Microsite.

Lenovo Legion 2020 Line-up Also Includes the Legion Phone

Lenovo Legion should not be an unfamiliar name for gamers by now. Personally, the Lenovo Legion Notebook PCs that came out last year are some of the ones that stand out most in the gaming notebook PC market. They are also some of the most well-built notebook gaming PCs in the market in our humble opinions. 

The design language of the 2019 line-up of Lenovo Legion products hits the spot, we feel in balancing the powerful look of a gaming notebook and a sleek looking mobile productivity machine. They look industrial, durable, and clean. So we are quite glad to see that design language continue in the 2020 line-up of Lenovo Legion products. 

Lenovo Legion 7i 

We start with the most powerful notebook PC in their line-up for 2020, the Lenovo Legion 7i. Not the Y700 series anymore this time, just a simple number and letter marking its CPU variant according to Lenovo. The good part is that it simplifies naming and recognition of the notebooks. To be fair though, Lenovo’s line-up is not as extensive as the likes of ASUS, so confusion should be limited in the first place. 

Still, the Lenovo Legion 7i is the brand’s flagship portable gaming rig that packs the power of Intel’s most powerful mobile CPU, the 10th Generation Intel Core i9 (up to). That is paired to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super GPU for a maxed out performance while gaming. While the hardware you can find within the all-aluminium body is testament enough that this is a serious piece of kit for both LAN parties and any CPU and GPU intensive work conditions, it does not stop here. 

Source: Lenovo

The Lenovo Legion 7i also has an impressive array of RGB lights on the keyboard and around the outer shell to let anyone else in the room know that you are running a serious rig. You control the lighting effects via Corsair’s trusty iCUE RGB software built into the Lenovo Legion 7i. It is individual LED lights on the keyboard too, so you can have different colours on each keys if you want. Or, if you are like me, keep everything lighted to a single colour (a waste of good RGB I know). 

To keep things cool, Lenovo developed something they call Coldfront 2.0. While that sounds like a bunch of gimmicks, it is actually a very clever solution to cool the CPU and GPU for optimised performance. Heat is the enemy, here, you get the idea. There is no way around the fact that the space on a notebook PC is very limited and therefore airflow is highly restricted in these conditions. Lenovo’s way of managing this is a combination of clever fan management from the software and designing more efficient heat sinks and pipes in optimised locations within the aluminium body.  

Source: Lenovo

It sounds plenty easier said that done though. The new Vapor Chamber (heat pipes) that Lenovo developed for the Lenovo Legion 7i is supposedly larger than before, which is a challenge around the restricted space of the notebook PC. Still, they managed it so that there is more efficient heat transfer from the CPU and GPU to the cooling fans and ducts. All this while managing to keep two NVMe M.2 slots for two ultra-fast SSD and one SATA slot for maximum storage. 

All these is nothing though if you are seeing everything through a terrible display. Some of the previous Lenovo Legion notebook PCs have gotten a few negative comments when it comes to the display because plenty of them use TN (Twisted Nematic) panel displays. Those panels are known for horrible colour accuracy, washed out images, and even worse colour contrast. They are very fast though, pushing 300Hz in refresh rates in some cases and easily push 1ms in response time. 

The progression in IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology though has allowed Lenovo to take advantage of the more colour accurate displays on the Lenovo Legion 7i with Full HD resolution with up to 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time (unreal, we know). Those, along with 1000% of sRGB colour gamut for super accurate colours when you need to do all your Adobe Photoshop work or Adobe Premiere Pro colour grading work. 

Smarter Gaming 

 Lenovo has always looked for ways to innovate in the PC market. After all, it is a very saturated market with too many players to name in the first place. Staying at the front of the market with new innovations then is very important. 

For the Lenovo Legion gaming line-up they have developed a new Lenovo Vantage software that allows users to have full control over each aspect of Lenovo’s gaming rigs. You can change the fan behaviour from the software itself. You can technically set maximum fan speed, and even more overclocking or undervolting settings within the software. Of course, if you know what you are doing with a PC, you might get more out of this than Lenovo’s own default settings for yourself. 

