New Acer Aspire 8940G is not a laptop with netbookish configuration nor it has the pricing near it. It is a full sized desktop replacement packing a 18.4 inch display, Core i7 processor, a dedicated graphics card and Blu Ray Drive. This 18.4-inch system delivers remarkable performance by combining a powerful Intel Core i7-720QM processor with Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M graphics.


The price less than $1500 makes it the most affordable Core i7 laptop in the market. It also includes a bevy of entertainment options, including a Blu-ray drive, a rich, full HD (1920 x 1080) display, and Dolby 5.1 surround sound speakers.

Acer Aspire 8940G Specifications:

* Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
* Intel Core i7-720QM (1.6GHzGHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB Cache)
* 18.4" WUXGA FHD LCD display at 1920x1080

* NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M with 1GB GDDR3 memory
* Intel 5100AGN Wireless, Broadcom Gigabit LAN
* 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM (2GB x 2)
* 500GB Western Digital 5400RPM Hard Drive
* Blu-ray/DVD SuperMulti
* Webcam, Acer CineSurround speakers, backlit keyboard
* 120W (19V x 6.32A) 100-240V AC Adapter
* 8-cell 71Wh 14.8v 4800mAh Lithium Ion battery
* Dimensions (WxDxH): 17.34 x 11.62 x 1.22-1.73"
* Weight: 9lbs 5.5oz
* 1-year warranty
* Price as Reviewed: $$1349.99

Build and Design

The Acer Aspire 8940 has nothing new in its design on the outside and has very common look and feel like the acer aspire one laptops. Though it is a big sized 18 inch notebook, it feels like a smaller 15 inch notebook because of its no frill design.



The side profile of the 8940G doesn't look much thicker than a smaller 15" or 17" notebook. This aesthetic extends to the bezel surrounding the display, as well as to the exterior edges of the system’s base. The Aspire 8940G feels very well built with a solid frame and only minimal flex on the screen cover when the notebook is shut.

The one complaint of the build quality is the use of glossy plastics which scratch and smudge easily. If you are a neat freak then those smudge-prone glossy surfaces might get on your nerves over time.The weight of over 9 pounds makes it impossible to carry outdoors and you won’t like it moving to and fro either.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The large base affords a wide, comfortable, island-style keyboard that offers decent feedback, and it includes white backlighting. The backlight is non-adjustable in brightness, but you can turn it off completely. The keyboard also has large Shift keys, a full number pad, and a responsive, vertically-aligned multimedia touch-control strip on its right side, which is highlighted by illuminated keys and a button that launches the Acer Arcade Deluxe application.



The keyboard is very comfortable for typing thanks to properly sized keys and good spacing. Located south of the keyboard is a large, multitouch touchpad (positioned just left of center) that allowed us to effortlessly whip the cursor about the 18.4-inch display. The touchpad of the laptop has very good response and is very large compared to most other laptops available in the market. The buttons are average though, with a very shallow travel. This touchpad is so much larger than most of the touchpads that I use that I end up clicking the bottom edge of the touchpad instead of the actual buttons. If you like big touchpads you will love the touchpad on the Aspire 8940G.

Screen and Display

The glossy, full HD (1920 x 1080-pixel resolution) LED-backlit display provided plenty of real estate for comfortably reading Web pages or viewing photos. This gives the notebook a very clean and polished look, but also increases glare and reflections. With the notebook turned off the screen surface resembles a mirror and reflects the entire room around you. The 16:9 display kicked backed reflections, particularly during dark scenes or when we moved left or right of center.



The screen is an all glass style display with a protective layer covering the display. The color reproduction of the display is very good and contrasts are also superb. The brightness levels are also very good to be used in a brightly lit room although there is a problem of glare in bright lighting. Embedded in the bezel above the display is Acer’s high-definition Crystal Eye webcam, which proved to be one of the best we’ve used on a notebook.

Performance

The Asipre 8940G performs very well in games as well as playing high-definition video. The system comes with a Intel Core i7 720 QM processor running at 1.6 GHz. It has 1333 MHz FSB and 6MB cache memory. Two 2GB DDR3 memory modules add the the nifty speed and performance of the machine. The 500GB hard drive affords plenty of space for storing music, photos, and high-definition video.
It booted the 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium operating system in 1 minute and 12 seconds, which is 7 seconds longer than the average for desktop replacement notebooks. he dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTS 250M graphics with 1GB dedicated GDDR3 memory can run all the latest 3D games but don’t expect frame rates like those in gaming desktop computers and you’ll do fine.

Battery

Battery life is never the strength of large notebooks, even more so when you combine the large screen with a powerful processor and dedicated graphics card. The system comes with a 8 cell 4800 mAh Lithium Battery but the Core i7 Processor or the dedicated graphics card is a real sucker of the battery life. The system can run for 4 hours with very low use and screen brightness dimmed down.

>