Best acer aspire c27-1700- desktop 2024 review
Table of Contents
Introducing the Acer Aspire C27-1700 Desktop: Experience the pinnacle of performance, innovation, and elegance in one sleek package.
With its cutting-edge design and powerful capabilities, the Acer Aspire C27-1700 redefines desktop computing.
Whether you’re a professional navigating demanding tasks or a multimedia enthusiast immersing yourself in entertainment, this desktop delivers unparalleled performance and versatility.
Get ready to elevate your computing experience to new heights with the Acer Aspire C27-1700.
Standing out in the realm of large-screen all-in-one (AIO) desktops, the 27-inch Apple iMac sets a high bar, but its premium pricing starting at $1,799 might deter some.
On the other end of the spectrum lies the HP Chromebase All-in-One 22, offering a smaller screen and Chrome OS functionality for a budget-friendly $480.
Striking a balance between luxury and affordability is the Windows 11-powered Acer Aspire C27 (starting at $849.99; tested at $1,299.99).
The C27-1655-UA93 model under scrutiny here presents a compelling blend of components behind its expansive 27-inch display, rivaling the baseline iMac. Admittedly, the Acer lacks the aesthetic finesse of the iMac’s iconic design and features a slightly lower display resolution, akin to a 24-inch AIO.
However, if you can overlook these minor drawbacks, the Aspire C27 emerges as a cost-effective alternative to the iMac, delivering commendable performance for its price point.
Beyond 1080p: Exploring Higher Resolutions
The Aspire C27 captivates with its sleek and slender design, boasting a remarkably thin profile. At first glance, it exudes simplicity, with slim bezels encasing a display gracefully supported by a V-shaped stand. Behind its minimalist facade, the components snugly fit into the lower half of the screen, which measures a mere 0.25 inches in thickness at the top.
With dimensions of 24.2 inches in width and 17.7 inches in height, the Acer outshines the 27-inch iMac in compactness and weighs in at just 8.8 pounds, less than half the weight of its counterpart. This makes the Aspire not only an attractive choice for those on a budget but also for those constrained by space limitations.
Acer’s ingenious design choice contributes to the C27’s diminutive stature, as it places the speakers discreetly behind the display rather than opting for a conventional speaker bar beneath it. While this means the speakers aren’t front-facing, they are strategically angled downward.
Initially skeptical of this setup, I was pleasantly surprised by the audio performance, as the sound reverberated off my desk and effortlessly filled my modest office space.
Although lacking a dedicated subwoofer, the stereo speakers deliver ample volume for indulging in Netflix marathons and browsing through YouTube content, despite their limited bass response.
The discrepancy in display resolution between the Aspire C27 and the 27-inch iMac is immediately apparent. While Acer’s offering boasts a full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) panel, it pales in comparison to the remarkable Retina 5K (5,120-by-2,880-pixel) screen of Apple’s flagship.
Frankly, the 1080p resolution feels more at home on smaller 22- or 24-inch displays and appears stretched on the larger 27-inch diagonal. Text appears fuzzy, and the edges of icons lack crispness, with individual pixels discernible when viewed at a normal distance.
Adding to its shortcomings, the Aspire’s display also falls short in brightness. While it sufficed for use in my home office, which receives a mix of overhead lighting and subdued winter sunlight, I found myself keeping the brightness at maximum throughout my two-week testing period.
Using our Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and software, we measured a modest maximum brightness of 216 nits on the Acer, well below the desired thresholds of 300 or preferably 400 nits. However, it fared better in color accuracy, covering 99% of the sRGB and 77% of both the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 color spaces.
Despite this, it still falls significantly short of meeting the standards expected for professional workstation or home theater use.
Nestled above the display is a 720p webcam, a feature that unfortunately fails to impress. Much like the mediocre webcams found in budget laptops, this camera delivers an underwhelming performance, producing images that are consistently underexposed and riddled with noise or static, resulting in a dark and grainy appearance.
Its usability for activities such as Zoom meetings or any other application is severely limited. Perhaps this explains the slim profile of the top half of the Aspire C27, allowing for effortless attachment of an external webcam.
On a positive note, the camera does come equipped with a physical privacy shutter, providing the option to cover the lens when not in use—an added layer of security for a feature that may rarely, if ever, be utilized.
Where’s the USB-C Port?
All the ports of the Aspire C27 are neatly arranged in a row on the rear panel. While the inclusion of a front- or side-mounted port for easier accessibility would have been appreciated, accessing the ports at the back isn’t overly inconvenient.
However, the selection of ports is rather basic, offering just the essentials: an HDMI video output, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an Ethernet jack, and audio line-in and line-out ports.
One notable absence in this limited array of ports is a USB Type-C port. If you rely on USB-C storage drives, phone charging cables, or other devices, you’ll need to have an adapter on hand. Additionally, the system lacks an SD or microSD media card slot. As for locating the power button, it’s conveniently centered in the bottom bezel beneath the display.
While it’s common to receive a basic, wired keyboard and mouse with entry-level to midrange AIO desktops, Acer steps up the game with the Aspire C27 by providing a wireless set. The keyboard is compact, comfortable, and highly functional.
However, the mouse, while functional, is undersized. A practical solution would be to reserve the bundled mouse for on-the-go use and invest in a full-size desktop mouse to complement the Aspire’s desktop experience.
A unique feature typically absent in laptops but present in the Aspire C27 is an additional storage drive. This system boasts a 512GB solid-state boot drive, ensuring rapid access to essential files, alongside a spacious 1TB hard drive, offering ample storage capacity for all your needs.
