Why You Can Trust CNET Acer Aspire 5700-U2112 review: Acer Aspire 5700-U2112
Acer Aspire 5700-U2112
Acer's Aspire Z5700 all-in-one PC picks up where the older Z5600 model left off at the end of 2009. By offering a 23-inch, 1080p-capable all-in-one for $1,099, Acer can make a compelling argument against Apple's more expensive, entry-level 21.5-inch iMac on screen size alone. It also boasts generally faster performance than the $1,199 iMac, as well as better home entertainment versatility thanks to its HDMI port. Apple maintains a clear design lead over this Acer PC, and other all-in-ones in this price range feature Blu-ray, which the Aspire Z5700 lacks. We're willing to forgive the former, and the latter is easily remedied thanks to the HDMI port. We recommend this desktop to anyone looking for a versatile, large-screen all-in-one for a reasonable price.
Acer Aspire 5700-U2112
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Our gripe with the Acer's design has to do with its front support posts. They work as intended, but they look cheap, like the product of a homemade repair job. The rest of the system's design is fine, and, most importantly, the posts don't interfere with the overall functionality of the Aspire Z5700. We encourage Acer to pay greater heed to design in the future. Between this system and the similarly clunky Gateway One ZX6900-01e from Acer's Gateway subsidiary, Acer seems too willing to sacrifice visual appeal.
As with the Z5600, the Z5700 is a touch-screen all-in-one PC. You can still use the system with the included wireless mouse and keyboard, but Acer has updated the touch software this time around for the better. The big changes come with the home screen for the touch apps. Acer has done away with the animated "peel down" corner on the Windows desktops that brings you to a page with floating application icons. Instead you get a carousel-style home screen that makes it easier to sort through the various media players, games, and other programs. None of the touch applications applications is particularly revolutionary, and you won't likely spend much time with any but the media players. We're still glad to see an easier way to interact with them.
| Acer Aspire Z5700-U2112 | Gateway One ZX6900-01e | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,099 | $999 |
| Display size/resolution | 23-inch, 1,920x1,080 | 23-inch, 1,920x1,080 |
| CPU | 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 560 | 2.93GHz Intel Core i3 530 |
| Memory | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 128MB (shared) Intel GMA 4500 integrated graphics chip | 64MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 1TB, 7,200rpm | 640GB, 7,200 rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | Blu-ray/DVD-burner combo |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
| Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
In addition to the 21.5-inch iMac, Acer's biggest competition might be from its own sister brand. The Acer's faster CPU propelled it to impressive performance heights, and we appreciate its larger hard drive as well. The Gateway's Blu-ray drive makes it a stronger multimedia system out of the box. However, unlike the Aspire Z5700, the Gateway system lacks an HDMI port. If we could mash these two PCs together, we'd have the perfect competitor to the iMac. For now, both systems require some sort of compromise. Either you lose performance, drive space, and the HDMI port with the Gateway One ZX6900-01e, or you miss out on Blu-ray in the Acer Aspire Z5700. Both, however, offer larger screens and more home entertainment capability than Apple's $1,199 iMac.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | Rendering multiple CPUs | | Rendering single CPU |
We'll credit the Acer's Core i5 560 CPU for its solid performance across our application tests. The iMac remains a formidable competitor here, especially in terms of multitasking, but that the Aspire Z5700 is able to post similar or faster performance on our other tests speaks very well of this Acer system; especially considering its lower price. Anyone with serious productivity needs in the $900 to $1,200 price range would still be wise to look for a traditional desktop, but we at least we can say with confidence that the Aspire Z5700 is among the fastest midrange all-in-ones.
We were also happy enough with the Aspire Z5700 as an HD video playback device. In PCs with lesser CPUs, the integrated Intel graphics chip might be an issue, but we tried watching HD content from YouTube, NetFlix, and in QuickTime and had relatively smooth experiences with each. We noticed a few hitches here and there, depending on the stream, but the content was still for the most part watchable. It's worth noting that you can ensure smooth playback if you connect a video device to the Aspire Z5700 through the HDMI port, as the video input acts independent of the system processing. Playback in that case will be just as smooth as the source device allows on any standard television.
In addition to the HDMI input, Acer included a useful assortment of other inputs on the back of the Aspire Z5700. You get two USB 2.0 jacks on the left side of the case. The right side features an SD card slot, headphone and microphone jacks, as well as a button to cycle through a few down-facing keyboard-illuminating LED settings. The back of the PC features four additional USB 2.0 jacks, as well as TV tuner and IR blaster inputs, an Ethernet port, an eSATA port, and also a set of 5.1 analog audio jacks, a feature that's not overly common on all-in-ones. You might reasonably want to connect the Aspire Z5700 to an external audio device, but we found that the built-in audio had sufficient volume and quality to project clearly across most smaller rooms.
 Juice box | |||
| Acer Aspire Z5700-U2112 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off | 0.73 | ||
| Sleep | 1.61 | ||
| Idle | 28.25 | ||
| Load | 107.94 | ||
| Raw kWh | 138.11 | ||
| Energy Star compliant | Yes | ||
| Annual power consumption cost | $15.68 | ||
We're happily surprised by Acer's power consumption ratings, as it's rare for a Windows PC vendor to challenge Apple in power efficiency. Perhaps the Acer's advantage has to do with the new iMac's discrete graphics card, a more power-hungry component than the Acer's integrated Intel graphics chip. Regardless, the Aspire Z5700 is the most efficient all-in-one in this price range.
Acer's standard warranty grants you with a year of parts and labor coverage. You can also find driver downloads and a variety of other support resources if you're willing to suffer through Acer's circuitous Web site. By the Web site alone, you'd have no idea that standard phone support was available with this PC. To find Acer's support phone number, you need to read the tiny type on the warranty card that comes with the system. Look online and you won't find it. The line is open 24-7.
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System configurations:
Acer Aspire Z5700
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 650; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip; 1TB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Summer 2010)
Apple OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.4; 3.06GHz Intel Core i3; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card; 500GB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive
Gateway One ZX6900-01e
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.93GHz Intel Core i3 530; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 64MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip; 640GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.7GHz AMD Athlon X2 235e; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3270 integrated graphics chip; 750GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 08873AU
Windows 7 Home Premium; 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S; 6GB 1,066MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 250M; 1TB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive