Acer Aspire Revo SFF NVIDIA Ion PC
Our Summary and Conclusion
Performance Summary: The Ion-based Acer Aspire Revo performed right in-line with other systems built around Intel's low-power Atom processor. In our more CPU-bound benchmarks, the Aspire Revo's performance was right on par with a number of other Atom-based systems we tested. The Revo also performed similarly to the NVIDIA Ion reference platform, when both were outfitted with the same processor. The Aspire Revo's power consumption came within 1 watt of the Ion reference platform as well, but total power consumption was markedly higher than a couple of Atom-based netbooks. Where the Revo excelled was in regard to video related tasks, where the system's Ion graphics processor came into play.
The Acer Aspire Revo is a lot of things. It's a sexy ultra small form factor system. It's a low power nettop. And it's a potential HTPC candidate. What the Acer Aspire Revo is not, however, is a replacement for a full-sized desktop PC--at least not for discerning HotHardware readers who might prefer a more powerful PC. While the additional capabilities and performance afforded by the NVIDIA Ion platform and its integrated graphics processor are an obvious improvement over other platform solutions for Atom, the fact of the matter is, the Atom processor doesn't have the kind of oomph to compete with powerful desktop processors no matter what GPU it's paired with. As the saying goes, "it is what it is," and should be considered as such versus products in a similar class. Atom may be just fine for a secondary PC, that will be used for more basic computing tasks like web browesing or office-type apps. But it is not a desktop CPU replacement and was never meant to be. Couple Atom to NVIDIA's Ion platform processor though and more things become possible, like full 1080p resolution HD video playback and casual gaming. Heck, some games that won't even launch or render properly on the Intel integrated graphics solutions typically coupled to Atom work very well on Ion.
We don't have final pricing and availability information for the Aspire Revo just yet, however, a representative from Acer had this to say, "Pricing and availability for the U.S. market are being determined, but we are anticipating a late June launch--we'll announce those details at that time." We will speculate a bit though. Considering that Asus' somewhat similar Atom-powered Eee Box nettop PCs currently sell for about $280 - $320 and NVIDIA stated on a conference call that Ion based designs would command a $50 to $100 price premium depending on the configuration, we'd guess that the Aspire Revo will come in somewhere around $349 to $399. You could certainly build a more powerful system in this price range (if in fact the Revo is in this range). However, you likely could not build one with the same combination of an ultra slim and stylish, diminutive form factor, graphics and HD video capabilities, and low-power characteristics that will afford it the ability to tuck the system away cool and quiet as an HTPC should or sit next to your toaster in the kitchen, taking the heat and looking good doing it.
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