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The Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92 offers stellar productivity performance thanks to a new 9th Gen. Intel Core i5 processor, tons of RAM and speedy solid-state storage. Plus, the standard tower has some room for future upgrades and comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, something you rarely find in a budget desktop PC. It picks up from where last year’s model dropped the mantle, throwing in a Core i5-9400 CPU, 12GB memory and 512GB of SSD storage. On a performance-price basis, it easily steers to the top of the pack, making it a recommended choice for budget desktop PCs.
Design
Our review unit of the Aspire TC-885 measures and looks similar to the Acer Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi3O, which was our Editors Choice last year, but adds more power and storage to an already likeable design. Both desktops measure 13.4 by 6.4 by 13.7 inches (HWD), and are set in a black painted steel and plastic enclosure. On the new model, you still have the stylish V-Shaped orange LED surrounding the power button on the upper front, next to the Acer logo.
Right below the power button there’s a midline silver line, running top to bottom. The bottom panel has an ‘Aspire’ logo etched in silver, while the right half of the front panel holds a tray-loading DVD drive and easy-access I/O ports. You get a few slots for future upgrades including: PCIe x16, PCIe X1, one M.2 for SSD and one M.2 for WLAN/Bluetooth slots. Overall, the system is well specced and usable out of the box.
Connectivity options include a single USB 3.1 Type C port, one USB 3.1 port, mic/headphone jacks and an SD card reader, all located on the front panel. On the rear panel, there are two more USB 3.1 ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI ports and a single VGA port. You can also connect wirelessly via of 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. Acer includes a wired keyboard and mouse into the package.
Performance
When buying a system like the Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92 you’re looking at either using it in the office or as a central home use machine – on both, it does the work as it should. With a spirited Intel Core i5-9400 processor with Intel UHD Graphics 630 built in. Acer pairs it with 8GB of memory and 512GB SSD, making it a reliable daily-use desktop PC. The newer 9th-generation processor maxes at 4.1Hz, which gives better performance than previous generation i5 chips. making it a better performer over most Core i3 desktops around.
If you don’t need all the power and extra RAM, maybe looking to save a few dollars for a small monitor like the 21.5-inch Acer SB220Q bi, there is a Core i3 version of the same model, the Acer Aspire TC-885-UA91 that packs an Intel Core i3-9100 processor, 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage. Both of these machines will suffice for daily productivity, are affordable and look great in any workspace.
Acer always offers desktop PCs that will be relevant and usable for at least the next six years for day-to-day tasks like editing in office apps, media consumption, and web-based browsing. Its gaming scorecard is very blurred compared to gaming PCs like our Editors’ Choice budget gaming PC, the CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme GXiVR8060A7, but you should be able to play games like Minecraft smoothly at low resolution.
Bottom Line
The Aspire TC-885-UA92 is an excellent choice for anyone looking to buy a performant desktop PC for under $500, but looking to upgrade it in the future. While it isn’t the most powerful system around, it undercuts competitors with a new 9th Gen processor, offers lots of SSD storage, has more RAM and even includes Wi-Fi connectivity.
Is there a better alternative?
Unless you want to consider an All-In-One desktop, then the Aspire TC-885 sits firmly at the Goldilocks of budget productivity desktop PCs. If AIO is in your wish list, the Acer Aspire C24-865-UA91 looks like a great alternative, thanks to a sleek design, good connectivity and strong overall performance.
On the other hand, if you need to play modern games and work at the same time, the CyberpowerPC Gamer Xtreme GXiVR8060A7 offers an Intel Core i5-9400F CPU, more storage space (120GB SSD + 1TB hard drive), superb connectivity and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 (6GB RAM) graphics card.
Should you buy it?
Yes, you should. The Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92 offers impressive overall performance, boasts the latest hardware and undercuts competitors with a very reasonable price for the components. It’s our Top Pick for budget productivity desktop PCs.
Best Prices Today
Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92 Desktop, 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9400, 12GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, 8X DVD, 802.11ac WiFi, USB 3.1 Type C, Windows 10 Home
1 used from $539.00
