Acer Aspire Revo R3600 Desktop PC Review
Nettops are relatively the new type of products that fill a niche up to now remaining, rather left unoccupied. They are something like barebone systems that are small and are mostly based on the intel Atom processors. Net tops have not enjoyed the same level of publicity as the netbooks because most of the nettops are literally netbooks in disguise. They offer basic services like email and browsing the web at a lower cost. Until the release of the Acer Aspire Revo R3600, they all seemed to be the same. The Revo R3600 has come as a predisposition to the change and this change also applies to their field of application. Acer is the first company to have manufactured and marketed one such product. The following is a review on this mile-stone establishing nettop.
The nVidia ION platform:
Acer Aspire Revo R3600 has taken on the nVidia ION platform. The Ion started as the GeForce 9300 chipset that connects the Intel Core Duo 2 processors to decent integrated graphics. The GeForce 9300 was better than that of the G45, specially in the HD movie decoding areas. When the desktop atom processor was launched by intel, the ally of the 4W TDP CPU with that of the age old D945G chipset was questionable. This is because the D945G chipset has very weak graphics and a TDP of 15W. This ally formed the nettop PCs. Clearly, the D945G chipset cannot be used for gaming or even watch HD movies as the graphics are extremely weak, so weak that it cannot run even windows vista properly. Though Acer could have easily chosen the G45 chipset, it took on a different way in order to protect its higher value desktop offerings, and hence choosing the Nvidia.
Intelligent design:
Acer has put in a lot of thought into the Revo R3600 Desktop PC which is much evident from the intelligently designed chassis. It has a glossy blue and white finish with angled lines, giving it an absolutely stylish and funky look. This ultra compact nettop has been built around a Pico-ITX motherboard. It is having a petite lozenge case shape, having its dimensions as,(H x W x D) 195 x 210 x 37mm, having a volume of just a liter. The entire unit is very small. It stands on the edge and clips on a transparent base. The stand is horribly unstable and gives us the feel as if it was an afterthought in the design process. Since the device has been designed to stand on the edge, there is not much of a need to discuss about the top and bottom parts. Acer has given it little touches that only adds on to the overwhelmingly positive impression.
Abundant ports and connectivity:
The left side bears rather ugly sticker with all the necessary markings, fortunately enough its adhesive is not too strong and it is easily removed without any trace. Most of the ports are clustered in one edge, where you will be able to find USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, the HDMI and the VGA graphics output, a Kensington lock slot along with a power jack for the small external power brick. On the other side, you will find the three headset jacks, a four in one card reader and an eSata port. On the third side, you will be finding two more USB ports, making it a total of six USB ports. An Atheros 802.11n wireless adaptor has been tucked away inside, which will be very handy in case you have an idea of using the Revo as a media extender connected to your TV. Hence, as you could possibly imagine, you will not encounter much of a shortage with respect to connectivity.
The tiny wired keyboard and mouse:
Acer Aspire Revo R3600 - nVidia ION Nettop coming with a wired USB mouse and keyboard set that are petite and pale white like the Apple’s units. The white colour goes well with the overall theme of the Revo R3600. The keyboard has softly raised buttons spaced widely. It has Teflon feet to keep it from sliding on surfaces and is clearly raided on the back for providing more comfort. They are extremely small to be used on a day to day use. Having a mini PC does not mean that you will be able to shrink too. If you purchase the top of the range model you also get the heavily publicised Wii Remote style controller, though this strikes us as more gimmicky than useful given the system’s limited gaming credentials. They look cute though. The Revo is void of your typical LED’s which adorn most desktops. The Revo solely features a lone backlight power button which indicates power. There is no idicator light for wireless, or HDD activity which can be seen. Being a nettop, it certainly does not come with a display.
A fundamental issue:
This brings about a fundamental issue with the Revo as the available HDMI outputs suggest that you should probably be connecting your Revo R3600 to your HD TV, while the wired keyboard and mouse makes it a tricky proposition. Hence, if you are planning to use the nettop as a desktop PC, you will have you buy an HDMI to DVI adaptor separately in order to connect it to most of the TFT displays on the market. If you own an analouge TFT to VGA I/p, lucky you! The whole system works perfectly, but keep in mind that this will take an edge off the picture quality of the HD movies that you plan to enjoy.
Absence of an optical drive:
As we talk about the HD movies, by large, most of the sources of legit HD movies seems to be the Blu-ray disc. The snag is that, the Acer Aspire Revo R3600 does not have an optical drive. In order to solve this issue, you might have to buy an external light-on USB BD-Rom drive (DX-401S-03C) for another £64, which seems to be a modest cost, but when you put together the price of the Revo, which is around £250, the overall cost seems to increase by 25%. And by this way, you will also be able to mount the Revo on the back of your TFT display with the help of the optional VESA mounting kit.
