Acer unveils new modular, cable-free workstations

It seems that the desire to make business class machines sexy (or at least moderately attractive) has become popular among computer makers. I talked previously about the HP Z series workstations sporting a design that was debatably sexy in many geek cliques. Perhaps the coolest part of the HP workstations wasn't the visual appeal of the machines, but the modular, cable-free design.

By "cable free" I don't mean you won't have an unsightly mess of cables hanging out the back of the PC (how messy that gets is still up to you) but rather the internal cabling of the system (though we note in the promotional Acer photo below they have cunningly not shown any cords -- not even the absolutely mandatory monitor cable.)

A cable-free machine allows you to easily work on components such as the optical drive, floppy drive and hard drives without worrying about plugging and unplugging cables, or having a thicket of them getting in your way when you're working inside the case.

Acer has unveiled its own line of not quite ugly business class workstations that are aiming for the buyer looking to spend significantly less than the high-end HP Z series workstations demand in price, while still offering a cable-free modular design. The new Acer machines include the Veriton M265, Veriton M421G, and Veriton M670G.



_{Above: Acer Veriton Workstation}

Two M265 models are being offered with the M265-ED2220C using a Pentium Dual-core E2220 2.4GHz CPU, Vista Business with XP downgrade option pre-loaded, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, and a DVD burner starting at $US419 ($AU597 as a direct conversion, but it will cost more here due to Australia's system of distributors and retailers who all take a cut).

The M265-BE1400C uses a slower Celeron Dual-core 2GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD burner, and includes a 19-inch LCD starting at $US499 (equivalent to $AU711).

Acer's Veriton M421G-ED5000C starts at $US439 (equivalent to $AU626) and includes an Athlon X2 dual-core CPU running 2.6GHz, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD burner, and discrete ATI HD 3200 graphics.

The Veriton M670G-UQ9400C is the high-end model with Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU at 2.66GHz, 3GB of RAM, 320GB HDD, DVD burner, and graphics via ATI Radeon HD 4350 Pro. Pricing starts at $US899, and it is available in Australia from $AU1044, though it comes with a lower-spec Intel GMA 4500 integrated graphics chip rather than the discrete ATI Radeon 4350 Pro that the US gets.

We are waiting to hear back from Acer Australia on when/if it will introduce the M265 of the M421G, and at what price. We've also asked whether any of its existing Veriton workstations (other than the M670G) offer the same modular, cable-free design.