With the Vantage also comes Lenovo’s new Q-Control 3.0. This is to control both the fan speed and overclocking on the Legion notebook PCs. It is designed to quickly switch between different thermal profiles to either keep the PC quiet, or to maximise cooling efforts.  

Ther have also tuned the displays on the new Lenovo Legion notebook PC line-up. The new IPS panels means better colour accuracy. Lenovo’s very own Legion Visual software optimises the graphics and colours even more by tuning the colours for optimum usage in different brightness settings and use cases.  

They even made the new Legion products last even longer than before with 80Wh of battery pack now. That means that Lenovo’s Legion gaming rigs can last up to 8 hours on a single charge or more, depending on hardware power requirements and others. 8 hours is a long time for any gaming PC though. 

Lenovo Legion 5Pi 

There is a few variants of the Lenovo Legion 5 series that is coming into Malaysia and we, of course, start with the most powerful one. This is also Lenovo’s second most powerful Notebook PC that is coming to Malaysia. As the ‘i’ in the naming scheme suggests, this is an Intel powered gaming Notebook PC. It has a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 (up to) paired to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super (up to). 

While not as powerful as the super powerful Lenovo Legion 7i, the Lenovo Legion 5Pi is more powerful than plenty of gaming notebooks of its class. You get some really nice features on the Lenovo Legion 5Pi still too. There is a 4-zone RGB still on the keyboard of the Legion 5Pi notebook PC to show that this is not just a normal Lenovo Legion 5 series. Even the top clam housing the display has a slightly different design with the Legion ‘Y’ Logo front and center of the clam.  

The display is also a Full HD IPS panel with 100% sRGB colour gamut to make short work of Adobe Photoshop. Along with 144Hz refresh rate and up to 1ms response time, this could be the perfect rig if you are on a slightly lower budget but still need a primary notebook PC to work with in LAN parties or at work. Again, I would tone down the RGB for myself, a matter of preference. 

Lenovo Legion 5i 

The Lenovo Legion 5i is technically the Lenovo Legion 5Pi, but a little toned down. As the naming moniker suggests too, it is an Intel device. Powered by Intel’s 10th Generation 10nm Core i7 (up to), this thing is still no slouch. In place of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super though is a slightly less powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti. The GTX 1660Ti is still powerful stuff to work with though. It is more than enough in most cases to deal with AAA games, Adobe Photoshop and 1080p video editing on Adobe Premiere Pro.  

For better colour accuracy for those software too, the Lenovo Legion 5i gets a nice IPS panel with 100% sRGB colour gamut like its more powerful and premium Legion 5Pi at 144Hz and up to 1ms response time. This is the perfect balance between raw power and budget. It does not feature the same front and center logo design like the 5Pi, but you still get an all-aluminium body build and the same Legion design of the Legion 7i 

Lenovo Legion 5 

And then there is the AMD offering that we also saw from AMD’s presentation for the APAC region yesterday. The Lenovo Legion 5. Yes, just the number ‘5’ without any thing like an ‘a’ or ‘R’. There is a small caveat with the AMD version for now though. The Lenovo Legion 5 only comes with up to an AMD Ryzen 5-4500H CPU. 

There is no mention anywhere yet on whether or not we will see an AMD Ryzen 7 or even the Ryzen 9 variant pop up in either the Legion 5i or the Legion 7i, but we remain hopeful. Still, the Ryzen 5-4500H is AMD’s latest 4000 series CPUs that has proven in value and power. Paired to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, the AMD powerhouse should still impress in games and even for workflow, especially when it comes to CPU intensive software like Adobe’s Premiere Pro.  

At the same time you only get 8GB in RAM, but you can always add another one RAM stick into the notebook PC or upgrade the one that is already in the PC. Lenovo encourages you to do that apparently. They even have a guide to help you do that on your own on their website.  

Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i 

A top-end and a mid-range has to be competed with an entry-level. After all, accessibility to the products becomes a concern sometimes when it comes to gaming. That is the idea of the IdeaPad Gaming 3i (no pun intended).  

