# 4: AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 slim and compact Desktop acer-Blue

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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars What a bargain!, October 5, 2010 This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 Slim and Compact Desktop - Blue (Personal Computers) This is just a quick note to fill in a couple of details not in the listed specs, now that I've actually received and set up 2 of these.

The version of ION graphics is listed on the box as "GT218-ION" They work perfectly, so far as I can tell for You Tube HD (and Hulu) videos. (I did first upgrade Flash to version 10.1.)

The "wireless" mouse and keyboard work via a nano-size dongle installed in a USB port, and are fine up to a distance of about 5 feet. They are seen by Windows as 2.4GHz, but are not listed as Bluetooth.

Both the VGA video to a 20" 1600 x 1200 pixel LCD PC monitor and the HDMI video to a 46" 1080p (1920 x 1024 pixel) LED TV work fine. (I did reduce the resolution slightly on the TV due to the TV's overscanning otherwise hiding the edge of the PC display screen. I'm sure the overscan can also be adjusted in the TV settings to resolve this without reducing resolution, but didn't find the place to do so quickly enough.)

Speed is listed as 3.5 on the Windows Experience, compared to 2.1 on our Asus Eee PC 1000 running the 32 bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium. (These new PCs run the 64 bit version.)

These are marvelously quiet. The only time the fan is ever audible is for a moment during the initial power-on sequence.

I had no trouble installing our Samsung USB DVD player. Just plugged it in and it was immediately recognized. Likewise, pointing to my HP 2605 networked color laser printer - found and configured automatically. (One suggestion: when the printer installer offers to update its list of printer drivers, let it.)

It wasn't initially clear how I would reinstall everything if the hard drive ever fails. The PC didn't come with any media to be used for that. (I later discovered the included program eRecovery creates an image of the factory setup on 3 DVDs, with a fourth DVD for drivers, and easily made a set on DVD+RW disks, using the above-mentioned external DVD driveSamsung USB 2.0 8x DVD Writer External Optical Drive for Mac and PC SE-S084C/RSBN (Gloss Black).)

Another day in and I've removed some of the unneeded pre-installed programs, disabled unwanted startup programs with msconfig, installed Microsoft Security Essentials, Firefox (along with add-ins Firefox Sync, NoScript, Flashblock, and BetterPrivacy), and Microsoft Office 2007 (2010 comes pre-installed, but would have cost me extra.) Windows Update has found and installed dozens of security upgrades.

Day 3: Telecommuted using this PC today. The VPN link was fine, as was management of a remote database application and a GoToMeeting that included both audio and video. Nothing I did today spiked CPU utilization about 40%! I also checked electricity used, and found it usually under 25 watts, barely more than the 20 watts used by our Asus Eee PC 1000 netbook, despite this Acer having more cores (2 rather than 1), faster clock speed (1.8GHz in place of 1.6GHz), and a 216GB hard drive (rather than 40GB of SSD.) Both 802.11b WiFi and Gigabit Ethernet Internet links work fine.

I'll keep adding more as I finish configuring these, but wanted to post now in case anyone else has been wondering whether these actually exist and are any good. The answer is yes!

Update: Two weeks in, this has still been a perfect choice for both of us. Everything is now configured just the way we like, and a full system backup made, just in case. (I used our USB external DVD+RW drive, but any external USB drive with enough space would do.)

For anyone wondering whether the standard 2GB of RAM is enough, neither of ours has yet used even half of that yet, even though one of our PCs typically has a dozen windows open in different applications simultaneously.

Highly recommended!

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Flash performance == good : Silverlight performance == not good, October 18, 2010 This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 Slim and Compact Desktop - Blue (Personal Computers) The unit is very small and generates little noise and heat. Just be sure to not block the exhaust vent like I initially did (otherwise the fan will run harder and louder). This has several USB 2.0 ports but no ESATA port (unlike previous models). Connected to my Samsung 40 inch LCD TV via HDMI and runs well. The power button on the front is a bit mushy / unresponsive so you must press it firmly and in the dead center.

Acer claims the wireless card is a LITE-ON WN6602R with an RaLink RT3390 chipset. Currently running unit with a Netgear Rangemax WNDR3700 Dual Band Wireless router. Win7 says my wireless connection is excellent and shows 4 bars / 150mbps. Flash 10.1 video performance is acceptable (not great but acceptable). Silverlight 4 performance is woeful. This is unfortunate because Netflix uses Silverlight to implement their streaming video. Netflix is very choppy to the point I can't tolerate it. In contrast, my PS3 and Roku are flawless in streaming Netflix over my wireless network. Don't think I blame Acer so much as I blame Microsoft for lack of hardware acceleration support in Silverlight 4. Come on Microsoft, you are on version 4 of Silverlight and still don't have hardware accelerated video? Adobe Flash 10.1 does and so should you. Be sure to ditch Internet Explorer in favor of Google Chrome on this box. Google Chrome runs circles around I.E. 8.

Possible upgrades for this box might be increasing from 2gb to 4gb RAM.

