Mini Marvel

Good things come in small packages; how true this is for the Acer Aspire L310. This stylish mini PC from Acer is small, yet it’s ahead of many high-end desktops in terms of performance. It’s roughly ten times smaller than a conventional desktop, making it ideal for places where space is at a premium. There’s more to it than meets the eye though; you get a Core 2 Duo processor <6300, 1.86GHz>, 512 MB RAM and 160 GB HDD Space which can be expanded up to 400 GB. It also has an inbuilt Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 3000 that provides adequate graphics. We ran PC Mark05 test to check the performance, and it fared pretty well scoring 3538 which can be improved for sure if it had a better graphics card in it. Acer also includes data protection and data recovery solutions with the unit.

Apart from the small size, noise level is also minimal. Acer’s new desktop comes pre loaded with Windows XP Media Center Edition, but you have an option to go for Windows Vista Home Premium or Basic. As far as connectivity goes it has 6 USB ports (2 in front and 4 at the back), 2 Firewire ports (Mini Firewire in front and full size at the back), a card reader, DVI and VGA out, multi-channel sound, built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet and modem. The Wi-Fi antenna is shipped with it and has to be connected at the back. To save space a slot loading DVD writer has been provided. The only issue with this is that it refused to load mini CDs (8 cm).

The package also includes a multimedia USB keyboard and USB optical mouse but no monitor or speakers. I would have preferred a built-in Bluetooth and maybe a HDMI output so that I could plug it in directly to a flat panel display. Overall, it will surely be a hit amongst style and space conscious people.

Acer Aspire L310 Rs. 48,999/-	Performance Coolness
Pros Smart, noiseless, compact Cons Poor graphics performance, slot load writer do not accept 8 cm discs Sold by Acer India, Bangalore	Specs Core 2 Duo Processor <6300, 1.86 GHz>, 512 MB DDR2 RAM, 160 GB Of HDD, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 3000, Windows Media Center, Wi-Fi, 3 liter in size, 6 USB port, 2 IEEE ports, VGA Port Verdict

 Source: Living Digital