acer Revo RL80-UR22 Desktop (Black)

I got this to replace my parents' laptop. I connected it to their TV. This comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse, so it makes it an even better value. Setup is pretty straight forward, and I found it to be a pretty decent computer for watching streaming movies, checking email, and performing simple entertainment system functions for my parents' living room. They really like it, and honestly, it's a nice all-in-one package. It's about the size of a large router, and it's very space efficient. I guess it is on the pricier side of things, but if you're looking for a bundled computer with decent specs to do HD streaming, skype, and other stuff, this does the job.

I bought this for my uncle who has a 40+ inch regular Philip LCD TV but does not want replace it with an "S" brand smart TV. It is wireless ready, comes with wireless key board and mouse. Smaller than a Wii. And it is a full functional desktop. Very awesome. One reason I bought this because it has the most powerful CPU among it's competitors, such as ASUS EeeBox 1035 and Lenovo IdeaCentre Q190. They both use lower grade Intel celeron CPUs which are not as fast as the 3rd gen i3 CPU. But the prices are quite similar. I mean no body wants to buy such a desktop for just one year the just trash it. The i3 dual core CPU with 3MB L3 cache combine with windows 8.1 can last at least 5 years I think. Other thoughts: I think it is also good for office use if you have tiny place, you can actually mount it on the back of your monitor. the brackets and screws are included in the package. Overall, awesome item to have as an option against smart tv (I am actually an Asus fan, but I think Acer did a better job on this one).

I've been searching for a good home theater solution for a while now. I originally started down this road using Roku and Western Digital Live TV, progressed to Fire TV and ended up with an Android box. Eventually I ended up with a bunch of remotes on a desktop. I did spend some time with a Universal remote...but that's another story for another day. Although each solution could do some things well, none really met all my requirements. The goal was: 1] Ability to play most major formats of video/music via network drive or USB. 2] Netflix at > 480p resolution. Same for Hulu and Amazon instant video. 3] Ability to install 3rd party apps [XBMC, games, etc.]. I looked closely at several PC solutions [zbox, Intel NUC, zbox, Raspberry Pi, etc.] and settled on the Acer Revo. Yeah it's not the smallest system of the bunch but it is small enough for my needs and I have the perfect space for it. -=- Setup was easy and logical and the included mouse and keyboard work well. They're bare bones but do the job just fine with a single USB dongle. Moving to a backlit keyboard at a later time -- a must have in my opinion. If you're smart you'll hit windows update soon after playing with the system. In my case I had 120+ updates to complete. Note: System will download these updates automatically. If you manually run windows update it will error...just leave the system alone for a few hours and reboot. Next step was to hit Intel to get newer drivers for graphics and motherboard. Full stop there....Intel drivers won't install and indicate you have to get drivers directly from Acer. Bummer -- not a big worry because you're going to update to windows 8.1, right? Say yes.... Once you download the many updates you'll want to update to windows 8.1 and install Startisback [Google it -- you'll thank me later -- and yes, pay the guy the $3 in 30 days]. Yes, it'll take a few hours and you needed to have updated windows 8.0 1st [remember I mentioned that earlier]? When all is done THEN hit Intel and update all your drivers [otherwise the Windows 8.1 Netflix apps won't work...and yes, you'll want the windows 8.1 Netflix app -- not at all kidding. MUCH better layout than the web version]. -=- Good things: 1] Although system does have a fan it is very, very quiet. I can't hear it -- of course my ears always ring since the noodle incident...but that is another story. 2] Easy to open the case and add memory or an SSD. 3] Plays 1080p video [MKV, AVI, etc] with ~8% CPU utilization using XBMC. Not a gaming system but can do some older titles without too much strain. 4] It just works once you put the 4 hours into it to update all the things. 5] Reasonably small and looks quite nice and unobtrusive. 6] USB ports can run stand alone portable disk drives. 7] Quiet and cool. Not so good things: 1] The spotlight for an LED on the front panel. Really? Even the old WD TV Live has an option to turn off the LED. Guess the handyman's secret weapon [duct tape] will solve this issue. 2] BIOS is pretty locked down. May not matter to some folks. 3] Very limited expansion options. I know this going in though...pretty much limited to SSD and memory. 4] Drivers are old for windows 8. 5] Non SSD storage. Not horrible and you do get more space...at the cost of overall speed. For now, I'll leave things alone until I figure out how hard it will be to transfer windows to a new SSD and keep the license in play. More on that later...if I ever go there. Probably will just get in the habit of putting the system to sleep when done rather than shut down. Things that sort of suck: 1] The Acer remote app you can install on your cell/tablet. If you really MUST have it, make an exception for the app in Windows firewall. Really, it is not very good. 2] Some of the pre-installed things *cough* virus checker *cough*....find another solution even if it is Windows own application. I've only had the unit a few days so reliability is unknown -- running a burn in application for about a week to really give the system a workout.