Exploring the Aspire C27: Decent Performance with GeForce MX
Equipped with an 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, 16GB of memory, a 512GB SSD loaded with Windows 11 Pro, and a 1TB hard drive, our Acer Aspire C27 also features Nvidia GeForce MX330 graphics.
The Core i7 is a quad-core mobile CPU, while the GeForce MX330 is an entry-level mobile GPU with 2GB of dedicated display memory, offering a performance boost compared to CPU-based integrated graphics.
In our performance analysis, we compared the Aspire C27 to the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3, the sole Windows-based all-in-one we’ve assessed using our updated benchmark suite.
Additionally, we included Apple’s 27-inch iMac, although it is not compatible with many of our standard Windows benchmarks. To provide further context, we also integrated two non-AIO desktops into the comparison: the budget-friendly Dell Inspiron Desktop 3891 and the midrange Lenovo Legion Tower 5i.
Overall, the Acer demonstrated impressive responsiveness, effortlessly managing multiple tasks without any noticeable slowdowns.
Thanks to its efficient mobile components, it operates quietly, emitting only a faint hum even during intensive workloads.
Whether tackling everyday computing tasks or engaging in light media editing, the Aspire C27 delivers a smooth Windows 11 experience with ample processing power to spare.
Performance Evaluation: Productivity Assessments
UL’s PCMark 10 serves as our primary benchmark, emulating a diverse range of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows.
This comprehensive test assesses overall performance across office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing.
Additionally, we utilize PCMark 10’s Full System Drive test to evaluate the load time and throughput of the system’s boot drive.
Three CPU-focused benchmarks leverage all available cores and threads to gauge the system’s capability in handling processor-intensive workloads. Maxon’s Cinebench R23 utilizes the Cinema 4D engine to render a complex scene, while Primate Labs’ Geekbench 5.4 Pro simulates various popular applications, including PDF rendering, speech recognition, and machine learning tasks.
Furthermore, we employ the open-source video transcoder HandBrake 1.4 to convert a 12-minute video clip from 4K to 1080p resolution, with lower conversion times indicating better performance.
Our final productivity assessment involves Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Photoshop, which leverages Adobe’s Creative Cloud version 22 of the renowned image editor.
This automated extension executes a diverse array of general and GPU-accelerated Photoshop tasks, ranging from image manipulation to applying masks, gradient fills, and filters, providing valuable insights into the PC’s performance for content creation and multimedia applications.
While the Aspire C27 fell behind in PCMark 10, it still achieved a commendable score (typically, we consider 4,000 points as indicative of good productivity for tasks in Microsoft Office or Google Workspace).
As expected, the Core i9-powered iMac led the pack in our CPU tests, followed closely by the Legion’s six-core Core i5 processor. Within the realm of more budget-friendly Windows PCs, the Acer landed in the middle of the pack, delivering respectable performance, particularly in tasks involving Photoshop.
Visual Performance Evaluations
We evaluate the graphics performance of Windows PCs through two DirectX 12 gaming simulations from UL’s 3DMark: Night Raid, designed for more modest setups such as laptops with integrated graphics, and Time Spy, which demands higher performance and is suitable for gaming rigs equipped with discrete GPUs.
Additionally, we conduct two tests using the cross-platform GPU benchmark GFXBench 5. These tests stress both low-level routines like texturing and high-level, game-like image rendering.
The Aztec Ruins test at 1440p and the Car Chase test at 1080p, both rendered offscreen to accommodate various display resolutions, engage graphics and compute shaders using the OpenGL programming interface and hardware tessellation, respectively. Higher frames per second (fps) indicate better performance.
In both test scenarios, the Aspire C27 positioned itself between the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3 with its integrated graphics and the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, which boasts the midrange GeForce GTX 1660 Super GPU.
While the Acer isn’t categorized as a gaming PC by any means, its performance, illustrated by 83 frames per second in the GFXBench Car Chase 1080p test, suggests it’s competent for playing casual games at its native resolution.
A Quest for Quality: Seeking a QHD Panel
The Acer Aspire C27 boasts several appealing features. Its mobile Core i7 CPU, paired with GeForce MX330 graphics, along with 16GB of RAM and generous storage, offer excellent value for an all-in-one desktop.
Notably, its efficient components ensure that excessive cooling fan noise isn’t necessary to maintain optimal thermals. Moreover, its sleek and compact design is a boon for those with limited space but a desire for a large-screen all-in-one setup.
However, one aspect gives us pause: the display. It’s unfortunate that Acer doesn’t provide an option for a QHD or 1440p display upgrade, which would address the Aspire’s primary drawback. The 1080p resolution on a 27-inch panel simply doesn’t deliver the level of sharpness expected.
While adequate for casual home use, those engaged in content creation, media editing, or extended text viewing may find the resolution lacking. In such cases, opting for a smaller display or a higher resolution becomes essential.
Certainly! Here’s a summary for the Acer Aspire C27-1700 Desktop:
The Acer Aspire C27-1700 Desktop combines powerful performance and sleek design in one package. With its mobile Core i7 CPU, GeForce MX330 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and ample storage options, it offers excellent value for users seeking an all-in-one desktop solution.
Its compact design makes it ideal for those with limited space, while efficient components ensure quiet operation without compromising performance. However, the 27-inch 1080p display may leave some users wanting more in terms of resolution, particularly for content creation and extended text viewing.
PROS
- Compact design for a 27-inch all-in-one
- Competitive performance for the price
- Dual storage drives offer speed and space
- Wireless keyboard and mouse included
- Quiet operation
CONS
- Grainy, dim display
- No USB-C ports
- Underwhelming 720p webcam
ACER ASPIRE C27 SPECS
| Desktop Class | All-in-one |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-1165G7 |
| Processor Speed | 2.8 GHz |
Price : $615.83
