Computers
Acer Releases AX3200 Blu-Ray Desktop PC and P244W 1080p LCD Display
Posted by Adrian Covert at 1:40 PM on October 14, 2008
WIth their Blu-ray-playing AX3200 desktop PC and accompanying 24-inch, 1080p monitor, Acer just released two affordable, HD-friendly products at a combined price that sits just over $US1000. With the compact dimensions of around 10"x4"x14", the AX3200 desktop has 2.1 GHZ AMD Phenom X3 8450 processor, HDMI-out, Dolby Home Theatre 5.1 sound and nine USB ports. A 640 GB HDD, multi-card reader and 4 GB RAM round out the internal specs for the Windows Vista machine.
The P244W monitor is also well-equipped, with 1920x1080 resolution (16:9) and 20000:1 contrast ratio. It has 75 Hz refresh rate, 2 ms response time, has two HDMI ports and one VGA input. The AX3200 is now available at Fry's for $US680, while the P244W monitor is available at major electronics retailers for $US340. [Acer]
ACER'S NEW PHENOM X3 DESKTOP AND 24-INCH LCD - ELEGANT IN FORM AND FUNCTION
AX3200 desktop packs big performance in a small box; Stunning 24-inch widescreen LCD features one-touch convenience
SAN JOSE, CALIF., Oct. 13, 2008 - Acer, the third largest vendor in the PC market,(1) today announced the new Acer® AX3200 desktop PC and Acer P244W 24-inch widescreen LCD display for customers in the United States. Feature-rich, stylish and space-saving, the new desktop and display are ideal for enjoying entertainment from any room in the home.
Outfitted with AMD Phenom(TM) X3 processing power, Blu-ray Disc(TM) technology, NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics and Dolby Home Theater® sound, the AX3200 is a multimedia powerhouse. The Acer P244W display is simple to use and brilliantly showcases high-definition video, games and multimedia with 1080p HD support and 1920x1080 resolution.
"Offering 64-bit Windows, a Blu-ray drive and significant memory, the Acer AX3200 packs plenty of power for tackling the demands of multitasking and the latest digital entertainment," said Stephanie Eggert, Senior Manager, Retail Desktop Product Planning for Acer America. "The P244W display's stunning picture quality and user-friendly design make it a must-have for the home. Users choosing to combine the 24-inch display with the compact desktop, will have an excellent system for enjoying productivity, movies, music and games without taking up a lot of space."
Compact Entertainment Hub
Smaller than standard systems, the handsome black tower measures just 10.4-inches (H) x 4-inches (W) x 14.4-inches (L). For easy access, the chassis was designed with the card reader, audio jacks and ports conveniently on the front of the PC.Boasting outstanding performance, the AX3200 features an AMD Phenom(TM) X3 8450 Processor with triple-core power, so users can enjoy crystal-clear digital media, create advanced graphics, and handle critical productivity tasks with ease. The 4GB DDR2 memory provides ultra-fast system response, critical for multitasking and power hungry applications.
An integrated Blu-Ray Disc(TM) optical drive takes high-definition entertainment to the max with full support for realistic and dynamic high-definition viewing. Integrated NVIDIA® GeForce® graphics enhance multimedia performance with support for the latest DirectX games.
Dolby Home Theater® provides theater-like surround sound with up to 5.1 separate channels of crystal-clear digital audio. An HDMI port delivers crisp high-quality visuals and high-fidelity audio using only one cable.
With nine USB 2.0 ports, an IEEE 1394 port, eSATA port and a Multi-in-One card reader, users can easily bring multimedia devices together (used this phase in processor graph). The huge 640GB SATA II hard drive (2) provides enough room to store a vast library of music, movies and games.