The Lenovo IdeaPad does not have the Legion branding moniker. It is still no slouch though. You still get Intel’s latest 10th Generation Core i7 (up to). You also can spec it with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 if you want and it will be the perfect companion for both work and play on a budget.  

The 15-inch display is still a Full HD resolution display and fast enough for plenty of games. You get up to 120Hz in refresh rate, which is more than enough for most use case and games. It also comes with some Lenovo Legion design work within the body. That means bigger thermal pipes for better thermal performance under load too.  

Lenovo Legion Tower 5i 

Their product range is not just limited to notebook PCs though. Although that is the current most popular platform, nothing beats the power of a desktop tower set up. Lenovo has that answer too with the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i that is set to launch in Malaysia later in the year.  

They did mention a more powerful Lenovo Legion Tower 7i too, but unfortunately that is not coming to Malaysia. Still, the Legion Tower 5i is a powerful gaming PC tower than anyone can appreciate. You get two variants of the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 series technically. You can spec your’s with either an AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPU or a 10th Generation Intel Core CPU. You can also pick from a variety of GPUs up to an NVIDIA GeForce 2070 Super if you want.  

While it is a tower, it is not that big of a thing and is designed to be something that is small enough and light enough to be as portable as possible. In this case, you can even take it out to a LAN party alongside a small monitor and keyboard and still get the benefit of gaming on a proper desktop rig. 

Lenovo Legion Phone – the Future of Gaming Smartphones 

Lenovo has not been in the smartphone game for a while. That is since they took over with Motorola. They did make some compelling smartphones and tablets in the past though. 

Earlier in the year there are rumours surrounding Lenovo jumping back into the smartphone scene with a gaming focused smartphone. They dub it the Lenovo Legion Phone. There are no confirmation of specifications or renders yet about the anticipated device. We do have confirmation from Lenovo’s executives regarding the existence of the device and that we will see it somewhere in the late 2020.  

There are still no confirmed dates on the device so far. The only thing we got from them is; “Lenovo will launch a Legion gaming phone in 2020. Please stay tuned for more information”. Which is not too much to work with. We are excited to see ROG Phone II, Black Shark II, and Razer Phone rival though.  

Price and Availability

The Lenovo Legion 7i, Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3i will be coming later in 2020. There are no confirmed prices for the three models mentioned yet too. We are expecting the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i to hover somewhere between MYR 2,500 and MYR 3,500 price point though.

The Lenovo Legion 5, Lenovo Legion 5i, and Lenovo Legion 5Pi will be available in Malaysia June 2020 onward. The AMD based Lenovo Legion 5 will be the most affordable option with prices starting from MYR 3,599. The Lenovo Legion 5 with Intel’s Core i5 will start from MYR 4,199. Of course, you can get that with an Intel Core i7 too. The top-of-the-line Lenovo Legion 5Pi will set you back at least MYR 6,399.

New Dell Latitude Devices Bank on Portability, Flexibility and Power

Dell’s Latitude line up has been on that has had its focus on empowering a mobile work force. That focus remains ever present in their newly refreshed line up. With the current global situation, Dell’s innovations have been pushed to the forefront; some of which enable a remote workforce, empowered by technological advancements that make sense for productivity.

One of the innovations that has taken centerstage for Dell is Dell’s Unified Workspace on the Latitude. The approach to having a single, unified workspace whether working remotely or in the office allows higher productivity and less downtime. In fact, users are able to access documents, files and more remotely with their Dell Latitude setups. Setup and maintenance of Dell’s Latitude is a non issue for IT departments as they are able to image new setups remotely and have peace of mind as they are able to automate and utilise AI technology to keep everything up and running.

2020 Latitudes Have the Same DNA with More Power and Personality

This year’s Latitude line up keeps the same ethos but brings along with it a whole slew of new technological advances that allow it be more versatile and enable different workflows. The new Latitude mobile workstations come with a slimmer build, the same strength and pack more of a punch. The members of the refreshed line up come with nearly bezel-less, high resolution displays, slimmer silhouettes and some even come with multimode functionality.

