Skip to main content

    Intel Ivy Bridge PC refresh roundup: Acer, Alienware, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and more

    Intel Ivy Bridge PC refresh roundup: Acer, Alienware, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and more

    /

    Intel said that we should expect to see over 570 PCs this year taking advantage of the chipmaker's brand new Ivy Bridge processors that were announced today. We've already received a few details on the first computers that will take advantage of the new 22nm processors, so read on to see some of the first PCs that'll come with the new processors.

    Share this story

    Intel said that we should expect to see over 570 PCs this year taking advantage of the chipmaker's brand new Ivy Bridge processors that were announced today, and it looks like the first ones aren't far off. The first reviews are in, and while CPU performance is only slightly improved, the new HD 4000 integrated graphics are providing up to a 50 percent improvement in gaming frame rates in real-world tests. We've already received a few details on the first computers that will take advantage of the new 22nm processors, so read on to see some of the first PCs that'll come with Intel's latest.

    It looks like the first to be available will come from Acer: the company has updated its Predator G3 gaming desktop (pictured below) with a quad-core, Intel Core i7-3770 clocked at 3.4GHz. The new model (known as the AG3620-UR21P) also gets a slight graphics card bump to a discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 630, and it comes with 16GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive for $1,199.99. The company has also updated its Gateway DX desktop with a quad-core, 3.1GHz Intel Core i5-3450 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. There's no discrete graphics option on this $699.99 Gateway, so that improved integrated HD 4000 graphics chip will get a chance to show off its increased performance. In addition, the company has announced that its Gateway FX desktops will get the new processors. None of the systems are available yet, but the company says it'll release them sometime this week.

    Acer Predator G3, Gateway DX, and Gateway FX press photos

    1/13

    Dell has also announced that it's adding Intel's new processors to its Alienware laptops. We detailed the system refreshes to the M14x R2, M17x R4, and M18x R2 last week, but at the time the systems were only equipped with Sandy Bridge processors. Now we know that all three laptops will be offered with Intel's latest: the two smaller laptops can be fitted with up to an 2.7GHz Core i7-3820QM, while the M18x will be available with the 2.9GHz Core i7-3920XM. We still don't have any pricing or availability details for the refreshed models — all of which will be available with at least 2GB discrete Nvidia graphics cards.

    Intel also revealed today that a handful of current all-in-ones are slated to get updated with Ivy Bridge processors. We don't have any specifics, but if you're thinking of getting the HP Omni 27, Lenovo A720, or Asus ET27 you'd do well to wait at least a few weeks to see if the companies release the updated models with Intel's newest processors. These models will join Asus' new N series laptops, Toshiba's LX835 and LX815 all-in-ones, and MSI's just-announced gaming notebooks in getting Ivy Bridge.

    Intel Ivy Bridge PCs: Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Asus, MSI and Alienware pictures

    1/12

    If you're not into building your own gaming machines and don't like the traditional manufacturer's options, you'll be glad to hear that both Maingear and Cyberpower PC are offering Ivy Bridge-powered options. The former is just teasing at this point, and no models, pricing, or availability has been announced, but they'll be based on Intel's new Z77 chipset. Meanwhile, it looks like Cyberpower PC's entire lineup of gaming systems are now available with Ivy Bridge processors.

    Lastly, Nvidia has revealed a bunch of other systems that'll be getting an Ivy Bridge refresh as part of its own launch of the new GeForce 600M series of mobile GPUs. The Asus G75 (with the GeForce GTX 670M), Lenovo Y480 (GeForce GT 650M), Lenovo Y580 (GeForce GTX 660M), Samsung Series 7 Gamer (GeForce GTX 675M), Samsung Series 5 (GeForce GT 650M), Toshiba Qosmio X870 (GeForce GTX 670M), and Toshiba Satellite P850 (GeForce GT 650M) are all outed as having Ivy Bridge, but we don't have and pricing, specs, or availability on any of these machines yet, either.

    Update: Lenovo has opened up online orders for the Ivy Bridge-equipped IdeaPad Y480, and apparently the laptop has Nvidia's GeForce GT 640M — not the 650M as Nvidia told us previously. The laptop isn't shipping for at least another four weeks, but it starts at $1,399 and comes with a 2.3GHz Core i7-3610QM, 8GB of RAM, and a disappointingly low-resolution 14-inch display that comes in at 1366 x 768. There's a coupon code that currently drops the price down to $949.

    Sean Hollister contributed to this report.