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Acer sticks to the ultrabook mold with Aspire M5s

After announcing the high-priced Aspire S7, Acer follows up with more affordable Aspire M5 ultrabooks.

Rich Brown Former Senior Editorial Director - Home and Wellness
Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
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Acer

Acer went all-out on its high-priced, Windows 8-powered Aspire S7 laptop. The $799 Acer Aspire M5-481PT presents a more affordable alternative.

The Aspire M5-481PT should feel familiar to anyone who's followed Windows-based laptops in the last year or so. More or less straight from the ultrabook design manual, the Aspire M5 measures under an inch thick, with a clean-lined design, wrapped in an aluminum alloy cover. At 4.6 pounds, the 14-inch M5-481PT comes in on the heavier side of the ultrabook spectrum. A $699, 15.6-inch Aspire M5-581T weighs "about 5 pounds," according to an Acer press release.

Acer Aspire M5-481PT (pictures)

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The two M5s also differ in their touch-screen support. The 481PT has a 10-point multitouch, the 581T is not touch-capable.

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For specs, each laptop has a standard mobile Intel Core i5 CPU, a 500GB mechanical hard drive, and, unlike Lenovo's new optical drive-free laptops, a DVD burner. If all of that sounds uninspired, each system also has a backlit keyboard, as well as a 20GB solid-state drive (SSD) included to speed boot time and improve access time to commonly launched applications.

Acer says the two M5 systems are Best Buy exclusives. The Aspire V5 series, also announced today, will hit a broader selection of U.S. and Canada retail outlets. Both series will be available for purchase alongside Windows 8 on October 2.