Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 Desktop (Dark Blue)

by Acer

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 1.2 x 7.1 inches ; 6.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003L0QF2S
• Item model number: AR3610-U2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,832 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 23, 2010

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Acer AspireRevo AR3610: Mini Home Entertainment Center

Ultra-sleek and about the size of a book, the space-saving and quiet Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 nettop is an easy fit for any room in the house--perfect for use as a fully functional home office PC or as a multimedia hub for casual gaming when connected to an LCD or HDTV. Its compact 1L size makes it easy to stand discreetly on a desk, and you can even attach it to the back of an HDTV or monitor with the included VESA mounting kit.

The space-saving AspireRevo is ideal for streaming movies, TV shows, music and other online media as well as tackling everyday computing needs with ease.

Its compact size makes it easy to stand discreetly on a desk or snap to the back of a monitor with the included mounting kit (monitor not included).

Powered by the low power, dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor that's designed distinctly for nettops and netbooks, the AspireRevo is idea for online activities such as social networking, VoIP and video chats, and e-mail. It's also a great entertainment solution for streaming movies, TV shows, music and other online media. And the ultra-low-power consumption processor combined with optimized component placement reduces overall system noise for a comfortable, quiet environment.

The Acer AspireRevo keeps you connected to your home network via Wireless-N Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet, and its six USB ports ensures that you can connect to all your peripherals and external hard drives. The AspireRevo comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse that keep you free from cables so you can relax on the couch and still be productive and have fun.

Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

Note that this nettop does not include an optical drive, but you can use optional external DVD/CD drives that connect via USB.

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Key Specifications

• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor (1 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz front-side bus) for faster multi-tasking with an innovative hafnium-infused circuitry that reduces electrical current leakage in transistors to conserve energy (with just 8 watts of processor energy consumption).
• 250 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
• 2 GB of installed DDR2 RAM (800 MHz)
• Integrated NVIDIA ION Graphics supports Blu-ray Disc movies, Microsoft DirectX 10, and 3D video games in full HD.
• High-definition audio support with both a headphone jack and optical SPDIF digital audio output.
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) for ultra-fast connectivity to home and business networks.
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)
• 6 USB ports (2 front, 4 rear)
• HDMI port for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable. Also includes standard analog VGA video output.
• Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader compatible with Secure Digital (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD)

The ports on the AR3610 (see larger image).

• Included wireless keyboard and mouse
• VESA mounting compliant (100x100 mm, 80x80 mm)
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) makes it easy to create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. And you can watch shows for free when and where you want with Internet TV on Windows Media Center. Get the best entertainment experience with Windows 7 Home Premium.
• Get more features with Windows Anytime Upgrade. It's the best way to add features to Windows 7, takes as few as ten minutes, requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process.
• Pre-loaded software includes Microsoft Works SE 9.0 for word processing and spreadsheet work. Enjoy a 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.
• Dimensions:7.1 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches (WxDxH)
• Weight: 9 pounds
• Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
• Energy Star compliant

What's in the Box
This package contains the Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 desktop PC, wireless keyboard, wireless mouse, power cord, and operating instructions

It also comes with the following software: McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version); Google Toolbar; Acer Recovery Management; Microsoft Works; Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Trial (60 days)

Product Description

Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 Desktop comes with these specs: Intel Atom Processor 330, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), NVIDIA ION Chipset, 2GB DDR2 Memory, Integrated NVIDIA ION Graphics, 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader, High-Definition Audio Support, 6 - USB 2.0, VGA and HDMI Ports, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse, 9.0 lbs. 4.08 kg (system unit only), 1 Year Parts and Labor Limited Warranty, AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, McAfee Internet Security Suite 2009 Trial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great everyday machine., July 12, 2010

By 

4point2 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 Desktop (Dark Blue) (Personal Computers)

The AR3610-U2002 comes with a 250GB drive...not a 160 as it says in the specifications above. The U9022 comes with the 160GB drive. Not sure why anyone would be ordering that one as the U2002 is identical, but with a larger drive and is going for less money...on amazon anyway. Only other mistake on this page is the keyboard/mouse I received with the unit were black..not white as displayed in the image.

Likes
*Plays 1080p flawlessly
*Comes with stand and tv vesa mount. Tried tv mount but unit became quite hot from the heat from rear of the tv.
*wireless keyboard/mouse are actually quite nice, chiclet style keys are great.
*Wireless N built in
*Unit is pretty much silent and runs extremely cool.

Dislikes
*No external wifi antenna
*Bloatware (took me about an hour to remove it all)
*2GB or RAM comes as 2 x 1GB. So upgrading to 4GB involves buying 2 x 2GB.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect as a starter HTPC, but it takes some work., August 14, 2010

By 

bryssa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 Desktop (Dark Blue) (Personal Computers)

I'd been wanting a HTPC for a while but my interest had never been enough to justify planning out an optimum build and putting the system together. Then one of the major HTPC forum communities I lurked in started to get really excited over this system, and after some hemming and feet dragging I decided to go ahead and give it a try. It's been totally worth it, but make no mistake that you're going to be spending some time and frustration to get everything perfect. You won't be plugging it in and getting right to your media library by any stretch of the imagination.