Here is what Acer shows for the memory:
Support Memory size per socket: 1GB,2GB
Support memory type: DDR3 SO-DIMM
Support memory interface: DDR3 800MHz
Support memory voltage: 1.5V
Support to parity check feature: Yes
Support to error correction code (ECC) feature: No
Pin: 204 pin

Another option might be to replace the traditional hard drive with a SSD. I suspect an SSD would speed Media Center up quite a bit.

Update: 11-12-2010
I attempted a few tweaks to facilitate a better viewing experience:
1. Upgraded from 2gb to 4gb RAM
2. Switched win7 resolution to 1280 x 720
3. Upgraded NVIDIA Driver to 260.99
4. Upgraded from I.E. 8 to I.E. 9 beta (Some netflix is viewable some is not. Family guy is fine while Discovery Channel Dirty Jobs is very choppy).

Update: 12-6-2010:
Good news. ScottGu (Microsoft VP) announced on his blog (12/2) that Silverlight will finally be getting GPU support when Silverlight 5 rolls out. Check out Scott Gu's blog for more details. This should help with Silverlight / Netflix viewing.

Update: 01-08-2011
Still waiting for Silverlight 5. Thought I would post some more specs in the meantime:

Windows 7 Scores
Processor 3.5
Memory 4.8 (with 4gb ram)
Graphics 5.0
Gaming Graphics 5.7
Primary Hard Disk 5.8

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars What you get for the extra $150., October 6, 2010 This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3700-U3002 Slim and Compact Desktop - Blue (Personal Computers) The Acer AspireRevo AR1600 cost $199.99 at Amazon.com.
The Acer AspireRevo AR3700 costs $349.99 at Amazon.com.

I purchased both for home use. I am not a "Power User."

What did I get for the extra $150? Was it worth spending more for a dual core microprocessor and newer operating system? Does it have enough power to justify the higher price?

Here is why I believe the answer is yes.

There is no built-in wifi with the AR1600 unlike the AR3700.

The AR1600 is sold with Windows XP and the AR3700 with Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. While few of Microsoft's costly changes are great improvements (Of what real use is the Aero theme or the Ribbon?), it is a more smoothly working operating system.

The AR1600 handles most tasks easily, but it couldn't operate a WinTV HVR 850 usb tv tuner card. It worked perfectly with the AR3700. (This is the major reason for my purchase of the AR3700.) The AR3700 also comes with Windows Media Center.

The AR1600 was adequate for everything else.

P.S.
1) Both the AR1600 and AR3700 have nice keyboards, but I find them a bit too small for extended keyboarding sessions, so I use a full-size Logitech keyboard.
2) In your favorite search engine, type "Replay AV8". It's an inexpensive stream-recorder program. I wouldn't own a PC without it.

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# 10: Apple's 27-inch iMac Desktop MC511LL/A

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65 of 68 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Upgrading from an older iMac, August 5, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC511LL/A 27-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers) First things first: the iMac offered on this page has the quad-core Intel Core i5 processor. A configuration with a dual-core i3 processor is also sold by Amazon. A more powerful quad-core processor, the i7, is available as a build-to-order option from the online Apple Store. Be sure you're looking at the configuration you want. Apple makes four 27" Aluminum iMac processor setups in all: an i3, two with the i5, and an i7 (see the Comments on this review for a link to Apple's official tech specs).

Now then, on with the show. Many reviewers of the previous release of the 27" Aluminum iMac have already discussed the essential hardware and software features. So, rather than repeating stuff that has already been said, I am going to focus this review on my experience of upgrading from a G4 igloo iMac that was running System 10.5.8 .

Migration Assistant
*I used a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 cable to move the contents of my old computer to the new machine with Migration Assistant.
*The process was virtually seamless, with only a few minor adjustments necessary to the transferred data. Only four applications required reinstallation: ClamXav, iTunes (due to the Soundflower plugin--in any case, no music was lost or damaged), Microsoft Expression Media 2, and a Juniper Networks remote access program (part of a corporate telecommuting package).
*Rules for Little Snitch, a third party utility, need to be reestablished.
*Customized preferences for Spotlight must be reentered.

Magic Mouse
*iMacs now come with a wireless mouse as standard equipment. The Magic Mouse is a vast improvement over the Apple Mouse (aka Mighty Mouse) because it doesn't have a roller ball that eventually stops working. In fact, there aren't any external moving parts on the Magic Mouse, other than the on/off switch.
*Expos? and Dashboard functions are now on the top row of the keyboard, not on mouse buttons.
*If you're interested in the new Magic Trackpad, you'll have to order it separately. It doesn't come as standard equipment right now.

Keyboard
*The chiclet style keys took me a little while to get used to, but now I prefer them to traditional "long stroke" keys.
*For some reason, Apple has made a compact laptop keyboard the standard iMac keyboard (Steve Jobs must be nostalgic for the original 1984 Mac keyboard). Anybody who relies on Page keys for navigation or on a numeric keypad for data entry is out of luck.
*An extended keyboard with Home/Pg Up/Pg Dn/Delete keys and a number pad is available as a build-to-order option, along with additional memory and other treats, at the online Apple Store.