Purchased November 18, 2013. Has been a good computer until recently. I've run Windows 10 preview on it since the preview came out. Recently it would boot up without recognizing USB ports. I would have to power it down and back on. Thought it may have been something to do with Windows 10. This has been going on for a couple of months. Yesterday I decided to remove the dual boot and do away with Windows 8.1. All went well and then later a boot error occurred. Did a lot of troubleshooting to find that hard drive went out. A replacement drive made no difference. Something to do with motherboard possibly. Thinking about another one just like it. Was interested in the RL80-UR23 and had planned on swapping processors since the base is the same, but processor is soldered in. All said, I think it was a good computer as it was used quite a bit with video and audio editing and was on quite a bit.

Worked fine for a while but refused to restart after a power outage. Very difficult to troubleshoot and repair due to its very tight construction. I spent days trying to repair it or to restore the OS, tried over a dozen different approaches - nothing worked. Between the computer and the memory upgrade that's $500 down the drain. I will buy a more robust brand next time - likely Dell/Alienware.

To start, this is one nice looking computer, compact and sleek in design. Setup is super quick with the wireless keyboard and mouse. We have a 20" Acer monitor and we attached the pc to the back of it in less than two minutes. Connected the monitor with a DVI cable that I had in storage. Initial start-up takes a few minutes setting up users, settings and connections. The Wi-Fi connected instantly to the home network. After that it was just some basic housekeeping, setting up Windows preferences and uninstalling pre-loaded crapware including McAfee. Windows Updates ran overnight, all 151 of them. The performance of the computer upon initial observation is very good. It is nearly silent, the only sound is the nearly imperceptible spin of the hard drive (and you have to have your ear to the box to hear it). Ample USB ports and the card reader most of which are easily within reach with the box mounted to the monitor make using this pc very convenient. Sound can be heard through wired speakers or through Bluetooth to the soundbar mounted on the wall. I ordered this for my son and his primary use will be streaming music and Netflix. He is quite happy with his purchase. I ordered it with my account as I have Prime and delivered the same day. I have an additional 4GB of RAM on the way to make this pc really sweet. Update 8-18-2015: Still going strong. I upgraded to 8GB of RAM using a match pair of 4GB modules. Next up - Windows 10.

This machine took more than 6 hours to update and upgrade from window 8 to 8.1. I still can't believe how long it take to update to window 8.1. The ethernet port is painfully sensitive and require CAT7 cable to work properly. I have NUC unit and it is way better build quality compare to this unit.

I'm coming around to finally write a review, 5 years later, because I'm still impressed with this computer. What is really amazing is that the price I paid 5 years ago is THE SAME current price. $399. This is incredible... It goes to show that this computer is STILL as valuable now, as it was 5 years ago. However, this only comes with 4GB of RAM, and I'd highly recommend installing another 4GB stick for about $25. Just do it. Nowadays, 8GB is the minimum for average use. Originally it came with Windows 8, but I got the free upgrade to 10 sometime within the last couple of years, I can't remember. It sill runs flawlessly. I've used the HDMI and DVI, and in fact at one point I was running a projector and monitor at the same time, and it worked just fine. All USB ports work. I didn't often use it for gaming, but I can say that Half Life 2 and Counter Strike run flawlessly on it. (I know, those games are from like 2005, but still). For sound output, I simply use an RCA cable from the headphone jack to my receiver. You could also use HDMI to a monitor with speakers, and either use the speakers on that monitor, or export the sound to a receiver unit. I'm not sure which would result in better quality. I love that it mounts easily onto the back of a monitor. It's hidden away and completely silent. This is absolutely perfect for a living room set-up, where you'd love to have a computer but don't want a tower taking up the space. Just purchase a wireless mouse and keyboard, and boom, you've got a computer right on the back of your TV/Monitor. The only very minor bummer is that it doesn't have a DVD/CD-ROM player. This was my first Acer, and I've been so impressed, that I will gladly purchase another Acer in the future.