The core features:
The Acer Aspire Revo R3600 Desktop Computer comes with an Intel Atom 230 CPU which is the single core version and runs at the obligatory 1.6GHz. You get 2GB of RAM, a portion of which is used by the integrated graphics, giving you a remaining of only 1.7GB to access. Storage is not prolific, with just 160GB on offer, but it is more than enough for most needs and could be easily supplemented. Vitally, though, you get Draft-N Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet, so the networking bases are fully covered. That it runs Windows Vista Home Premium is also a bonus in this respect, since you also benefit from Media Center. It is perhaps a little puzzling that there is no IR receiver on the Revo, though this functionality could be added.
The GeForce 9300 chipset:
With the GeForce 9300 chipset, the movie decoder is a gem of its kind. With this chip set, you will be able to playback 1080p h.264, MPEG-4 and VC-1 encoded video. Said that, the nVidia ion chipset has a number of advantages over the Intel D945G. The list of advantages includes the fact that it can run windows vista, play interactive video games, a great video decoder, support for twin displays and also the fact that it can handle 7.1 channel audio over HDMI. One thing that must be kept in mind is that, these are only the theoretical advantages. Since the Revo R3600 does not have a optical drive, you will find it hard to play movies or even install games. Moreover, while it can run some games at playable frame rates, you have to turn the settings and resolution right down, so the quality of experience is hardly worth the bother. In addition to that, the absence of a DVI connector sharply reduces Revo R3600’s value as a desktop PC.
A slow system:
We are not quite sure on who to blame considering the slowness of the system. It is really hard to say weather it is with the atom processor or the Windows Vista. Every time you click over an icon, or switch the Windows, the Revo pauses for a heart beat or two which will be extremely annoying at times. While XP may not be offered as an alternative, Acer has created a Linux edition with a few notable specification alterations. With just 1GB of RAM and an 8GB SSD for storage, it becomes less of a media system and more of a traditional nettop-style web device, but the mouth-watering price of £130 exc VAT makes it an option worth considering very carefully.
Power efficient:
The Acer Aspire Revo R3600 running on atom processor, has an impressively quiet operation. One major point to be noted down is that, the main virtue of Revo R3600 is its ability to draw the minimal power. It consumes less than 20 watts. Of course, since Revo is mains powered, so you don not need to save every last Watt to make the most of your battery as you would with a netbook.
A small comparison:
When compared with the other net tops of its kind like the Asus Eee Box B206, Asus Eee Box B202 and Shuttle X27D, the Acer Aspire Revo R3600 shows a sluggish CPU performance, an average memory, a great front runner when it comes to graphics and a good HDD too. Overall, it comes second, next to the Shuttle X27D.
The package:
We are used to seeing small boxes, containing fully functional computers, but we must admit, the Acer Aspire Revo R3600 still amazes us, especially considering the amount of stuff it contains within. The package has everything neatly packed in a separate compartment, giving each and every part the safest possible protection. The warranty card, manuals and the other paper works are placed on top of the pack followed by a power adaptor with a thick power cable. Then the two stands are included, one for attaching the nettop to the back of a monitor and the second a clear acrylic one for holding Acer Aspire Revo R3600 in upward position on your desk.
Warranty:
The Acer Aspire Revo R3600 comes with a warranty of two years.
Verdict:
As the first Nvidia Ion system to reach retail, the pressure is on Acer’s Aspire Revo R3600 to prove nettop PCs can be useful for more than just web browsing. The Acer Aspire Revo R3600 is a winner in most of the respects. It has a great design except for the plastic stand. It is also an affordable piece of kit, when considering its flawless HD video playback. This in particular makes it a no brainer as a media PC, but for regular usage the choice of Vista is troubling. nVidia’s ION platform delivers handsomely and Acer has responded in kind with the Revo. It ticks all the right boxes where nettops are concerned, while ION gives it a definitive edge over competing offerings. Only the use of Vista really holds it back, but if you are after a cheap and effective media PC for your living room, you should not let this hold you back.
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Acer Aspire Revo R3600 Desktop PC Computer - Specification Details
| Manufacturer | Acer |
| Model Name | Acer Aspire Revo R3600 |
| Type | Nettop |
| Processor | Intel Atom N230, 533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache |
| Processor speed | 1.6GHz |
| Installed Memory | 2 GB (DDR2 SDRAM) |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium |
| Number of Memory Slots | 2 x DIMMs |
| Supported RAM Speeds | 667 MHz |
| Installed Cache Memory | 512 KB |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 180 x 180 x 30 mm |
| Supported memory cards | Memory Stick, xD Picture Card, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card |
| Hard Drive Capacity | 160 GB |
| Hard Drive Interface | Serial ATA II |
| Spindle speed | 5400rpm |
| Video card | integrated nVidia GeForce 9400M |
| Optical drive | N/A |
| Integrated Input/Output Ports | 6x USB, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, headphone/speaker/line-out, Gigabit Ethernet, Mic, 1 flash card reader, 1x eSATA port |
| LAN | 10/100Mbps LAN |
| Wireles LAN | 802.11b/g/n |
| Accessories | Wired keyboard and mouse |
| Warranty | Two years |
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