Audio System
*Optical digital audio input and output requires cables or cable adapters with 3.5mm plugs. Standard size TOSLINK connectors won't work. Also, digital audio I/O is run through the microphone and headphone ports. It is consequently impossible to use headphones or an external mic when the computer is setup for optical digital audio use.
*The speakers are a weak point in the design. They are small, underpowered, and sound tinny. I think the igloo iMacs had much better sound. If I recall correctly, they had a specially tuned amplifier--plus the speakers were fairly large and were not built into the computer housing. Users who use their iMac as their main music source or who work with music and sound will want to buy a separate pair of speakers.

Using the computer: screen, fan noise, heat, Rosetta
*This iMac is all about the gigantic 27" screen. It's incredibly sharp and bright, with better-than-HD resolution. Excel users will love being able to see columns A-AE and rows 1-95 all at once at 100% zoom. No more wasting time scrolling around and splitting windows. Photos, movies, and graphics all look absolutely fabulous.
*I initially thought I would hate the glossy finish on the screen, especially after seeing how much glare demo models at the Apple Store showed. But, as it turns out, the shiny glass isn't distracting at all in my home office. That said, anybody who hasn't ever seen a glossy screen computer in person should go check one out before placing an order.
*Something that I miss from my igloo iMac is the ability to move the screen both from left to right (x-axis) and up and down (y-axis). Aluminum iMac screens can only be swiveled up and down, in a fairly limited range.
*Under most conditions, the computer runs very quietly. Fan noise is normally inaudible.
*The top of the computer can become noticeably hot to the touch. Not hot enough to cook the proverbial egg, but definitely warmer than most other electronic devices (except for the original PlayStation3, otherwise known as the Sony Spaceheater).
*PowerPC applications run well under Rosetta. Once it is downloaded automatically, upon demand, it runs invisibly.

Bottom line: it's the screen, the SCREEN, THE SCREEN!! Massive amounts of screen real estate, combined with fast performance, make the 27" Aluminum iMac a true joy to use for both work and play. One star penalty for not making an extended keyboard standard and for the terrible built-in sound system.

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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Very fast, very quiet, plays burned DVDs just fine (will update review frequently), August 15, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC511LL/A 27-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers) BURNED DVDS:
My big concern is that the DVD drive would not play burned DVDs. (Out of the box, my MacbookPro did NOT play burned DVDs very well, if at all. After a couple OS updates, that seems to be a thing of the past, but a new concern for this drive.) DVDs tested that worked on the new iMac are: Imation DVD-R 8x; Taiyo Yuden white; Verbatim DVD+R DL; Verbatim DVD-R; Memorex DVD-R 4x; Princo DVD-R 'white star'.

MEMORY SLOTS and UPGRADING MEMORY:
Upgrading memory on the iMac is easy. There are 4 slots for memory: 2 'upper' and 2 'lower', as Apple calls them, but they are really 4 side by side slots on the bottom (behind the Apple logo.) The 2 upper slots are populated by Apple's memory, but the 2 lower slots are open (unless you upgraded already.) The 4 memory slots are accessed by unscrewing 3 screws with a Philips screwdriver (a normal size will do.) Apple recommends "For the iMac (Mid 2010) models, use 2 GB or 4 GB RAM SO-DIMMs of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM in each slot." Removing the aluminum screen is a one-screw deal, then push in the memory, and power the iMac back on. That's it. If you are planning on running VMWare, or playing games, or doing video, you will likely need to upgrade to another 2 or 4GB. I recommend 2 cards of 2GB each. VMWare running Win7, while OSX is running PS and a browser takes up about 60-75% of the 4GB installed memory. And remember: saving a little and buying janky memory is like putting used, dirty oil in your car - what are you really saving by doing that?

REMOTE CONTROL:
The older remote control for my MBP worked just fine. That is until we started watching some streaming video through Safari. For some reason that video knocked out the ability to use the remote, and I had to restart the iMac to get it to see the remote again. Don't know why, and it was only for video being played through todocast.tv website. May be a rare issue.

LOADING HARD DRIVE:
It only took 63 mins for me to move 93GB of data from an external drive using USB 2.0 cable. Loading Mac Office took less than 10 minutes to load from DVD (default config) - fastest I have ever seen, yet. One thing I noticed is that I can hear this hard drive writing to the disc, whereas I cannot here my older iMac's drive at all. I have to put my head up near the screen, but I can hear the thumping more prominently than I can on the 2-year old iMac. This might be due to the way the housing/area around the drive is designed: might be creating an echo chamber? Don't know why, just do.

WIRELESS KEYBOARD and MOUSE:
Whoa! The wireless keyboard worked from over 50-feet away! I walked through a thick wood door, down the hall (cinderblock walls) and around the corner and it still worked! I have no idea how far away I can go, but across the room is no problem. Same goes for the wireless mouse. The mouse does not have the right-click set up as a default. I also found that the left-right swipe action was dangerous while browsing websites, for a left-swipe is the same as the 'back' button - and when filling out an online form hitting the back button (or accidentally swiping left on the mouse) can erase your inout data.) The vertical swiping action of the mouse is just like the iPhone, smooth and screen slides to a stop. Best mouse ever made.

WIRELESS CARD:
This card is definitely showing a stronger signal than my MBP sitting the same distance from the router (which is a G-band). It also shows a lot more networks to choose from than the MBP.

