Yeah I can't tell if there's a bunch of typo's, or I just don't know what the author considers the product's predecessor.
The Alpha Switch 5 appears to me to be the successor to Switch Alpha from last year, which also used the U-series processors (article says predecessor used M/Y-series). If the Switch 5 is the update to the Switch Alpha, they appear very similar: - Same screen (2,460 x 1440), same Core-U processors, same 8gb LPDDR3 (kind of disappointing it's not DDR4, with its lower voltage), 802.11ac, backlit keyboard, same weight even.
Primary upgrades are obviously Kaby Lake and what it brings (hardware h265 encode/decode, hdcp 2.2, supposedly better power management for mobile including more responsive turbo and the SSD uses PCIe instead of SATA. The one downside IMO is that the power now comes from the only USB Type-C port. On the Switch Alpha the power comes from a separate barrel connector, leaving you with an open Type A and Type C. The Switch 5 appears to use up the Type C to charge, which is disappointing when you only have two USB ports.
And I may buy a 16GB RAM Switch 5 for like $1249, although if the keyboard is the same as the Alpha 12 it's a deal breaker (I returned it as it gets dirty like a 3year old, you put it on a table and it attracts all the dust, contrary to the Surface keyboard).
Despite the finless design, the Switch Alpha's liquid cooling performs very well. I wonder what enhancements Acer did to the liquid cooling on the Switch 5.
I may be late to ask why devices today come with DDR3? Is it the lower power requirement of the memory controller? One argument would be that the CPU specifically (the Core M) have just one memory controller to save die space and for drop-in compatibility, one would stick to one controller (DDR3). But since we know the 7200U does DDR4 (my office laptop has a 6200U with DDR4!) why go DDR3?
I know it's LPDDR3 and against DDR4, the power saving is not significant.. but why? You starve the iris pro. You burn more li-on.
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gunsman - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
Possible typo? According to ark 7500u is 2c/4t https://ark.intel.com/products/95451/Intel-Core-i7...gunsman - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
and 4m chacheWorldWithoutMadness - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
A lot of typo, almost all i-core U has typo. U class has 2c/4tPentium 4415U also has 2c/45 http://ark.intel.com/products/96508/Intel-Pentium-...
Ryan Smith - Saturday, April 29, 2017 - link
Thanks for the heads up. Fixed!HomeworldFound - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
I had a Switch 10. The screen died outside of the one year warranty. I was very sad.ied - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
Wish someone would make something like this with a bigger screen. 15 to 16 inches. My eyes are just too far gone for these smaller machines now. Ug.Kakti - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
Yeah I can't tell if there's a bunch of typo's, or I just don't know what the author considers the product's predecessor.The Alpha Switch 5 appears to me to be the successor to Switch Alpha from last year, which also used the U-series processors (article says predecessor used M/Y-series). If the Switch 5 is the update to the Switch Alpha, they appear very similar:
- Same screen (2,460 x 1440), same Core-U processors, same 8gb LPDDR3 (kind of disappointing it's not DDR4, with its lower voltage), 802.11ac, backlit keyboard, same weight even.
Primary upgrades are obviously Kaby Lake and what it brings (hardware h265 encode/decode, hdcp 2.2, supposedly better power management for mobile including more responsive turbo and the SSD uses PCIe instead of SATA. The one downside IMO is that the power now comes from the only USB Type-C port. On the Switch Alpha the power comes from a separate barrel connector, leaving you with an open Type A and Type C. The Switch 5 appears to use up the Type C to charge, which is disappointing when you only have two USB ports.
SaolDan - Friday, April 28, 2017 - link
the stylus in the switch alpha 12 is horrible. i hope the ditched synaptics.KaarlisK - Saturday, April 29, 2017 - link
I'd gladly buy the Switch 3 if it had a 8GB RAM option for $599.digiguy - Saturday, April 29, 2017 - link
And I may buy a 16GB RAM Switch 5 for like $1249, although if the keyboard is the same as the Alpha 12 it's a deal breaker (I returned it as it gets dirty like a 3year old, you put it on a table and it attracts all the dust, contrary to the Surface keyboard).watzupken - Saturday, April 29, 2017 - link
Despite the finless design, the Switch Alpha's liquid cooling performs very well. I wonder what enhancements Acer did to the liquid cooling on the Switch 5.0razor1 - Saturday, April 29, 2017 - link
I may be late to ask why devices today come with DDR3? Is it the lower power requirement of the memory controller?One argument would be that the CPU specifically (the Core M) have just one memory controller to save die space and for drop-in compatibility, one would stick to one controller (DDR3).
But since we know the 7200U does DDR4 (my office laptop has a 6200U with DDR4!) why go DDR3?
I know it's LPDDR3 and against DDR4, the power saving is not significant.. but why? You starve the iris pro. You burn more li-on.
wr3zzz - Sunday, April 30, 2017 - link
Anyone else considers using the same port for both charging and external display a deal breaker?hybrid2d4x4 - Monday, May 1, 2017 - link
I consider it a dealbreaker whenever charging and actually using the device the way I'd want to are mutually exclusive, so yes.