Acer's Concept D laptops go 'Pro' with Quadro RTX
The updates to Acer's creator-focused Concept D line include a series of Pro companions with Quadro instead of GeForce graphics and a new entry-level model.
Acer launched its Concept D line of creator-focused systems in April, which included the unique Concept D 9, based on the Predator Triton 900 gaming system, as well as more traditional clamshell Concept D 7 and 5, similarly based on a couple of the company's gaming laptops . At IFA 2019, Acer expanded the line to include a $1,000 entry-level model, the Concept D 3, as well as "Pro" variants of each which incorporate Nvidia's Quadro RTX workstation GPUs instead of the consumer GeForce versions, and a 17-inch version of the D5 Pro. Acer also decided to offer dark models rather than just the rather unattractive flat white.
The Pro versions of the 9 and 7 now offer up to a Quadro RTX 5000, while the 5 goes up to a Quadro RTX 3000; essentially, the Pro models are mobile workstations, though they still use the consumer Core i processors.
The Concept D 7 Pro dressed in white.
It hasn't been long since Nvidia announced its Quadro RTX 5000. In addition to offering certifications for video production, computer-aided design and more professional software packages -- certification means it's been tested for stability and compatibility -- workstation GPUs are performance-optimized for those things the way gaming cards are optimized for frame rates. None of the systems incorporate the newest Quadro RTX 6000 chip, which I kind of expected to go into the D 9 Pro: Asus is the only company that launched with the newer GPU.
The new 15-inch D3 Pro incorporates a Quadro T1000 GPU, the workstation equivalent of the GeForce 1650 (which is in the non-Pro model) That means it has Turing-generation graphics acceleration, but lacks the ray-tracing and AI acceleration of the RTX models. Acer didn't specify what the display on the laptop is, though given the price I'd guess it only covers sRGB rather than the Adobe RGB panels in the other systems.
The Concept D 9 was supposed to ship in June, but never materialized for sale, so it remains to be seen whether the Pro model appears on time.
- Concept D 9 Pro ships in November, starting at $5,800.
- Concept D 7 Pro ships in September, starting at $2,700.
- Concept D 5 Pro ships in December, starting at $2,000.
- Concept D 5 ships in December, starting at $1,800.
- Concept D 3 Pro ships in November, starting at $1,700.
- Concept D 3 ships in November, starting at $1,000.
