Acer has updated its well-regarded TimelineX range of slim notebooks with Intel's 2nd generation Core i3 and i5 processors and tweaked a few design elements along the way. Available in 15.6, 14, and 13.3-inch variants, the lineup starts at $600 for the larger model (AS5830T-6862) equipped with a 2.1 GHz Intel Core i3 2310M, Intel HD graphics, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive, an onboard optical drive, a dedicated numeric pad, and a two-tone aluminum design.
The 14-inch Aspire TimeLine X 4830T-6642 offers similar specs, except that the base model starts at $700, features an Intel Core i5 2410M processor running at 2.3 GHz and has no numeric keypad. Both models can optionally be upgraded with Nvidia's GeForce GT 540M or 520M discrete graphics featuring Optimus support.
The 13.3-inch Aspire TimeLine X 4830T-6642 offers perhaps the best balance of the bunch when it comes to power and portability. Starting at $800, you'll get a 2.3 GHz Core i5 processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 540M graphics with 1 GB of dedicated video memory, but less storage capacity with a 500GB hard drive and no optical drive. The 13.3-inch model is naturally the lighter one weighing in at 4.12 lbs while the 14 and 15.6-inch are 4.88 and 5.6 lbs, respectively.
Features shared across the board include a 1.3MP webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB 3.0, and Acer's clear.fi software for sharing media among DLNA devices. All three systems are available now through Acer's retail partners.