Roundup: Three Mini PCs : Acer Aspire Revo
2. Acer Aspire Revo
Multimedia player
We managed to play a very heavy Blu-Ray type file fluidly on this machine. This is possible thanks to hardware acceleration provided by the NVIDIA graphics card. When this is disactivated, the CPU can't play the file on its own without jerky movements. We carried out a second test in AVCHD format. We also selected a very heavy video (24 Mbits) from a Canon HFS10 camcorder. With hardware acceleration activated, we managed to play it fluidly on the Revo.
Using the HDMI socket, you can use this computer as a multimedia player. Note however that there is no TNT Tuner (can be remedied with the acquisition of a USB key), no remote and you have to use dedicated software to accelerate video play with the graphics card. Youll need to allocate a budget for this software as the PowerDVD Ultra version (that supports this function) costs around $100.
First reservation: not easy to use. Normally, a multimedia player connects to the TV and you can read all the formats that it supports. Here, you have to configure the machine, install the codecs and the right software. More flexible but not as easy to use.
The NVIDIA Ion platform has been tested in our lab for the first time, with the Acer Aspire Revo. A competitor to the Asus Eee Box, it has a built-in Intel Atom and takes up minimum space. Designed mainly for desktop use, it also opens the way for HD video and gaming, thanks to the NVIDIA 9400M chip.
Handling, design and build
In terms of aesthetics the comparison between the Eee Box and the Revo is firmly in favor of the Asus. The Acer looks plasticky and the base is nowhere near as pretty. In transparent plastic, it can’t live alongside the metal arched Eee Box. Best to keep it out of sight! Aesthetic considerations apart, lets have a look at the interfaces, how noisy it is and what it has inside.
Noise levels on this computer are low even during intense activity. You do notice the fan accelerating from time to time, but nothing too troublesome.
It has the following connectivity: 6 USBs, 1 e-SATA, 2 mini Jacks, HDMI, VGA, RJ45 and 1 multiformat card reader. This is much more complete than the Eee Box or even many laptops.
Processing
The Intel Atom processor limits performance. Here we got results pretty much on a level with a netbook or the Eee Box. It is even a little slower in general terms. This is most certainly attributable to the use of Windows Vista, heavier than XP.
If you are on the cutting edge when it comes to technology, you will see the advantages of the NVIDIA chip and acceleration of graphics processes thanks to the graphics chip: with Photoshop CS4 for example. This is good but obviously only relatively so when it comes to Photoshop CS4 as you would probably want to install it on a much more powerful machine anyway. The graphics chip can also be used to accelerate processing time on apps such as Badaboom. More for the general consumer than the Adobe software, it can be used to convert video files to adapt them for various types of player.
Refer to the inset for info on reading video files.
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| The base from above | 2 USBs |
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| VGA, HDMI, RJ45, 4 USBs | SD reader, 2 mini-jacks, e-SATA |
Gaming
We tested our games on a 24-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. Of course we didn’t expect to be able to play at this resolution and we reduced it until we found a playable level for each game. With Crysis, we tested the game at low display quality. The first thing to note is that loading up levels is slow. Next, even if you set the resolution at 1024x768 pixels, the game is not totally fluid. There are delays here and there. Race Driver Grid is fluid below 1680x1050 pixels and ultra low quality. There is a disagreeable crackling in the audio however when you’re surrounded by cars (pretty much all the time then!). World in conflict was our last test game and here things went better. We managed to get it to work with a few delays at 1920x1200 pixels, at very low quality.
To conclude, it’s better than a netbook but a long way off any computer with a real graphics card. You’ll get something out of it however if you concentrate in the oldest games that don’t demand too much in 3D performance.
Audio
For Home Cinema use and when transmitting sound via the HDMI, there are no complaints at all. Digital audio functions without any intervention from the computer. On analysis of jacks, the headphones out is fine. We would have liked to see a jack at the back (perhaps an optical one), for plugging in a speaker kit.
| Acer Aspire Revo | |
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| Pros | Cons |
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The main advantage of the Revo over the Eee Box comes from its capacity to play very weighty video files as well as having two video connection interfaces (VGA and HDMI). Note, CPU performance is very modest, as is gaming capacity.
