Acer has launched what we reckon is the first big-brand gaming PC to come equipped with AMD’s latest Ryzen processors.
The reason why we say ‘we reckon’ is because neither Acer or AMD chose to make any song and dance out of what is actually a fairly big piece of news. Ryzen was mentioned once at the Next@Acer press event on Thursday, and the only place to find it written down is on the company’s spec sheet brochure.
AMD-powered gaming PCs from big companies such as Acer, Dell, Lenovo and HP have been incredibly rare over the last few years, with Intel’s efficient Core i chips and strong marketing cloud keeping a decent monopoly over so-called ‘big box’ PC builders.
See, there it is!
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That domination looks to be over, as Acer’s GX-281 coming equipped with a choice of four new Ryzen processors on the spec sheet. There’s two eight-core chips listed in the form of the Ryzen 7 1700X and 1700, one six-core Ryzen 5 1600 and a quad-core Ryzen 5 1400. Other GX models will also come with Intel parts, so don’t get too exicted, AMD fans.
Most buyers probably won’t even notice, but for computing enthusiasts like us and (hopefully) you this is a much-needed bit of spice for a PC market that’s been dominated by Intel/Nvidia combo system for years.
There it is again!
The system in question tops out at Nvidia’s 1440p friendly GTX 1070, but can be specified with an AMD RX 480 for an all-team-red gaming PC. There’s no word on pricing or UK availability so it may well be this machine doesn’t come to the UK, especially as AMD faces the challenge of getting regular, everyday folk to recognise its brand.
That task might be harder than developing Ryzen itself.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.