This year, Dell’s Latitude line up is spearheaded by the Dell Latitude 9000 series. A new, ultra premium line up which comes with more functionality for increased productivity and versatility. The new Latitude 9510 and 9410 are the built to enable a mobile workforce with multimode versatility. The new laptops come with built-in AI that learns the usage and work patterns of the user and adapts intelligently to extend battery life and even keep sensitive documents private. The AI is able to reduce the hassle of signing in with ExpressSign-in while locking the PC as soon as the user leaves the desk. Both also support stylus input with Dell’s active pen.

The Latitude 7000 series has been redesigned for a more mobile and versatile workforce. The heroes of this redesign is the detachable 2-in-1 7210, and the multimode 7310 and 7410. The thinner, lighter form factor of the Latitude 7210 allows users to be more productive on the go and even adapts for constantly moving workflows with its tablet mode. The detachable keyboard allows for more robust work when needed. The multimode 7310 and 7410 allow users to adapt on the go with light-weight, multimode form factors.

Pricing & Availability

Globally, the Dell Latitude series will be available starting from May 19, 2020. Pricing per the table.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Latitude 9510USD$1,899
(MYR8,269.46)
May 19, 2020
Latitude 7410USD$1,499
(MYR6,527.60)
May 19, 2020
Latitude 7310USD$1,499
(MYR6,527.60)
May 19, 2020
Latitude 9410USD$1,799
(MYR7,833.99)
May 19, 2020
Latitude 7210 2-in-1USD$999
(MYR4,350.44)
May 19, 2020

In Malaysia, it will hit shelves at the End of June.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Latitude 9510MYR7,269End June, 2020
Latitude 7410MYR6,879End June, 2020
Latitude 7310MYR5,699End June, 2020
Latitude 9410MYR5,249End June, 2020
Latitude 7210 2-in-1MYR6,769End June, 2020

Official Specifications

Latitude 9510

Latitude 9410

Latitude 7410 & Latitude 7310

Latitude 7210 2-in-1

HONOR Launches New MagicBook Pro with 10th Gen Intel and NVIDIA GeForce MX350

When HONOR launched their MagicBook Pro last year, the world went a little wild. There is a good reason for that. They offered the MagicBook Pro at a price point where no one has never seen before. It was still basically a HUAWEI MateBook X Pro. It was sold at a lower price point though. That also means that it is one of the most affordable notebook PCs in its class.

The new one continues that ethos of a powerful notebook PC for not very much money. The HONOR branded premium notebook PC is still an all-aluminium bodied wonder packing plenty of power. For starters it packs Intel’s latest 10th Generation Core i7 processor (up to). Specifically, the HONOR MagicBook is powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U processor. That main CPU is supported by NVIDIA’s new GeForce MX350 GPU too.

Source: GSM Arena

Storage wise, you are getting 16GB on board RAM. That also should mean that this notebook PC should play well with Adobe’s suite of software. You get up to 512GB of storage too with the MagicBook Pro. That 512GB SSD is fast but may not be enough to keep all the high-resolution media that you might enjoy though.

You do want to put some movies and videos in there with the Full HD display that is rated at 100% sRGB. That also means images and photos would really pop on the MagicBook Pro. That display measures at 16.1-inch in size. That is quite an unusual size, but its larger display also means that you would be able to appreciate the Full HD resolution even more. It even has a performance mode when you hit the function (fn) key and the ‘P’ key on the notebook; for when you play games, they say.

The HONOR MagicBook Pro will be available in Russia September 2020 onward. For Malaysia, we can expect the HONOR MagiBook Pro to arrive somewhere in the third quarter of 2020. That guess is based on the arrival of HONOR’s previous generation MagicBook Pro. The HONOR MagicBook Pro with Intel’s Core i5 will sell for RMB 5,999 (MYR 3,668) while the Core i7 variant is available for RMB 6,699 (MYR 4,096). Those are not Malaysian prices, we know.

Dell Precision brings Portable Power for Creators & VR

Dell is arguably one of the first companies out there that recognized the unique needs of creators. In fact, they were one of the only ones to acknowledge the unique demands for a portable solution for creators before the market started shifting towards it.

