Acer announces new Aspire Predator

For those interested in full sized gaming rig that looks like it means business, without the the near $2000 starting price, Acer has announced their Aspire Predator.  Think of this as the baby Predator, the little brother to their high end rig they announced back in the summer.  The new Predator has many of the same core internals, but helps keep the cost down by getting rid of the 3 graphic card option, though it does sport available PCI E x1 slots.

It’s also a slightly smaller, more subdued case, at least compared to its older brother, while still having ‘gaming rig’ written all over it.  The new Predator is available at Staples starting at $999 CAD.

PRESS RELEASE

Acer Introduces New Aspire Predator Model,
A Dream Holiday Gift for Mainstream Gamers
Cool styling, quad-core power, ample expansion and budget-friendly price

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada, Oct. 28, 2010 – To suit a new tier of combatants, Acer, the world’s second largest vendor in the PC market,⁽¹⁾ is offering a new Acer Aspire “Predator” gaming desktop model, the Aspire Predator AG5900-E3522. This slick new rig is engineered to excite mainstream gamers with its powerful, yet affordable configuration, which is offered at Staples for a MSRP of $999 CAD.

Strong in specs and performance, it boasts an Intel^® Core™ i7 quad-core processor and a 1.5TB⁽²⁾ hard drive.  It’s also highly scalable, allowing the integration of many advanced components and gaming peripherals for battle.

“We designed our newest Predator model to satisfy a wide range of gamers,” said Susan Hu, retail desktop product manager for Acer Canada.  “Not everyone needs the most extreme gaming rig, so we designed the AG5900, an attractive mainstream version that’s got plenty of power for taking advantage of the latest games and is easily upgradeable.  It boasts excellent core features, such as a high-speed processor, first-rate graphics and tons of memory to thwart the competition at an affordable price.”

Modern Aesthetics; Practical, Easy to Upgrade Design

The newest model in the Predator line, the Predator AG5900-E3522 sports a clean and sophisticated exterior that shrouds a powerful set of features.  A modern black chassis sports dramatic orange accents and an eye-catching vent design.  For easy access, the power button, four USB ports as well as headphone and microphone jacks are conveniently angled on the top of the system along with a storage tray for storing and charging smart phones, digital cameras and other devices.

Handy cable management is provided via intuitive grooves in the storage tray that allow different sizes of cable to snap in between, which prevents tangling and having to fumble around to find loose cables.  It also has four hard drive bays, including two easy-swap bays, enabling extra hard drives to be inserted without opening the box.  Users just push on the protective door and the hard drive slides out on a tray.

Powerful Guts

The AG5900 is ready for battle with 6GB DDR3 SDRAM and an Intel^® Core™ i7 870 processor with Intel^® Turbo Boost Technology, which heightens performance and increases energy efficiency by allowing near-zero power consumption for inactive cores.  A huge 1.5TB SATA hard drive⁽²⁾ can store a gigantic library of the most graphic-intensive games and multimedia available.  Brilliant ATI Radeon™ HD 5570 graphics with 1GB of installed video memory deliver rich, realistic visuals for explosive HD gaming.  Also, dynamic high-def 5.1-channel audio infuses games with heart-pumping sound.

This system is outfitted with a multi-in-one card reader and a combo/DVD super-multi optical drive for enjoying the latest HD games. For those wanting to invest in future upgrades, the AG5900 is easily expandable with an available 5.25-inch optical drive bay, three 3.5-inch HDD bays and open slots, including two PCI Express x1 and a standard PCI.  It offers a host of connectivity options including 10 total USB 2.0 ports (four on top, six in back), an HDMI port, three audio jacks, an Ethernet port, VGA and DVI ports.  The system also comes with a handle to simplify transport.

Pricing, Availability and Warranty

The new Acer Aspire Predator models are available at Staples and come with a one year parts and labor limited warranty and toll-free technical support.  The Acer Aspire Predator AG5900-E3522 has a MSRP of $999 CAD.