I've been using it for close to three months now solely with XBMC running on top of a minimal install of Ubuntu. The system comes pre-loaded with Windows 7, but don't get attached to the idea that you'll be running Windows Media Center on top of Windows 7 and getting perfect HD performance. The system just isn't powerful enough for that, even if you break the warranty and increase the RAM to 4 gigs as I've done. I did try out using Media Player Classic with graphic acceleration in Win7 and got some decent results, but honestly? If all you want is something that barebones there are far cheaper alternatives that are much closer to plug and play. Western Digital has a few media drives/players that may be exactly what you're looking for. It ain't pretty, but it gets the job done. This system, though, starts to shine once you show some patience and get over whatever aversions to Linux/Ubuntu you may have. It can be intimidating if all you've ever used are Windows systems, but it's well worth the effort. Where Win7 lagged just to bring up the uninstaller for the pre-packaged software (more on that later), Ubuntu was downright snappy. If you want the customization/looks of XBMC or it's equivalents but are determined to use Windows, this is not the system for you. You'll be much happier building one from scratch.

With that said, here's what I did as soon as I got the system:

1. Uninstalled all of the pre-installed gunk from Win7. From McAfee to Acer software, the drive is filled with worthless junk that drags the system performance down. Not to mention the HDD space.
2. Gave Win7 a try with MPC and XBMC. Wasn't impressed.
3. Partitioned the drive and installed minimal Ubuntu. Menus were still a little slow due to the stock RAM, but I wasn't willing to breach the warranty until I was sure I was keeping it.
4. Set myself up with a guide for tweaking XBMC specifically on a Revo, and went to town. XBMC's own forums has a ton of guides and users that are happy to offer help and suggestions, don't be intimidated by this!
5. After getting XBMC set up and being pleased with how everything was working, went ahead and yanked the case apart and added the additional RAM. Also noted the dinky wifi included.
6. Grabbed a USB wifi adapter, remote, and enjoyed HTPC nirvana. Mostly.

Make no mistake, Nvidia's ION is what makes this system and it is truly a beast. I've yet to find a piece of media in my library that it doesn't play without a hitch, including my self-made Bluray rips streaming over my network from my main PC. We're talking high bitrate 24 gig rips. The system is also dead silent and fits behind my tv perfectly (on that note, be absolutely sure that your HD TV has options for either full pixel, 1:1 pixel mapping, etc...it'd be a bummer if you got this far only to have the sides cut off!). It's also surprisingly portable with some preparation. I loaded a USB drive with some of my media and brought it and the Revo with me instead of lugging around a bunch of discs for movie night at a friend's. It worked beautifully.

The biggest problem is that the Revo will choke on anything that isn't hardware accelerated, which can make the big streaming sites less than appealing. Getting Flash to work properly can still be a trial due to Adobe dragging it's feet on a Linux release, but it's possible. There's still menu lag in XBMC as well; if you have any experience with the software and some of the flashier fanart themes you'll understand why. The included HDD is pretty pitiful speed wise; a USB 2.0 drive will give better performance and streaming or an external SATA drive will destroy it. The included wifi can be a little flakey and even when it works it's not exactly the speediest, do yourself a favor and grab a USB adapter if you're planning to stream over a network.

As pleased as I am with this system, I can't help but view it as a first step. I fully expect to build a bigger, badder HTPC soon enough and retire the Revo to the bedroom/portable use. Despite the flaws this system is great, the CPU is really the only thing holding it back from being near perfect.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fits the need perfectly! One minor issue..., July 21, 2010

By 

S. Rosenberg (A2 Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Acer AspireRevo AR3610-U2002 Desktop (Dark Blue) (Personal Computers)

Everything the previous reviewer (4point2) said was spot on and is the reason I purchased this exact model. Amazon's pricing is kinda screwed up, so buy THIS model (the U2002), NOT the one with more reviews (U9022).

I do feel the need to add my own more unique wireless issue and experience.

I got this unit setup and was immediately experiencing very strange connection issues on my G network. I was able to get an external adapter to work just fine, and I tried all the different drivers available from Acer, upgraded BIOS and nvidia chipset, and even upgraded the firmware on my router but still experienced dropped connections and horrible/non-existent browsing capabilities.

Pretty much gave up and returned the Revo for another one only to discover it wasn't a 'faulty' network adapter as it was having the same issues.

Searched high and low and found a post about using a different channel on the router so I switched my router from Auto to 11 (didn't work), 10 (didn't work) but finally channel 9 did the trick!

Going to go through the other channels and run through some speed tests to see if any are faster, but just wanted to point this out as I couldn't find this addressed anywhere else on the web.

Overall I highly recommended this unit, and as always Amazon customer service was top-notch.