Acer's budget Z3 all-in-one comes to the U.S.
The 1080p 23-inch touch-screen Z3, which was first seen at Computex, will be $800.
- Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
PC maker Acer has already brought a couple of new products to the U.S., including the Predator AG3 gaming desktop and a new version of the budget Aspire M5 touch-screen laptop. Now an inexpensive-but-stylish all-in-one desktop is joining the lineup.
Previously announced at Computex, but only for international shoppers, the Aspire Z3-605 all-in-one is now officially coming to the U.S. This 23-inch system is reasonably sharp-looking for a budget AIO, and one welcome feature is the built-in hooks that can bundle cables out of the way, so it doesn't look like you have a tangle of wires hanging out of the back of the chassis.
The 1080p IPS screen tilts within 30 degrees to adjust the angle, and the Z3 has built-in Harman-Kardon speakers. The processor tops out at a midrange Intel Core i5 (we don't know yet if it will be a newer Haswell-generation i5), with a maximum of 8GB RAM and a 1TB HDD.
It's clearly made for multimedia use as a small television substitute, as it includes an HDMI input, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, and a built-in DVD drive. The Z3 starts at $699 without touch or $799 with touch, and should be available starting now.