This year, the Dell Precision series is getting refreshes that pack even more power in a redesigned body. The mobile workstations in the Precision line up are shedding the pounds while upping the ante when it comes to raw power.

Dell Precision 3000 Series Workstations

The new Dell Precision 3000 series workstations are packing more power in a slimmer chassis. Dell’s Precision line up is spearheaded by the refreshed Precision 3440 SFF and the Precision 3640 Tower. Both of these workhorses come packed with options ranging from the 10th generation Intel Core i3 to the Intel Xeon processors. With up to 10 cores, 20MHz of cache and 5.2 GHz of processing speed, the Precision Workstations are built for heavy duty work.

Being built for complex compute, design and animation tasks, the Dell Precision workstations come with configurations supporting high end graphics cards. These graphics cards include the NVIDIA Quadro RTX series, the AMD Radeon Pro series. For workloads that don’t require that much graphical prowess, the workstations also support configurations with the NVIDIA Quadro P1000 and AMD Radeon Pro WX32000.

Of course, processors aren’t the only thing that’s supped up on the Precision workstations, the new Precision 3000 workstations come with options for self encrypting drives as well as M.2 SSDs for fast performance. The Dell Precision 3640 Tower has support for up to two M.2 PCIe SSD on motherboard slot and up to three 3.5” SATA or four 2.5” SATA drives. It also supports Intel Ready Mode technology and an additional PCIe SSD on Dell Precision Ultra-Speed drive (x8) with active cooling. While the Precision 3440 SFF supports up to two M.2 PCIe SSD on motherboard slot and Up to (1) 3.5” SATA or two 2.5” SATA. It also supports Intel Ready Mode technology and an additional PCIe SSD on
Dell Precision Ultra-Speed drive (x8) with active cooling.

Both workstations have a bevvy of ports to support the workflow and needs of a creator. It also comes with options for high-end WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and vPro. For a full rundown, check out the official specs sheets below.

Dell Precision Mobile Workstations

Dell’s Precision mobile workstations are built for creators on the go. They are spec’d to support large compute workloads on the go and come with new cooling technology built for a new generation of work. The new generation of Precision mobile workstations are slimmer and lighter than before.

Spearheading the new generation of Precision Mobile Workstations is the 17-inch Dell Precision 7750. However, the star of the precision line up is its younger, slimmer sibling the Dell Precision 5750. Dell is lauding the 5750 as the world’s first thin and light workstation. Wthe 5750 comes in at 8.67mm at its thinnest point and 13.15mm at its thickest. It’s body is only 374.48mm by 248.08mm and weighs only 2.13kg. In fact, the new Dell Precision line up comes with near bezel-less displays with the 5750 coming in with a stunning 94% screen coverage.

The Precision line up comes with support for the latest, 10th generation of Intel Core i processors; ranging from the Core i7 to the Core i9 and they also support Intel Xeon processors. On the graphics end of things, the precision mobile workstations support NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards. They also have support for up to 3 PCIe SSDs with a total of up to 4TB of memory on single workstation.

Pricing & Availability

Internationally, the Precision series will be hitting the market starting on May 19, 2020. The specifics are tabulated below.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Precision 3240 Compact (USFF) WorkstationTBASeptember 1, 2020
Precision 3440 USD$ 749
(MYR3,258.13)
June, 2020
Precision 3550USD$ 1,049
(MYR4,563.13)
May 19, 2020
Precision 3551USD$ 939
(MYR4,084.63)
May 19, 2020
Precision 3640USD$ 819
(MYR3,562.63)
June, 2020
Precision 5550USD$ 1,999
(MYR8,695.56)
May 28, 2020
Precision 5750USD$ 2,399
(MYR10,435.54)
June 9, 2020
Precision 7550USD$ 1,709
(MYR7,434.07)
May 28, 2020
Precision 7750USD$ 1,999
(MYR8,695.56)
May 28, 2020

In Malaysia, the following models will be available starting from the end of June, 2020.

