Spastic Mutant says:

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.
Rating: 1 / 5

S. Showalter says:

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.
Rating: 3 / 5

M. McChesney says:

I bought the Acer Revo 3610 about 5 weeks ago. I bought it to use with with an HDTV in my bedroom and wanted the WiFi so I wouldn’t have to run an ethernet cable through the house. It works very well with the huge exception of a ridiculously slow internet connection. As some others have experienced, the Revo tells me I have a sytong connection, but my download speed is on the order of 100kbs (I had thought my dial-up days were gone for good). A laptop located 5 feet from the Revo gets 10mbs connected to the same router

I called Acer tech support and was told I needed to contact my ISP. I explained that since other computers connected to the same router (and thus same ISP) had no issues, it wasn’t an ISP issue. It was very hard communicating with the tech support person because of language/accent differences.

I eventually gave up and went out and bought a new Cisco router. When I had the same issue I contacted Cisco customer support to get help tweaking the router settings but no luck. I called Acer support again (and after working through the frustrating robot menu) got a person who had me do a full system restore. Same problem. They had me send the Revo in for service. More than 2 weeks later, I have the computer back with a note from tech support saying “updated bios, system tests ok.” But of course, same problem, though in fairness I was now getting 250kbs download speed.

I called Acer support and was transferred to “Answers by Acer” where I was told a tech support person could remote access my computer for only $50/30 minutes. The only guarantee they would fix it was they would do their best. I went back to Acer support, went through 2 levels of supervisors, was told again that the issue was with my ISP and finally just told flat out that it wasn’t a hardware problem, and only hardware problems were covered by warranty. My point was that since I hadn’t made any changes to the software and I’d had this issue since taking it out of the box, it SHOULD be covered under warranty.

Perhaps most frustrating was that if I had simply returned the computer instead of sending it out for service, I could have had my money back or had a new computer. But by the time I got it back from Acer, I was past the 30-day return window.

I ended up running an ethernet cable down a staircase and setting up a second router (the one replaced by the Cisco router). The new (old) router is now 10 feet from the Revo and I am finally getting an adequate download speed (5mbs) and I only had to run cable through half the house.
Rating: 1 / 5