UDATES:
Out if the box, the iMac needed to be updated. Nothing ridiculous, just about 7 updates (Safari, Java, AirPort, iTunes, OSX security...) with a half hour of download and updating.

RETAIL BOX CONTENTS:
People new to Mac, and those that haven't bought one in years, will find the contents of your retail box sparse: keyboard, iMac, mouse, 2 DVDs, small booklet, power cord and batteries for the keyboard and mouse (installed.) That's it. PC users/converters will be shocked at how little documentation there is in your box: no yellow pieces of paper screaming out warnings and 'do this first!' type messages. This is true plug and play.

SPEAKERS:
These speakers sound just the same as the 2-your old iMac I am comparing all of this to. Maybe a little less tin/bright... Still not the best, most amazing speakers out there, but are far better than the majority of embedded computer speakers. I still recommend you buy a set of desktop speakers if plan on watching movies, playing music loud, or want a rich deep sound.

SCREEN:
Still not super-stoked about the glossy screen, but I think I am starting to get used to it. Bright rooms (especially where the light behind you is brighter than the light behind the iMac) just suck to work in. That's when I break out the MBP and it's matte screen. The 178-degree viewing angle statistic is ONLY for the most optimum viewing conditions! Again, a bright room where there are reflections on the screen will just turn it all to a kaleidoscope: colors are seen but good luck figuring out what you are seeing! In a pitch black room, yes, you can benefit from the 178-degree viewing angle and all is good.

QUAD CORE, THE BASICS:
While having the quad core CPU makes for a very snappy and almost lag-free iMac, it does NOT speed up your old programs. It's NOT like Office programs are suddenly using all four cores to compute your Chemistry spreadsheet or create that graph. It just means that there are more pipelines for your programs to run on. In short, the program has to be written to utilize the multiple cores at the same time. Not even my Adobe CS4 is using all four cores.

THINNER PEDESTAL:
The new thinner pedestal ("foot") is great for pushing back the keyboard/work. The old iMac had a 1/4 inch tall foot, almost brick-like, whereas this one about an 1/8 of an inch or less. Works like a ramp.

All said, I have to say that this is the best iMac so far. I know that should go without saying, but you can't always take this for granted. If you have a 1-year old iMac, I can't see upgrading unless you are having problems with it. If you have a 2+ year old iMac, or even a G5 rig, I can easily say that you should/could upgrade to this one. You will not be disappointed.

Will update this review as I come across more revelations.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Better than ever, August 12, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC511LL/A 27-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers) I got this to replace my three year old iMac. Transfer of files,settings and apps was easy. It took me less than ten minutes to pull the new iMac out of the box and set it up for transfer. The transfer took about 2.5 hours and occurred perfectly while I was away.
The 27 inch display allows me to have as many as three large pages open in the same view. The resolution is incredibly high.
Photos appear like I'm looking through a window.
I use a lot of video and photo software. The processor speed is high. I can render videos about three times faster than I could with my older iMac that I thought was pretty fast.
A bonus for buyers of Macs is the high quality service you get from Apple Care. Wait time is reasonably short and the competence of the tech service staff is higher than any computing organization I've had experience with in the past 45 years. Apple Care covers you for three years and costs about 170 bucks from Amazon. Most of my questions were answered on Apple's website, but Apple Care bailed me out a number of times.
Hardware reliability is unknown because the machine is so new. My past experience tells me that, if something doesn't work, then Apple Care will either figure it out or help me get service without the hassle I used to get from HP and,especially, Dell. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 
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# 6: HP Omni 200-5250 all-in-One Desktop PC-Black

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# 1: Apple iMac 21.5-inch Desktop MC508LL/A

100 of 102 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Loaded, but check your Display for the yellow, September 10, 2010 this review is from: Apple iMac 21.5-inch MC508LL/A Desktop (Personal computer) waited anxiously for this update summer 2010 line of iMac.

offer better value from an iMac one might think, and the space savings that have compared to having many components scattered on a desk, make them an attractive offer from Apple.

My current iMac was a model of aging, summer 2007. The first iMac with aluminium housing. Honestly, though, is not far away the cars today particularly notebook models. Stay the iMac are nicely, and I'm sure this new model will be too. iMac tend to offer better value of notebooks and because they are not transported around, can have a better reliability/longevity too.

When I open this new computer, I loved the widescreen display. This view is similar to a television, 16 x 9 widescreen monitor while conventional were 16 x 10 (including my old iMac). Extra width gives you more space to fit the documents through your desktop (screen) while you work. I like it.

Also, don't let anyone suggest that this is not a fast computer. His i3. 3.06 GHz hyper-threading processor has to give you up to four core "," virtual ". Some argue that this feature is not useful, or that not enough applications use hyper-threading. However, I was able to watch the CPU and see video encoding software on my computer using multiple threads. Was fast.

I chose the model by 21.5 inches, why does my desktop is just too small for the 27-inch model. 27 is absolutely staggering in size. I would choose if I had the room but the 21.5 is far from being a slouch and is looking a little more reasonable.