ModelStarting PriceAvailability Date
Precision 3240 Compact (USFF) WorkstationTBAAugust, 2020
Precision 3440 SFFTBATBA
Precision 15 3550MYR6,549End June, 2020
Precision 15 3551MYR6,779May 19, 2020
Precision 3640 TowerTBATBA
Precision 15 5550TBATBA
Precision 15 7550TBATBA
Precision 15 7750TBATBA

Official Specifications

Dell Precision 3000 series

Precision 3440 SSF Tower

Precision 3640 Tower

Precision 3550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 3551 Mobile Workstation

Dell Precision 5000 Series

Precision 5550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 5750

Dell Precision 7000 Series

Precision 7550 Mobile Workstation

Precision 7750 Mobile Workstation

Acer Spinning Swiftly – Introducing the New Spin 3 and Swift 3

Acer in 2019 impressed with the ultra-thin, ultra-light Swift 7. Even the Swift 5 became a fan favourite with plenty of power on offer and even more value to give. Our favourite in their line-up was also the Swift 5, to be honest. It was a perfect workhorse for the likes of us.

This year, they kick it off with updating two line-ups. They kick off with the Acer Spin 3 and the Acer Swift 3.

We start with the Spin 3 first. The Spin series is Acer’s answer two Lenovo’s very popular and very highly rated Yoga series. The Spin is Acer’s two-in-one line up, in short.

The Acer Spin 3

The new Acer Spin 3 has a new look and body to match its new internals. Not only is it more powerful, it is lighter too at 1.5kg. Yes, more powerful from the latest 10th Generation Intel Ice Lake Core processors. You get to choose between a Core i5 or a Core i3, no Core i7 option here. But they are the entry level class 2-in-1 type notebooks for Acer anyway.

Source: Acer

Both does not feature a discrete GPU, but Intel’s Iris Plus Graphics is a big improvement over the older Intel HD Graphics integrated GPU. Iris Plus Graphics also allows you get working on Adobe’s Photoshop and Premiere Pro averagely at least.

You can opt for up to 8GB in RAM. Of course, if that is not enough, you should be able to open it up and add more yourself. The Intel Core i3 model only comes with a 4GB RAM, which most likely is not enough.

The 14-incher is slightly smaller than before with a tinier bezel around the Full HD display. Like before though, you still get a stylus packed in with the notebook PC. Like before too, there is a dock for the stylus so that you do not lose it.

Speaking of stylus though, the touch screen is WACOM digitised. They are the best in touch screen and digital drawing industry. On the Acer Spin 3, you get up to 4096 pressure levels thanks to the WACOM developed digitiser. You can draw with your fingers too, but why do that when you have a nice stylus?

Source: Acer

Technically on the Acer Spin 3, there are about four speakers on the device. Acer says that there are always two speakers that will face you for better audio projection. We believe them on that front of course. They also included Acer’s very own True Harmony technology and tuning for a premium audio experience.

With all that power packed in the Acer Spin 3, Acer quotes a battery life of up to 13-hours in a typical case. Considering modern battery life – that is a pretty decent battery life to boot. If you run out of battery life on the Acer Spin 3 though, the notebook PC is a quick charging one. You get 90 minutes of run time out of 15 seconds in charging.

Of course, a modern notebook PC has to have modern peripherals to keep you connected. WiFi 6 capabilities is a given of course. This has two antennas to keep connections stable and strong though. It has all the right ports as well, including a Thunderbolt 3 port to power another monitor if need be. If not, this can be your biggest power bank in the world. It can charge your devices even with the power turned off; not something plenty of notebook PCs can do actually.

The Acer Spin 3 is available now starting from MYR 2,799 (Intel Core i3 variant) and MYR 3,299 (Intel Core i5 variant). Both are only available in Silver colour. Silver is still a premium looking colour though. If you are spending on the more powerful Core i5 variant, stocks are available now. For the Core i3 variant, Acer says that the stocks are arriving and will be shipped out as soon as it is available later this month. You can visit Acer’s webstore to purchase one, or their online marketplace partners for more information.

Acer Swift 3 in Two Flavours

One of the most popular series in Acer’s line-up must be the Acer Swift series. The Swift series is Acer’s thin and light offering that caters to all kinds of users. The Swift 3 caters to the mid-range market that is looking for something that will not break the bank yet practical and powerful enough to work on all kinds of projects.