Intuitive 24-inch High-Definition LCD
The new Acer P244W 24-inch widescreen high-definition LCD display combines superior usability with sleek styling. It boasts a polished black bezel and base with silver accents for an elegant design that will enhance any home or office. The large 24-inch screen size is perfect for evaluating multiple documents at one time.The Acer P244W also features SensorTouch technology, a touch-sensing solution with effortless settings for one-touch convenience. The LED illuminated controls replace the buttons that are standard on many displays. These intuitive controls maintain the product's streamlined look, while automatically sensing contact with the lightest touch.
Featuring excellent resolution, a high contrast ratio and fast response time, the display emits superb visual quality. It delivers 1080p HD support and a 1920x1080 resolution, including full HD support for the hottest HD-DVD or Blu-ray Disc movies and console games.
To further improve the picture quality, this new display offers a 20,000:1 contrast ratio and 300 cd/m2 brightness. The new Acer P244W features a 2ms response time, reducing the deviations in transition time. The Acer Overdrive (OD) technology enables the display to improve the gray-to-grey level in images and amplify the moving picture viewing experience. Additionally, 170-degree horizontal and 160-degree vertical viewing angles offer extended viewing of entertainment and productivity applications.
Acer's unique software solutions boost usability. The eColor Management on-screen interface allows users to tailor the performance characteristics of the display, such as brightness, saturation and contrast. The Empowering Key enables users to switch between viewing scenarios and create their own to compensate for application and environmental constraints.
Specifications, Pricing and Availability
The Aspire AX3200-U3630A desktop PC is available at Fry's with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $679.99. The Acer P244W 24-inch LCD display is available at technology and electronics retailers with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $339.Acer® AX3200-U3630A: Available now for a MSRP of $679.99
• AMD Phenom(TM) X3 Triple-Core 8450 Processor (2.1GHz, 512KB X 3 L2 Cache)
• 4096MB DDR2 Memory, Dual Channel
• NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 Chipset
• Integrated NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 Graphics Solution
• 640GB SATA II (7200RPM, 8MB Cache) (2)
• Blu-ray Disc(TM)/DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
• Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader
• 56K ITU v.92 Ready Fax/Modem (RJ-11 Port)
• Optimised Dolby Home Theater®
• Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-Bit with SP1
• 9 USB 2.0 Ports (5 Front, 4 Rear)
• IEEE 1394 Port
• HDMI Port
• eSATA Port
• Amplified Stereo Speakers (USB Powered)
• Acer USB Keyboard
• USB Optical MouseAcer® P244W 24-inch LCD display: Available now for a MSRP of $339
• 24-inch Widescreen
• 0.276mm Pixel Pitch
• 1920x1080 (native and maximum) Resolution
• 1080p High-Def Support
• 75Hz (Maximum) Refresh Rate
• 2ms (Gray to Grey) Response Time
• 20000:1 (ACM) Contrast Ratio
• 300cd/m2 Brightness
• 170° (H)/160° (V) Viewing Angles
• 16.7 Million Colors
• 6 + Hi-FRC Bits
• 2x HDMI, 1x VGA Inputs
• Vesa 100MM Wall Mount
• Internal Power Supply
• Energy Star CompliantPractical Software
The Acer AX3200 desktop comes with Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-Bit with Service Pack 1, which provides performance for video, large database searches, or games and other programs that require complex calculations and a lot of memory.The new AMD LIVE!(TM) Explorer, available for download, offers an immersive way to manage and interact with the user's entertainment library. It provides the ability to explore complete digital collections of music, photos, and videos in a single window, in full 3D.
In addition, the system comes with Adobe® Reader®, McAfee® Internet Security Suite 2008, eSobi(TM) online search efficiency software, NTI Media Maker(TM) for multimedia fun and back-up as well as Acer Arcade(TM) Live, a powerful software package for editing, viewing, burning and managing media content.

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Torley
Posted 11:17 AM 14/10/08
Whoa, that sounds like a very high contrast ratio - I misread it at first as "2000:1". Wonder what it's like in person. One of those things that's still not possible to preview over the Internet because of your own monitor's limits.