Comes with standard 4 GB of memory, which can be easily upgraded to 8 GB with purchase of two additional 2 GB sticks. A 500 GB hard drive, standard on this model will be plenty for everyone, but the hard pack rats out there. While optical media are today less popular, don't forget this iMac can play DVD and burn DVD. DVD burning can also be useful for backing up important data, such as photographs of families. The drive speed is satisfactory, and the cool variety of loading slot.

An SD card slot is located beneath the DVD drive, easily upload pictures to your computer directly from the camera's SD card.

Why choose this model 1199 over 1499 21.5 inches? Both are machines actually responsible. The model 1499 gives you a larger hard drive (1TB plus 500 GB, so twice the size), and has a faster processor, which is useful when the game and other graphics intensive applications. While I chose the model of 1499, 1199 not missing much if that final ten tenths of graphics performance and extra hard drive space is not something that you think necessary.

$ 1,199 model is the right choice, unless you "know" the benefits specific to the model 1499 (hard bigger and faster processor). Really, this model for $ 1199 is one of the best values of any Mac now.

The iMac are great values on notebook, if you do not need portability. You get more performance, greater storage capacities and a huge screen comparison of a MacBook Pro. All at an attractive price.

One of my favorites? iMac have included for the past year standard bluetooth keyboard and mouse! This means that when you take the iMac out of the box, if you have wireless internet connection, simply by plugging the power cord can be installed and running. Magic Mouse and keyboard are wireless and works perfectly. They are easier on batteries than you might think too, even if they take easy capture AAs.

Included Software? The latest Mac OS X Snow Leopard is included, plus the iLife 09. iLife includes great and useful applications such as iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band.

Someone new to Mac might consider getting the student/teacher/Home edition of Microsoft Office for Mac. Works beautifully and has a Mac feel to it, despite being a Microsoft product.

My final verdict? I absolutely adored the machine. It was a solid update and the fastest Mac ever I used on my old iMac. However, a week in properties I discovered that the bottom and right side of my screen had a yellow gradient/aspect to it. A white background, as Amazon.com page, it seemed nice and white in the upper left, but the rest of the display, it turned yellow. I had invested so much time to transfer my data from my old iMac to my new one. I had to transfer all back and delete a new safely before returning them. I didn't want to go through the whole process again, during my busy time of year, so that you have just returned for a refund. Once I have some free time to go through all the trouble, I will try again. Just be sure to check the monitor when it arrives because I read some other having a similar problem on the Mac Rumors forum.

In general, this iMac was an impressive update. Features the latest processors, plenty of storage and offers one of the best Mac values. The display is a great size and proportions, but be sure to check it for the yellowish when it arrives.

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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars best entry level mac ever!, August 4, 2010 this review is from: Apple iMac 21.5-inch MC508LL/A Desktop (Personal computer) *** this model has been out for two weeks so that the guy saying that he "held for 18 months" has a different model ****

The new intel I3 is ridiculously fast compared to my old imac dual core (2.0 ghz/3 gb) the value of the car really speaks for itself. LED SCREEN!! The ram is upgradeable to 8gig and new ATI rock; It is assumed that, although I haven't really tested it out yet. Spend $ 160 extra to get the apple protection plan, especially on this new update one.

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# 9: Zotac MAG Intel Atom N330, NVIDIA ION, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB HD, eSATA, HDMI, HD-ND 01-U Mini PC-No OS

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69 of 70 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars I was going to give it 5 stars, until I saw the Acer Revo 3610, January 25, 2010 This review is from: Zotac MAG Intel Atom N330, NVIDIA ION, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB HD, eSATA, HDMI HD-ND01-U Mini PC - No OS (Personal Computers) **************************************************
UPDATE - 10/21/2010

This HTPC is still running fine after almost a year with daily use. A few additions to my previous review:

1. HDMI Audio - The audio channel mapping across HDMI is wrong. The nvidia driver has swapped the side and rear surround channels. To work around this, I am now using the optical out for audio, which is handled by the realtek driver and maps the channels correctly. 5.1 audio seems fine, while the support for 7.1 audio is another matter. I haven't been able to confirm as Media Center doesn't seem to know how to test 7.1.

2. NETFLIX/Silverlight - While Netflix has normally worked flawlessly through Windows Media Center on this unit, the addition of HD streams from Netflix doesn't work well. Apparently Silverlight, the control that Netflix uses to render video, doesn't support FULL hardware acceleration. As a result, the stream has to be manually forced back to standard, or else stuttering and choppiness will occur.

**************************************************

The only reason I don't give this five stars is that it doesn't come with Windows 7 like the Acer Revo 3610 does for $29 more.

With that being said, if you have your own OS to put on this little gem, then consider it worthy of 5 stars and save yourself the $29. I don't consider the lack of the wireless keyboard/mouse combo a factor because the set included with the Acer isn't really useful for a HTPC.