Source: Acer

That has been the Swift 3 and it is the Swift 3 still now. The new Swift 3 comes in either an Intel guise or an AMD guise though, for your discerning choice. To make things easier for you, the cheaper one is the AMD variant.

We will start with the AMD variant with that. It comes with a Ryzen 4000 Mobile series that was just announced not too long ago by AMD. Specifically you get an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U CPU with eight cores and 16 threads. Yes, quite a powerful chipset for your money. You get up to 8GB of RAM. Unfortunately you cannot upgrade or add additional RAM sticks into the PC, so you have to make do.

Still, at least you are getting a powerful AMD Radeon Graphics GPU to work with. That should make games like DOTA 2 a breeze to play. That should also make some Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop work pretty nicely on board.

Source: Acer

From that powerful processor you get about 11 hours of battery life. That may not sound like a lot of time to work on the PC, but it is enough to at least last you a whole day in the office or campus, if you are a student. As if the PC is not fast enough you get 512GB in SSD storage too, out of the 14-incher.

There are two Intel variants for the Acer Swift 3. There is the more powerful Intel Core i7 (10th Gen) and an Intel Core i5 variant. On the Swift 3 that comes with Intel’s 10th Generation Core i7-1065G7 CPU, you are getting an NVIDIA GeForce MX250 discrete GPU. This makes it the most powerful Notebook PC that is recently announced by Acer.

The 14-incher also comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM for maximum performance with a 512GB SSD storage. All this is packed in a package that is slightly under 1.2kg and can last up to 16-hours on a single charge. If you are a workaholic, this can last you through a workday in the office and more outside the office. Keep it charged, you can go all night without a charger to prepare that beautiful slideshow for your latest project. We are not responsible for your all-nighter, nor do we encourage that. We encourage a balanced and healthy work-life separation and balance.

In a more budget friendly guise is the Acer Swift 3 with Intel’s Core i3-1035G1 CPU. You do not get a discrete GPU with this, you make do with Intel’s trusty UHD Graphics GPU. It is not as terrible as we put it. It still works nicely with Adobe Photoshop especially with 8GB of onboard RAM. It is also fast enough with 512GB of SSD on board. Of course with Intel, you get Thunderbolt on the USB Type-C ports.

All the available Acer Swift 3 are now available via Acer’s webstore or their retail partners. There are some limited colour options to each variant though. If you are planning to get the top-of-the-line Acer Swift 3 with Intel’s Core i7 and MX250 that sets you back MYR 4,299, you only can get it in Glacier Blue. Not a bad colour, quite funky. For the Intel Core i5 variant, setting you back MYR 3,099 you get to choose between Steel Grey, Millenial Pink, and Glacier Blue. The Swift 3 with AMD’s Ryzen 5 will set you back MYR 2,599 and comes in either Pure Silver, and Mauve Purple.

Dell Gaming Comes Back with More Power

Dell’s gaming line up has always been one the company’s most compelling offerings when it comes to budget gaming systems. The Dell Gaming line up inherits some of the DNA of the older Alienware devices before the brand adopted its new Legend Industrial design.

This year, the line up continues to have the sleek build that we’re familiar with in Dell gaming laptops. This year’s comes a little sleeker with the Dell G3 15 coming in at 21.6mm thick and 365.5mm by 254mm in size. It’s also slightly lighter weighing at least 2.34kgs. The G5 15 comes in a little bit thicker at 24.5mm while maintaining the other dimensions.

This year, the G3 15 and G5 15 are both getting refreshed with the latest generation Intel Core i processors with options for the Core i5 and Core i7. The laptops also have options for NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards ranging from the GTX 1650 Ti to the RTX 2060. The Dell G5 15 comes with an additional configuration with support for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q design.

On the display side of things, the Dell G3 15 and the Dell G5 15 come with a 1080p, Full HD panel. These panels have configurations supporting 60Hz, 144Hz and 300Hz refresh rate. Both models come with single and dual storage configurations supporting up to 1.5TB of memory out of the box.

