Typical price: £900
What is it: Ultra-slim Viiv-certified Media Center PC
What we think: A hugely stylish and capable multimedia system with plenty of connectivity options
What you need to know
Reviewed on: 13 July 2006
Tags: acer, silver, section, ports
We like:
Styling; plenty of connectors; quiet operation
We don't like:
Poor 3D graphics performance; lack of hardware upgradeability
You might also need:
External hard drive for backing up or quick transfer of media
CNET UK judgement:
The Acer Aspire iDea 500 is the best Media Center PC we've seen. Aesthetically it's inspired by traditional AV equipment, so it'll sit alongside or replace your existing DVD player without looking out of place. It's not very upgradeable, but it's packed with just the right multimedia components to make the most of the Intel Viiv platform
Acer Aspire iDea 500 History
28 Jul 2006 in Reviews
Windows Media Center (Viiv) PCs
If you're after an all-round PC with an ability to record television and harvest your extensive multimedia collection in one handy location, your best bet is a Windows Media Center or Intel Viiv-certified PC. Here we show you the best of the best
14 Jul 2006 in Digital Living
Gear Envy: Acer Aspire iDea 500
Sleek, powerful and blessed with everything from a standard aerial socket to an HDMI output, the Acer Aspire iDea is the acceptable face of the Media Center PC concept -- but would you have one under your telly?
23 Jun 2006 in Crave
Acer Aspire iDea: Viiv la revolution
We spent some quality time alone with the Acer iDea -- the sexiest, loveliest, most stylish Media Center PC in the world
Latest user reviews
January 1, 2007
Posted by: Maurice Camp
"What a cracking piece of kit"
November 21, 2006
Posted by: David Marc
"Good looking and does the job of a media hub for my living room. Excellent Windows Media Centre"
Tell us what you think
Can't find the product you're looking for? Want to suggest a product for review?
Special Offers from our Sponsors
Latest Desktop Reviews
Sony Vaio VGC-JS2E
Looks fantastic and offers good performance, but the lack of a Blu-ray drive and TV tuner is a shame
Apple Mac Pro (eight-core, 2009 edition)
Great desktop, offering noticeable performance improvements and best-in-class design
on Desktops
Breadbox64: Twitter on your Commodore 64
We can now tweet even in the midst of a deep bout of nerdstalgia, thanks to this brilliant Twitter app for the Commodore 64
More:
Special Feature
Watch CNET UK videos
Watch the latest video reviews, hands-on videos with the latest kit, Car Tech and reports from events