The Pros:

* Small form factor - sleek look, packed with capabilities.
* Atom 330 + nVidia ION - a match made in Heaven.
* HDMI out.
* Built in N Wifi.
* 2GB RAM, 160 GB HD included
* Windows 7 Pro 64bit installs without a hitch - driver support is superb.
* Shows 4 CPU's in Task Manager.
* VESA mounting + vertical stand included
* Plenty of ports - USB, digital audio out, HDMI, VGA, card slot, eSATA, audio

The Cons:
* Has small fan on chipset heatsink - makes some noise when in use.
* Gets a little hot.
* Silver plastic is really coated black plastic - can scratch.
* Vertical mounting stand attachment is a little difficult.
* 5400 rpm drive may be a little slow for intensive tasking.

I purchased this unit to act as a HTPC running Windows 7 Media Center to replace the cr*ppy WD HD TV Live and Asus O!Play units that I bought and returned because they don't work.

Within two hours I was watching streaming media on this device. I created a bootable USB key using diskpart, copied the Win7 DVD to the key, and installed from it. I then updated to all the drivers available from the Zotac website, and was in business.

I added a generic Windows MCE remote USB IR key and was streaming recorded HD TV content from one PC to this one, watching flawless 1080p HD with multi-channel audio through HDMI.

Miscellaneous Notes:

* It moves in and out of sleep pretty quickly, and draws little power in any mode.

* The NVidia display drivers as well as Media Center also have the capability for compensating for any HDMI overscan your TV might experience.

* Has a cool orange ring on the side for power status, but also has a lighted power button that indicates power/sleep states.

Is this a desktop replacement? No. Is it the perfect HTPC? Just about. If it were silent and included a wireless keyboard/trackball combo, it would be indeed perfect.

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81 of 99 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Decent as Half an HTPC, Still Lacks in Meeting Expectations, March 6, 2010 This review is from: Zotac MAG Intel Atom N330, NVIDIA ION, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB HD, eSATA, HDMI HD-ND01-U Mini PC - No OS (Personal Computers) I recently had a chance to compare this Zotac MAG to the to its most popular competitor from Acer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030L3ASU?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) and I have a bit to say about both. I've broken down my comparison by specific sections, detailing often-overlooked characteristics of computers.

As someone who has been involved in mini-PCs, having owned one since ASUS first started vying to draw attention away from Apple's still-visually-unchanged Mac Mini, I hope you find my review helpful and that the insight I share positively impacts your buying decision.

=== OPERATING SYSTEM ===
You may have noticed that no operating system is included with this unit. While some may see this as a limitation or a caveat, true HTPC junkies know that the best home theater programs are truly found on Windows. Windows Media Center is a decent looking application and it indeed works, but it has limitations (mostly due to the legalities of Digital Rights Management). Open source applications like MythTV, XBMC and Boxee (the latter two being front-end only, meaning no recording capabilities) give you a bit more freedom with what you can do with your media, including flexibility and where your media is viewed (e.g. on an alternate computer, media extender, burned to DVD, transferred to a mobile device, etc).

So, there's a bit of logic to the exclusion of an operating system such as Windows 7 with this unit. But if you're still a sucker for Windows, the least I can do is save you a bit of money by suggesting you get the OEM edition (32-bit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NGJO92?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8 or 64-bit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NGQLSY?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) which comes without the fancy (read: pricier) rounded-corner packaging that intrigues us consumers. On the other hand, the Acer model (linked at the beginning) comes with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed. It saves you time, costs you an extra thirty, and doesn't help you much unless you really want Windows 7 Home Premium. At least Home Premium has Windows Media Center though.

=== CAPABILITIES ===
Unfortunately, however, the operating system wasn't the only thing to be left out so that failed to deliver on a CD/DVD drive, as well as a decent way to implement some form of TV capture card (whether mini PCI-E, onboard hookup, or otherwise). The missing media drive can be an annoyance, especially considering it is annoying sometimes to get USB drives to work, especially on bootup when you're starting out with a machine that's missing its most essential component, the OS, which needs to be installed in some form or another. For such a sexy box, a viable solution might be to grab one of these thin, sexy external drives (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C1BBU8?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) which won't detract from the all-important visual appeal, if your box will ever have eyes laid upon it and you still want to play and burn CDs and DVDs, or ever want to install CD/DVD based software from time to time without too much hassle.

However, between the (forgiveable) missing media drive and the (inexcusable) missing TV capture solution, I really can't recommend this for use as an HTPC, in full or part, because it makes this device pretty limited. Technically, if you have digital cable, you could get a remote dual-tuner (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010Y414Q?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8). Otherwise, about all you be able to do is use it more as a media extender for another PC already set up to act as the main media server/TV-capture source. Of course, if you're only after this unit for use as a media extender, it may just suit your needs perfectly. Be sure to snag a good media-center remote (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123UGWQ?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if that is indeed the case. From my experience and perspective Zotac is great at making gear *almost* good enough to be used as an HTPC.

=== POWER ===
Is it powerful? Sure. Is it efficient? Absolutely. That's what the Nvidia ION is all about: pairing the power of the central processor with the graphics processor for an economical yet potent combination. Media will benefit from the ION core, which is why Nvidia ION boards and boxes are so popular for use with HTPC implementations.