Connectivity wise, the G3 15 and G5 15 both support WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth. There is an additional option for WiFi 6 which will be available at a premium. Both models also have different configurations for ports. You can look at the official specifications for detailed information.

The Dell G5 15 comes with a chassis with 12 zone RGB lighting. This is not available on the G3 15 or models of the G5 15 with the RTX 1650 Ti.

Pricing & Availability

The Dell G3 15 will be available globally starting on May 21, 2020. Prices will start at USD$779.99 (MYR3,375.50).

The Dell G5 15 will be available starting the same day with prices starting from USD$829.99 (MYR3,591.88).

Malaysia will only be getting the Dell G5 15 for now. It will be available starting 26 May, 2020 with prices starting at MYR4,499.

Official Specifications

Dell G3 15

Dell G5 15

Dell Announces New XPS 15 & XPS 17 with 10th Gen Intel Processors & NVIDIA Graphics

Dell’s XPS series continues to be one of the company’s most popular device line ups. In recent years, the line up was revitalised with a new, slim form factor and a more compelling feature set. Even more recently, Dell has been continually increasing the ability of the XPS series to cater to the mobile workforce while appealing to those that need a powerful laptop with a slim form factor.

This year, the XPS series is getting an even more compelling feature set with more power packed internals, large form factors and the same thin and light design that has become an XPS signature. The new additions to the line up join a newly refreshed XPS 13 which was introduced earlier at CES 2020.

Dell XPS 15

The Dell XPS 15 brings a unique balance of portability and performance to XPS series. It comes in slightly larger than the successful XPS 13 and packs more powerful insides. The XPS 15 is continuing the ethos of the series with premium build quality and it gears itself to catering for a user requiring an increased level of power to remain productive.

The new XPS 15 comes in a sleek 13.57-inch by 9.06-inch body with a thickness of only 0.71 inches. However, the sleek dimensions didn’t hinder Dell from packing in as many ports as they could in the 15. It has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, 1 USB Type-C port with support for USB 3.1, a full sized SD card reader, and a 3.5mm combo jack.

When it comes to displays, the new 15 comes with a 15.6-inch display. Depending on its configuration, it can either be a 4K UHD+ panel with touch support or a Full HD+ panel. The display choices are all Dolby Vision certified, support HDR and covers 100% of the Adobe RGB gamut and 94% of the DCI P3 colour gamut.

The XPS 15 will be powered by the 10th generation Intel Core i processors ranging from the Core i5 to the Core i9. This will be complemented by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Ti in addition to the built-in Intel UHD Graphics. It will support up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage. It comes powered by either a built-in 56Wh or 86Wh battery.

Dell XPS 17

The XPS 17 is the hulk of the series packed with power for creators. It shares most of the same specifications of the XPS 15. This includes options for processors which also range from the Core i5 to the Core i9 with up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage.

The display options on the XPS 17 are also similar albeit in a larger 17-inch size. However, in addition to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Ti, the XPS 17 has an additional option for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. Connectivity wise, the Dell XPS 17 shares the Bluetooth 5 and WiFi 6 connectivity of its smaller sibling.

The XPS 17 shares the sleek form factor of its siblings as well. Although, it measures a larger 14.74 inches by 9.76 inches with a slightly heftier 0.77-inch thickness. However, with the larger measurements come a larger number of ports. It comes with four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full sized SD card reader and a 3.5mm combo port. It also has a slightly larger battery coming in at 56Wh or 97Wh.

Both new members of the XPS family come with Dell’s Creator edition recommendations but the XPS 17 is the only one that is part of the NVIDIA’s RTX Studio program.

Pricing & Availability

The XPS 15 will be making its way globally starting at USD$1299.99 (MYR5,626.31). It will be available starting May 13, 2020. It will be arriving in Malaysia starting on May 15, 2020 for MYR7,999.

The XPS 17 will run you USD$1,499.99 (MYR6,491.52). It will be available internationally in Summer 2020. As of now, the XPS 17 will not be available in Malaysia.

Official Specifications

Dell XPS 15

Dell XPS 17