Acer Aspire X1200

Energy-efficient, compact PC is no media-center master



DESPITE ITS DIMINUTIVE DIMENSION (10.6X4X14.4 inches, HWD), Acer's $449.99 Aspire X1200 is conventional in looks and behavior. Its solid-black metal case, silver trim (most visible on the power button), and gloss-black front panel give this system the unapologetic appearance of home media device with attitude.

The bevy of included features helps backu p that attitude with some substance. On the front you'll find a DVD+-RW drive, four USB ports, one four-pin FireWire port, headphone and microphone jacks, and a multiformat card reader. Around back, there are not onluy the expected Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, and USB jacks (four more, in fact), but also six-channel audio, external Serial ATa (for hooking up an external hard drive), and an HDMI port (for outputting video to an HDTV). A 320GB hard drive offers ample room for storage. Although the system's not silent, it's close.

If you want to do much more than basic photo, video, or music chores, however, keep you expectation in check. Though outfitted with 4GB of RAM and running the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium, the PC uses an energy-efficient 2GHz Athlon 64 X2 4860e processor that's not outstanding in the performance department: it took an unusually long 8 minutes and 27 seconds to finish our Windows Media Encoder test and a slightly above-average 4 minutes and 27 seconds to complete our iTunes conversion trial.



While the system isn't well-equipped for gaming, either, the laptop's most surprising omission is a TV tuner, which limits its utility when used alongside a typical entertainment setup. Don't count on adding one yourself; its one free expansion slot is half-height, and cracking open the case will void the one-year warranty.-Matthew Murray

Computer Shopper November 2008

www.acer.com/us