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Acer intros Nitro 5 gaming laptop, Swift 3 thin-and-light with 2nd-generation AMD Ryzen processors

The Nitro can also be equipped with Radeon RX 560X graphics, while the 14-inch Swift 3 laptop weighs in at just 3.2 pounds.
Written by Sean Portnoy, Contributor
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Acer Nitro 5

AMD may have rolled out its second-gen Ryzen processors for desktop PCs last August -- and it's already prepping the third generation -- but it's only recently that its latest CPU technology is starting to appear in new laptops. Acer is the latest manufacturer to add the latest Ryzen chips to its notebooks, updating its Nitro 5 gaming laptop along with the thin-and-light Swift 3.

The current Nitro 5 lineup features models with Ryzen 5 2500U processors, but the refreshed versions can be configured with Ryzen 7 3750H CPUs. Like the Ryzen 5 configurations, the new laptops feature Radeon RX 560 graphics and 15.6-inch 1080p full HD displays. Other gamer friendly specs include Acer's own CoolBoost tech to provide additional cooling performance as needed, as well as its Network Optimizer to clear networking bottlenecks that hinder efficient streaming during game play.

At 3.2 pounds and 0.71 inches thick, the Swift 3 appeals to an entirely different audience: business people looking to travel lightly. As  a result, the latest configurations include Ryzen 3700 processors, which are far less power hungry than the 3750H chip in the Nitro 5. Not surprisingly, they ship with integrated Radeon Vega graphics rather than a discrete card, though Acer says it will offer Radeon 540X as an option. The Swift 3's exterior has also been upgraded, with the company promising thinner bezels and a 180-degree hinged display.

Acer hasn't disclosed availability or pricing for the Ryzen 7 Swift 3 and Nitro 5. It's introducing the laptops in advance of Computex, which begins in Taipei on Tuesday. 

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