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What a Piece of )#*$#

Customer Rating:
This little number went from 100 to 0 in a DAY. Now it won't even boot. When I can coax something out if it, it BSODs within minutes. I can see the backtrace, lots of lovely NULL pointers.

I've only had it few weeks, and it's now just an expensive paperweight. Unbelievable. It's been playing netflix and running very simple web browser activities, like, oh, I don't know, READING EMAIL. This thing is junk.

Why can't they ship the media with it so we can at least try reinstalling? I don't know whether it's the OS that's garbage, or the hardware, or some unholy combination of the two. But failure to boot + frequent BSODs indicate a serious quality problem on both sides of the hard drive.

I'd give it ZERO stars if the interface let me.

REVOlution

Customer Rating:
I must say, I just recieved my Revo 3610 yesterday and it was more then I could have expected,for the price it did everything I was hoping it would, and was a breeze to set up, the HDMI and 7.1 oprtical output worked perfectly. Windows 7 come with Windows Media Center that includes an HD movie player, It excepts movie files in DVD format and upscales, so there is no need to but additional software such as PowerDVD 9. I have attatched a 2TB external drive and can store hundres of movies eliminating the need to burn DVD's. both units together are small enough to hide and has more then enough ports to suffice a HTPC. a really cool item I got tho was the LG super multi 2TB NAS storage system, with a blu-ray burner, it's small, does the funtion of a player,burner and an external drive will hold at least 400 movie files in DVD format and thousands in AVI, look into it, this was a perfect combination, it makes a nearly invisible complete HTPC

Awesome HTPC!

Customer Rating:
Amazon seems to label this as dark blue but I really think it is black. I am very happy with this little nettop so far. I have it hooked up through hdmi to my 52" lcd tv. There wasn't as much bloatware as I thought there would be so that was nice. I only had to uninstall about 3 or 4 things. I installed XBMC, Boxee, Hulu Desktop, and Flash 10.1 beta onto it and it is running really well. I originally tried to stream my videos but that didn't work out too well since I have a wireless g-router. So I just attached an external hard drive to the nettop and all my media is playing perfectly now. I even installed Steam on this to see how it would run some games. I am really impressed, I downloaded Left 4 Dead using 720p display settings and it actually runs pretty smooth. The load time is a bit long but it isn't that bad. Once it is running, it is very playable and looks great. There is a common problem that I have using hdmi though. The screen appears overscan but it is easily fixed by using the NVidia display settings to resize it. The wireless keyboard and mouse that it comes with feels cheaply made but they do the job. I think the stock set will do just fine, although I am thinking about purchasing a multimedia keyboard with a trackmouse. The Acer Revo boots up fairly quickly and it comes preinstalled with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (NOT Starter!) a big plus! All in all, I am very happy with the Acer Revo.

Best deal for internet access and basic Office use.

Customer Rating:
I bought this computer for my mom and it's perfect for her. All she needs is internet access and decent performance on Word, Excel and PowerPoint. She also uses a good Sony Vaio laptop (dual core, 2gb RAM) and she can't tell the difference in performance. Actually she loves this Acer because I hooked it up to her 40-inch TV. For $330 it's the best deal I've seen. I'm seriously considering buying one as a htpc.

Misleading as a HTPC, Lacks Essential Features Core to HTPC Ideology

Customer Rating:
I recently had a chance to compare this Acer AspireRevo to the to its most popular competitor from Zotac (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030UH2J4?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..

=== CAPABILITIES ===
Small home theater PCs (HTPCs) are rapidly growing in popularity. Several manufacterers are trying to scoop up a peice of the market. However, for me, any mini-PC worthy of being considered an HTPC must deliver on two things: 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 here drive can be an annoyance, although the obstacle can be easily overcome with a slightly larger budget and one of these (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VKBKD8?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8). Another 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, I 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.

While the missing media drive is forgivable, the missing TV capture solution is inexcusable, so 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 decent media-center remote (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00123UGWQ?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if that is indeed the case. There isn't one included.

=== POWER ===
The Nvidia ION provides this unit with all the power it needs to be a decent media mogul: pairing the power of the central processor with the graphics processor for an economical yet potent combination of performance. 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. Just as is the case with the Zotac counterpart, you do indeed benefit from the multi-tasking capabilities provided by dual-core hyperthreading Atom processor that Acer 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 ===
Both the Acer and the Zotac had about the same heat radiance, but the amount of venting is not quite as adequate as is to be desired. Understandably, proper venting is an obstacle to many of today's mini-pc form factors. This unit is warm when idle, but lack of sufficient venting can be misleading, causing heat to build up a bit during moderate to heavy use (watching movies, etc). If you're attaching the unit to the back of your TV, it will get even hotter. All things to consider, after all, plastic tends to be an insulator.

=== 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 Acer AspireRevo, you'll hear it running if you try (e.g. stick your head up to it), same as with the Zotac counterpart. But the noise generated by the unit 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 Acer offers you three configurations, as does the Zotac counterpart, with one key difference: for those who have a flat screen TV, but aren't using the VESA mount, there's a mounting kit that allows you to attach the Acer AspireRevo to the back of your flat screen, essentially hiding it from view behind your TV. Being that the unit is larger than the area of space that a VESA mount normally takes, I noticed that some TVs that had odd protrusions in the back didn't always fit the Acer to the VESA mount easily. Also, in some configurations, the behind-the-TV positioning may make it annoying for you to access the box easily. You can also position the box flat on a suitable surface (no stand) or stand the device straight up, using its stand.

=== 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.

Acer kindly included a keyboard and mouse combo, though I found it to be a bit bulky and not very attractive. There are several portable keyboards that include methods of controlling the mouse too. This portable mini keyboard (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011FOOI2?ie=UTF8&tag=a52-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0011FOOI2) with mouse control support is pretty popular at the moment.

I hope you have found this review to be helpful on your mini-PC adventure. :)