The range is great they’re perfect for couch surfing, and they never broke connectivity while we roamed about our test apartment. Powered by AAA batteries, they connect to the system by way of a minuscule nub of a USB dongle. The included wireless keyboard and mouse are nice enough for casual use. And if external hard drives are your thing, you’ll be pleased to know that it also has a high-speed eSATA connection. The AspireRevo lacks an optical drive (Blu-ray, DVD, or otherwise), but its six USB ports, multiformat card reader, and high-speed networking mean you’ll have no problems streaming or copying over digital movie/music files.

We saw a noticeable performance hit with common tasks, like multitasking or thumbing through half a dozen browser windows at 1900 by 1200 on a 32-inch HDTV, but you’ll get better mileage if you turn off some of Windows 7’s visual pizzazz, like the Aero visual effects. Compare that with the similarly equipped Sony VAIO P netbook, which struggles to handle even 320-by-240-resolution video on its Intel GMA 550 graphics processor.įor everyday tasks, though, Windows 7 actually runs well on the R3610’s 1.6GHz Atom 330 dual-core processor, 2GB of DDR2-800 memory (upgradable to 4GB), and 5400-rpm hard disk. The AspireRevo sports VGA and HDMI ports, and streams music, photos, and 1080p video with aplomb. But when it comes to HD video output, Ion trumps typical integrated graphics from Intel right now. Gaming still isn’t an option–the system produced just 12 frames per second in our Unreal Tournament 3 tests (at 1024 by 768, and highest settings).

We’ve sung the praises of nVidia’s Ion platform before, and the GPU-maker’s integrated graphics product turns the AspireRevo into a real contender. While they’re generally serviceable for basic browsing and e-mail tasks, the R3610’s nVidia Ion graphics also give it media-center potential–as does its compact 7.1-by-7.1-by-1.2-inch size. These Lilliputian systems provide a fraction of a traditional desktop’s power at a fraction of the size and cost. In the case of the $330 (as of February 1, 2010) Acer AspireRevo R3610, make sure to bless it with HDMI output and 1080p video playback, too.

Take a low-power, silent desktop, and stuff it with netbook components.

Acer aspire revo r3610 windows 10