Looking for a stylish all-in-one desktop PC that you can put in your kitchen to display your family calendar, let you view your recipes or charge your devices? Or, put on a desk in a small office or at home for basic productivity. The Acer Aspire C24-865-ACi5NT AIO Desktop has a few tricks up its sleeve to let you do all that, and even more. Its cutting-edge design is a downright kill for an affordable PC that will be a conversation point for houseguests.
Buying an Apple iMac, our favorite all-in-one, is going to cost you, but this capable Windows alternative seeks to replicate the iMac experience for as much as possible for less than $1000. Be prepared to compromise on computing prowess, however: including a slow hard drive for storage.
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Design
The Aspire C24 uses an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, that’s mostly used on ultraportable laptops and an integrated graphics processor, which explains the AIO’s slim profile. While 12GB of RAM and a newer processor, its easy to get excited by this machine’s computing prowess, but the main attraction here must be the 23.8-inch full HD (1,920-by-1,080) display.
It looks gorgeous, with thin bezels on the top and sides of the screen, they so thin that you can’t see them from across the room. The bottom border is slightly wider than the other bezels, and has a silver accent that matches the stand that attaches the display to the Aspire C24’s base. The thin bezels are not very unique, though, competing all-in-ones like the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 and HP EliteOne 1000 are almost bezel-less.
Display and Ports
The 24-inch screen looks awesome, but its quality is not the best, but much acceptable at this price range. For a screen this size, a full HD (1,920-by-1,080) resolution is a bit low, but is well acceptable considering competitors like Asus are offering the same screen size and resolution. We wish Acer had a 4K option, even at a higher price, but for budget buyers its still a safe buy. The screen has a matte finish, and uses IPS technology, meaning you can benefit from wide viewing angles than you’d get from TN panels.
With thin bezels, getting a perfect spot for a webcam is not possible, that’s why you have an external webcam that hooks to one of the USB ports around the back. That’s the same location where you have a pair of USB 2.0 ports and built-in speakers near the upper back bezel. Other I/O options include a pair of USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI out port, Gigabit Ethernet port, alongside built-in 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.3. The Acer Aspire C24 AIO doesn’t have an optical drive, but includes a wireless mouse and keyboard.
Performance
Powered by an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U processor, 12GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive, the Acer Aspire C24-865-ACi5NT AIO does very well on performance tasks, at least for the types of daily activities you’ll likely perform with this system. If your computing needs include web browsing, video conferencing, word processing and other daily productivity needs, this Aspire 24 might be what you need. It scores well on these tasks, better than most competitors, save for the Aspire Z3. On Photoshop, it falls in the middle of the pack but its performance is still good.
On the other hand, the 1TB hard drive is quite slow as compared to SSDs or a hybrid drives that are packed into midrange desktops and laptops. While an SSD has marginal effect on performance during intense games, it does boost the user experience, ranging from switching between apps, smooth resizing of Windows and even restating the PC.
The integrated UHD Graphics 620 chip won’t suffice for intense gaming, but kid can always play internet-based games with ease. The HP Envy 34-b010 offers a discrete graphics card that lets you play modern AAA titles, While the 27-inch Apple iMac MNED2LL/A offers the best graphics processor for professional artists who needs strong graphics performance.
Our Verdict
The Acer Aspire C24 is a budget alternative to Apple’s expensive iMac, and given its performance to price factor, a definite choice for offices that don’t need extreme performance from a compact workstation. Equipped with an 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor, the Acer Aspire C24-865-ACi5NT is one speedy PC, making it a great desk companion for creatives.
