Acer on Sunday became one of the first PC makers to show a laptop with
Intel's upcoming Core processor code-named Ivy Bridge, which will
deliver better appplication and graphics performance than current Core
processors.
Acer showed a working unit of the Aspire S5 laptop, which the PC
maker called the world's thinnest, at the Consumer Electronics Show in
Las Vegas. The thin-and-light laptop is scheduled for release in May to
June.
The S5 falls under a new category of laptops called ultrabooks,
which are being heavily backed by Intel. The low-power chip enhancements
come as Intel tries to improve ultrabooks with tablet-like features
such as always-on connectivity and quick start times. PC shipments
slowed down last year partly due to the onslaught of tablets. Intel
hopes to blur the line between laptops and tablets with ultrabooks.
Users will see significant application and graphics performance
benefits with Ivy Bridge chips, which will succeed the current Core
processors based on Sandy Bridge microarchitecture. Acer has measured a
CPU performance improvement of more than 20 percent over Sandy Bridge,
while the graphics performance is about 30 percent better, said an Acer
representative at a press event.
The chip helps the S5 laptop deliver more performance without
compromising battery life, the Acer representative said. The S5 laptop
delivered about eight hours of "uncompromised" battery life and a
high-level of component integration has helped reduce the laptop size
while retaining battery life of the S5, the representative said.
The S5 also has USB 3.0 and Intel's latest Thunderbolt connectivity technology.
Laptops with Ivy Bridge will also deliver more realistic graphics.
The Ivy Bridge chip, which integrates a CPU and graphics processor, will
be Intel's first to support the DirectX 11 graphics technology.
The Ivy Bridge chips will also be the first to have tri-gate, also
called 3D, transistors, which Intel has said will be up to 37 percent
faster and consume less than half the power of 2D transistors on current
chips. The chips will be made using the 22-nanometer process, while
current Sandy Bridge microprocessors are made using the 32-nm proces.
Intel has said laptops with Core processors based on Ivy Bridge will become available in the first half of this year.
Lenovo last week said it would release laptops with Ivy Bridge in
the second quarter. The company is expected to show the laptops at CES.
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