Torley
Bodie1550
Posted 11:16 AM 14/10/08
I'm an Apple fanboy. Apple can't touch this. For surfing the net and sending emails, maybe it's time to switch.
Bodie1550
Z4N5H1N
Posted 10:59 AM 14/10/08
I'm skeptical of the build quality of anything with those specs, at that price. It seems like a stellar deal, but I'd be wary.
Z4N5H1N
laxman15
Posted 10:52 AM 14/10/08
please tell me you can hook up high def programming to the monitor
laxman15
baltwade
Posted 10:50 AM 14/10/08
Crap! Now I want a new computer. Thanks
baltwade
Jon B.
Posted 10:48 AM 14/10/08
ok o.o
Jon B.
r.p.goodfellow
Posted 10:42 AM 14/10/08
uhh...niiiice.
r.p.goodfellow
pdok
Posted 11:39 AM 14/10/08
They're "giving" you a crummy integrated graphics solution, albeit sufficient for watching DVDs, but not impressive in any sense beyond standard desktop use.
I'm also of the opinion that too many corners get cut with prices this cheap. PSU is only 220W, which would not work if you actually populated the x16 slot with a decent graphics card, so figure another $100 for that.
Oh, and no DVI output, according to the website. HDMI only, which can be converted, of course...
pdok
diabolusunknownTheSecond
Posted 11:59 AM 14/10/08
@pdok: If your not gaming, then this is more than sufficient. It fully decodes WMV-HD (VC1) and H264 on chip. Considering this is a media machine first, i think an integrated Nvidia chip is more than sufficient. It surpasses the other integrated solution, the x4800HD, and its obvious why this does not carry such a chip.
No gamer would even ponder such a solution. Sure, for the price, you could easily build your own with much better specs, but thats always the case, regardless.
diabolusunknownTheSecond
emergeoriginal
Posted 11:58 AM 14/10/08
@pdok: it'll run a 1080p .mkv file while im downloading at full capacity in the background.
not a gamers comp though.
emergeoriginal
emergeoriginal
Posted 11:55 AM 14/10/08
@Z4N5H1N: the build quality is great. i have the previous model (ax1200) and its awesome. i was dubious about a computer that costs $450 with HDMI built onto the mother board but it runs all my 1080p content smoothly directly into my 72" dlp. i just wish i waited for the bluray version. :/
i have to say this is probably the best bang for the buck out there.
emergeoriginal
CharitableNinja
Posted 12:11 PM 14/10/08
(max payne)
CharitableNinja
CharitableNinja
Posted 12:11 PM 14/10/08
Dont trust them, they were behind Valcure.
CharitableNinja
Charging_Mooses
Posted 12:37 PM 14/10/08
i just bought a quad core AMD computer off of ebay for $440 no screen, but 4 gigs of ram and 1 gig of video memory its flipping sick. used microsoft cash back. 30% off. i think i really scored!
Charging_Mooses
LastVigilante
Posted 12:31 PM 14/10/08
Acer monitors have piqued my interest lately. I originally had my heart set on the 24" Dell Ultrasharp, but one could get 2 Acer 24"s for the price of the Dell. I don't think I'd get the 1080p one though, since I'm already piping video from my PC to a regular TV, I'd probably stick with the more desktop oriented P243W. Its hard to argue with that price and the good user reviews.
LastVigilante
mangamonster
Posted 2:33 PM 14/10/08
wow...this is really a damn good deal. I've been ordering a lot of acer hardware lately (used to be an HP and Samsung fan). I've been swayed to Acer because of the excellent build quality, high quality materials and focking gooooood prices
mangamonster
DMC-Man
Posted 3:21 PM 14/10/08
@Z4N5H1N: I've found some great deals by Acer, and most of the computers I've looked into from them have pretty good reviews.
DMC-Man
sarwatmj
Posted 8:12 PM 14/10/08
Now we are talking, the time has come for specs u want for a price u would wanna pay.. sweet!
sarwatmj