The first notebook PC with the brand new Intel Celeron 1000M mobile processor is now available on the market.
Newegg has in stock the Acer Aspire E1-531-10004G50Mnks with the 1000M, which is the first “Ivy Bridge”-based Celeron for laptops. The CPU has two cores at 1.8GHz, 2MB of cache, and the Intel HD integrated graphics.
With specifications similar to the corresponding previous generation “Sandy Bridge” chips, such as the Celeron B820, Intel’s 1000M won’t revolutionize the budget laptop segment. Instead, it brings better power efficiency thanks to the 22-nanometer production process, down from 32nm, as well as better RAM performance, with included support for up to 1,600MHz modules, up from 1,333MHz. Power consumption remained the same. TDP is 35 Watts.
On the graphics front, one can’t expect surprises either. The Intel HD IGP runs at up 1GHz, whereas the previous gen counterparts run at maximal 1.05GHz. Other details of the graphics processor are unknown, but it certainly doesn’t bring any decent gaming capability.
Probably the main drawback of Celeron processors is lack of Hyperthreading, so there is only one thread per core possible, impacting performance of multi-threaded software.
Regarding the Acer E1-531-10004G50Mnks itself, it’s a standard affordable Windows 8 laptop with a 15.6″ 720p display, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard disk, DVD burner, and a six-cell battery for claimed 4 hours of autonomy. It is priced at $400 which is a high price if you take into account that Celeron-based laptops were on sale during Cyber Monday week for as low as $250.