Why You Can Trust CNET Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112 review: Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112
Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112
Editors' Note: The Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112 is identical to the U2112 released this summer. We've republished most of that original review here, although we've updated the text to put the U3112 in proper competitive context with more recent all-in-ones in its price range.
Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Acer's Aspire Z5700 U3112 all-in-one 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 competitive performance with the $1,199 iMac, as well as better home entertainment versatility thanks to its HDMI input. 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 input. We recommend this desktop to anyone looking for a versatile, large-screen all-in-one for a reasonable price.
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 would encourage Acer to pay greater heed to design in the future.
As with the Z5600, the Z5700 is a touch-screen all-in-one. You can still use the system with the included wireless mouse and keyboard, but Acer has updated the touch software 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 is particularly revolutionary, and you won't likely spend much time with any but the media players. We're still glad to see a better way to interact with them.
| Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112 | Gateway One ZX6951-53 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,099 | $999 |
| Display size/resolution | 23-inch, 1,920x1,080 | 23-inch, 1,920x1,080 |
| CPU | 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 650 | 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 550 |
| Memory | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 128MB (shared) Intel GMA 4500 integrated graphics chip | 64MB (shared) Intel GMA 4500 integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 1TB, 7,200rpm | 640GB, 7,200rpm |
| 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 Gateway, its own sister brand. The Gateway One Z6951-53's Blu-ray drive makes it a stronger multimedia system out of the box, although unlike the Aspire Z5700, the Gateway system lacks an HDMI input. If we could mash these two PC's together, we'd have the perfect competitor to the iMac. For now, both systems require some sort of compromise. Either you lose drive space, and the HDMI port with the Gateway One ZX6951-53, 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 650 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-U3112 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 can say with confidence that the Aspire Z5700-U3112 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 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 independently 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, and headphone and microphone jacks, as well as a light to cycle through a few down-facing LED settings, a feature designed to help light up the keyboard. 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-U3112 | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.73 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 1.61 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 28.25 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 107.94 | ||
| Raw kWh | 138.11 | ||
| EnergyStar compliant | Yes | ||
| Annual energy 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-U3112 is acceptably efficient for its price and specs.
Acer's standard warranty grants you 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. Going by the Web site alone, you'd have no idea that standard phone support was available with this PC. The number, 800-816-2237, is listed in small type in the included manual, or you can register the system online with the serial number (located on the bottom edge of the system).
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Acer Aspire Z5700-U3112
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 650; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 64MB (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 ZX6951-53
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 550; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip; 640GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
HP TouchSmart 310z
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 2.53GHz AMD Athlon II X4 615e; 6GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) AMD Radeon HD 4270 integrated graphics chip; 1TB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive
Sony Vaio J114FX
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit); 1.8GHz Intel Pentium P6000; 4GB 1,066MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 HD integrated graphics chip; 500GB 7,200rpm Western Digital hard drive