Can you call this a multi-tasking beast, on the other hand? Not really. While indeed you do benefit from the multi-tasking capabilities provided by dual-core hyperthreading Atom processor that Zotac chose to use with this unit, there are reasonable limits, especially if media is playing (including in the browser). You probably don't want to be browsing the Web with more than a handful of tabs open, especially since Flash-based media is placed on and over-abundance of websites these days. So, leaving browser tabs open will begin to bog down the machine rather quickly, especially if you tend to browse the web fiendishly like I do (opening as many Google results as I can in separate tabs, and similar antics).

If you use multiple apps or programs at once, you probably don't want to run more than 2-3 (and try to keep background processes and system-tray utilities to a minimum as well). The system can withstand the graphics intensive Aero interface Windows Vista and 7 provides pretty well, but when you start to accrue several windows, all which employ the same translucent effects, they can degrade the performance of the machine over time as well.

=== HEAT ===
I must admit, I almost took this for a device encased in heat-friendly metal. Turns out it's just the fancy product-marketing graphics that portray it as something shiny and sleek. While, indeed it is, it's just shiny and sleek in plastic form. That being considered, the amount of venting is not quite as adequate as is to be desired, but proper venting is an obstacle to many of today's mini-pc form factors. Unit is warm when idle, but can heat up a bit during moderate to heavy use (watching movies, etc). Both the Zotac and the Acer had about the same heat radiance.

=== NOISE ===
Noise can also be a concern when considering using a machine as an HTPC, but audiophiles wouldn't be caught using cheap gear anyway. With the Zotac MAG, you'll hear it running if you try (e.g. stick your head up to it), but to say it's noisy would be a mistake. The noise generated by the system is pretty much on par with or less noticeable than anything else you're probably running at home. VCRs were noisier. The static from your speakers are probably even noisier. Plus, if it's mounted to the back of your TV, the TV itself would block most of the sound in the unlikely event that the fans were to start roaring up.

=== SPACE ===
The size and flexibility of the Zotac MAG are quite unique. Zotac offers you multiple configurations, three to be exact. The first is to position the box flat (no stand). Position option two is to stand the device straight up, using its stand. Option three is for those who have a flat screen TV, but aren't using the VESA mount: there's an attachment that fixates itself to the VESA mount screws on the back of your TV, to which you will attach the Zotac MAG, essentially hiding it from view behind your TV. In some configurations, this may make it annoying for you to access the box easily, but if not, it can be a convenience.

=== OTHER CONSIDERATIONS ===
Some might be considering this unit for purposes other than an HTPC, such as web browsing, a home music and file sharing server, even as a spare computer for the kids (with proper parental controls, of course). The idea of these small PCs is really to allow you to equip just about every room in the house with the 'digital experience' ...whatever that may encompass for you.

Just keep in mind that with the Zotac MAG, you'll need to make sure you grab a keyboard and mouse (I snagged this beauty: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HZUPD4?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if you want to use as more than just a media player. Meanwhile, the competition (Acer) comes with a keyboard and mouse, but it is bulky and not very attractive.

Hope this review has been helpful!

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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Does Everything I'd ask of it., February 1, 2010 This review is from: Zotac MAG Intel Atom N330, NVIDIA ION, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB HD, eSATA, HDMI HD-ND01-U Mini PC - No OS (Personal Computers) For a HTPC this is great. Small almost silent and powerful enougth for XBMC, Boxee, and Hulu Desktop with newer Flash 10.1 all while running Windows 7.

The only issues I have is that it doesn't come with an OS and then It must be installed with a usb device. Not a huge problem for me but for others perhaps.

Also while it does have a fan and make a little noise I feel that doesn't matter as the fans on my sata external drive is louder than the actual pc.

For the cash and size this is a perfect machine for me.

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# 7: Apple iMac 21.5-inch Desktop MC509LL/A

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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Quick Mac, Check Your Display, September 6, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers)
I anxiously awaited this summer 2010 update to the iMac line.

iMacs offer a better value than one might think, and the space saving they offer compared to having many components spread out on a desk, make them an attractive offering from Apple.

My current iMac was an aging model, summer 2007. The first iMac with aluminum enclosure. Honestly, however, it is not far off the machines of today particularly notebook models. The iMacs are aging nicely, and I'm sure this new model will too. iMacs tend to offer a better value than notebooks and because they aren't carried around, can have better reliability / longevity too.

When I opened this new computer, I loved the widescreen display. This display is 16x9 similar to a television, whereas conventional widescreen computer monitors were 16x10 (including my old iMac). The extra width gives you more room to fit documents across your desktop (screen) while working. I like that.

Furthermore, don't let anyone suggest that this is not a fast computer. Its 3.2 GHZ i3 processor includes hyper threading to give you up to four "virtual," cores. Some argue that this feature isn't useful, or that not enough applications utilize hyper threading. However, I was able to look at CPU usage and see video encoding software on my computer using the multiple threads. It was fast.

I chose the 21.5 inch model because my desk is simply too small to house the 27-inch model. The 27 is absolutely staggering in size. I would choose it, if I had the room, but the 21.5 is far from being a slouch and is somewhat more sensible looking.

It features standard 4GB of memory, which can be easily upgraded to 8GB by buying two additional 2GB sticks. A 1 TB hard drive being standard on this model will be plenty for all but the hard drive pack rats out there. While optical media is less popular today, do not forget this iMac can play DVDs and burn DVDs. Burning DVDs can also be useful to backup important data such as your family photographs. The speed of the drive is satisfactory, and it is the cool slot loading variety.