It might have been worth mentioning the current limitations playing flash video (Hulu) on the atom system, even the ion. Flash is currently rendered by the CPU and does not play smoothly in full screen at HD resolutions on atom systems. This may not matter to some people, but it's one of the only things keeping me from using an ion system as a HTPC.
Adobe is supposedly working on offloading some flash processing to the GPU, but it is not clear when (or if) that will happen.
I think it's best if these mini's are used on the most basic usage. No games, no hi-resolution videos, no heavy processing.
Digital Versus seems to think anything MAC is the best thing since sliced bread. It seems to me that if you are comparing a MAC with its non-Atom processor (they don't happen to mention what it has, but at 2GHz, we know it's not an Atom), then why don't they compare it to the mini I helped a friend buy. She does email and word processing, and little more. But this little Dell machine from Best Buy had a Core 2 processor, and would run circles around either of these Atom machines. Also, it came with a wireless keyboard / mouse, and a 22" wide panel monitor.
I agree with "erichlund". Every Apple product seems to come out with a 5 star rating, yet the cons listed for the Apple product would seem to make it impossible to justify giving it a 5 star rating. At the very least the cons for the other products seem to be no worse than the cons for the Apple product. While I realize it is "chic" to lust after Apple products, part of the credibility of a review/comparison relies on objective ratings. Arbitrarily giving every Apple product a 5 star rating does nothing for the credibility of this article. When considering the price, lack of accessible ram upgrading, poor cpu performance, how is the Mac-Mini worthy of a 5 star rating?
Anyone know where you can find the Acer Aspire Revo from a reputable dealer? They were suppose to be out a while back.
It'll be good to have a few more Core 2 Duo machines added to the mix when the article gets updated. I'd also be interested in having a "value" section added. Such a section should consider what you get for your money and also the potential resale value.
P.S. CaptainRon, while I'm not saying a 5 star rating is right or not for the mini, the RAM, hard drive and optical drive are easily upgradable, the cpu performance is (at least in my opinion) fine for such a small form factor and the price isn't nearly as bad when you factor in the resale value. Since they update them so irregularly, their second hand prices stay a lot higher than other machines.
Well at 2x the price, that mac mini better be have a bit more.
Apple Mac mini, 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, SuperDrive NO KEYBOARD/MOUSE - $849.00
Acer Aspire Revo - $400
Acer EEEEEEE - $380
All prices in Canadian dollars.
At least get systems in the same price
hell even a Acer Veriton(business machine) is not too big for most users while packing more power then those Atom systems(core2 or a64 X2)
You could buy a decent laptop for the price of the apple machine, and get better performance. But i guess some are willing to pay more for looks than anything else.
I would very much like to see the AOpen MP-45 mini-PC family added to this review: http://usa.aopen.com/Products.aspx?id=74
Granted AOpen sells it as DIY mini-PC, though you can get a preconfigured system from http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/myaopen/MP45.html
Seems to me the Dell Studio Hybrid should have been covered. It's closest thing to a Mac Mini out there. Oh yea and it's at least avaliable to buy in the US.
Does anyone know where to buy that Acer Aspire Revo in the US?
For the EeeBOX the lack of "keyboard mouse screen" is a very stupid thing to B!@%& about since this is standard throughout all products
Spanky Deluxe, while you can upgrade the Mac Mini, my point was simply that for a 5 star product the ACCESSIBILITY to perform a simple ram upgrade was poor. While resale value is higher on any Apple product due to the "brand tax" associated with Apple products, the high price should invalidate the Mac Mini from a 5 star rating if one is using resale value as a factor. Simply put, you can almost buy two non-Apple mini's for the price of a single Apple mini, that really has nothing more going for it than appearance and size. Again if one is talking value, ie: bang for your buck, the Mac Mini isn't a 5 star product.
Also, I have no problem with the CPU performance of the product, my problem is with the rating it was given. It's touted as an a decent office computer and I'm sure it handles these functions fine, but the vast majority of office workstations are Windows based (for better or worse), which you can get for CHEAPER.
My argument is not with Apple, it's with the review. Apple products are generally above average quality items, but in this case the Mac Mini isn't discernibly better than the other minis which were rated at less than 5 stars. Again, no problem with Apple, but the objectivity of the ratings of this article should be brought in to question.
Rock and roll.