A SD card slot is located under the DVD drive, to easily load pictures onto your computer direct from your camera's SD card.

Why choose this 1499 model over the entry level 1199 model? Both are actually competent machines. The 1499 model gives you a larger hard drive (1 TB over 500 GB, so twice the size), and it has a faster graphics processor, which is useful when gaming and in other graphic intensive applications. While I chose the 1499 model, the 1199 doesn't lack much, if that final ten tenths of graphic performance and extra hard drive space is not something you believe you will need. Someone who needs the extra graphic performance or hard drive storage, will probably know it, for they are more intensive users.

The iMacs are great values over notebooks, if you don't need portability. You get more performance, more storage, and a massive display by comparison of a MacBook Pro. All at an attractive price.

One of my favorite features? iMacs have included for the past year bluetooth keyboards and mice standard! That means when you take the iMac out of the box, if you have wireless internet, you can be up and running by simply plugging in the power cord. The Magic Mouse and keyboard are both wireless and work flawlessly. They are easier on batteries than you might think too, though they take easy to acquire AAs.

Included software? The latest operating system Mac OS X Snow Leopard is included, plus iLife 09. iLife includes great and useful applications such as iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band.

Someone new to Mac might consider picking up the Student/Teacher/Home edition of Microsoft Office for Mac. It runs beautifully and has a Mac feel to it, despite being a Microsoft product.

My final verdict? I absolutely adored the machine. It was the fastest Mac I had ever used and a solid upgrade over my previous iMac. However, a week into ownership I discovered that the bottom and right side of my screen had a yellow tinge/appearance to it. A white background window, such as Amazon.com page, looked beautiful and white in the top left, but on the rest of the display, it turned yellowish. I had invested so much time transferring my data from my old iMac to my new one. I had to transfer everything back and securely erase the new one before returning it. I didn't want to go through that entire process again, during my busy time of the year, so I just returned it for a refund. Once I have some spare time to go through all the trouble, I will try again. Just be sure to check your display when it arrives because I have read some others having a similar display issue on the Mac Rumors forums.

Overall, this iMac was an impressive update. It features the latest processors, plenty of storage, and this particular model has a strong video card. The display is a great size and aspect ratio, but be sure to check it for the yellowish color when it arrives.

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars My first Mac, love it!, September 6, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers) After 25+ years of using PC's (started in the MS DOS days) I got my first Mac, and I love it! Just an FYI, I ordered this model direct from Apple using an education discount, plus upgraded the processor to the dual core i5, but everything else is the same as the model above including screen, GPU, RAM, and Hard drive.

The screen is gorgeous! It has a tiny taint of "discoloration" towards the bottom of the screen (some people have referred to it as yellow), but it doesn't bother me, I hardly notice it all, and I only bring it b/c some hardcore mac users do test after test looking for this "defect". My machine is lighting fast, and ultra quiet. It gets a little hot at the top, but what do you expect for an entire desktop encased in aluminum?

I own an iphone and an iPad, but as a new mac user this was a breeze to set up. It took me a while to perfect the transfer of my itunes library as I'm very particular about not duplicating files, but now its all set up. I set up a 2nd account for my wife, pulling my media to her itunes as a shared drive system which was much easier than I thought it would be. The iSight camera works great for skype and iChat.

I'm getting used to the keyboard and mouse, but overall I'm very please. I've already used bootcamp to install windows 7 ultimate 64bit, it runs fairly flawlessly. I installed parallels 5 as a virtual machine, it works quiet well, but windows "thinks" the VM is a new computer and asks you to reauthenticate windows and MS Office licenses which is a real pain in the ass. But that's a microsoft problem, not mac.

I haven't had a chance to use the iLife products yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I've started ripping my home DVD collection to iTunes via Hand brake and its super quick and easy. The 1 TB hard drive really comes in hand for the extra space.

I bought this as a media and productivity desktop as I don't do PC gaming anymore. I'm very happy for the switch, my iDevices sync flawlessly to the mac, as having full access to my contacts and calendar via iCal is great. I still have to use PC's for work, but I'll never buy another PC for home again. I am fully converted to Apple!

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars First Time iMac Buyer, October 2, 2010 This review is from: Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop (Personal Computers) I do a lot of photo work, and decided that I would give apple a try. right out of the box I was impressed with the quality of the product. The workmanship in an apple is far superior to any PC product I have bought in the past 15 years. Set up was a breeze and had the iMac up and running in no time.
If you are on the fence on whether to buy a iMac, I would just simply say that they are a lot like a PC but mostly what i find is the different wording that apple vs PC use. aka: A program in PC is a Application in apple lingo, but once you get pass that I think you will find the iMac a best buy. I have been using mine for a few weeks and really can not find any complaints at the present time. i work with adobe lightroom 3 and PhotoShop 5 on the iMac and it is so fluent. I love it. I still have my PC on the network as well, but the Imac is getting the workload more everyday as I get used to the iMac. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 
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# 8: HP TouchSmart 600-1370 all-in-One Desktop PC-Black

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