Reviews related to : Computers
A very broad subject these days - home computers now come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but in each case the basic architecture is the same. Even the distinctive Apple MAC range now adheres to an Intel architecture under the hood and Apple hardware is capable of running the Microsoft Windows operating systems (but why would you want to having bought a MAC?)
Browse the reviews below of not only a variety of desktop and laptop computers, but also the peripherals that will help you get the most from your machine.
This is a very powerful and also large tower system. This tends to buck the trend of making things smaller and smaller. It is also quite heavy so will need a strong table or desk. It was sent to me as just the unit with just the mains lead.
The Acer Orion 7000 measures 51x49x22cm and you will need a further few centimetres clear behind for any connections. Both the front and back have a clear covering so you can see the fans and various coloured lights. The top has a large ventilation grill as well as four USB ports (three are USB, one USB 'C') and a couple of audio ports, there is also one other item.
All in One is something that normally relates to a printer-scanner-copier and possibly even fax unit. Here however it relates to a screen that also has a computer built into it, the only extras you need are keyboard and mouse and here even they are included.
This is a large screen measuring 71x47.5x2cm which gives notional diagonal imperial measurement of 31½ inches. There is a 3 inch area below the screen that houses the units speakers. The sides are only .5cm as is the top but there is a built in web cam that you pull up when required and this protrudes from the centre of the top of the screen by 2cm. It has a 13 Gen Intel i7 processor running at 1.4GHz. There is 16GB RAM and it has a 1GB SSD drive, this has 892GB free.
I still get requests to review Desktop systems and this latest offering from Acer is much smaller than most, in fact not only smaller but also a great deal lighter. In fact I placed it on top of my own normal sized Desktop system and this amplifies the smallness. It also comes with small cordless Keyboard and mouse that take just one USB port to connect both.
It is 29.5cm tall, 9.5cm wide and 32cm deep add another 5cm to the last figure for cables into the back of the unit. The mouse is 10.5x6x3.5cm at most and weighs 81 grams with battery inserted. The keyboard is 41x11x2cm the last figure is at the back; at the front it is hardly 1cm. The keyboard has 112 keys with the numeric and alpha keys being full-size.
This Desktop offering is very different to the small and compact offering that I had previously reviewed on 10th February this year. While that could sit quietly and just do its job this is big and not only has a large illuminated ‘V’ on its front the left side has lots of holes that show the inside and also omit a good amount of light to its surroundings.
It is 36x17x33cm with the best part of another 5cm needed behind for cable insertion. The front of the unit has a strip down the right side beyond the proud ‘V’ that has on/off button near the top and then below this an always on USB and an always on USB ‘C’ and further down two 3.5mm audio sockets. The rear has a line of four USB3 sockets and below this two USB sockets with an Ethernet socket and below this a line of three 3.
This is now becoming a rare beast a Desktop PC rather that a Notebook. Sadly it has one thing missing – from my point of view – an optical drive. However during my testing period it has performed well in all departments that will satisfy most people.
Acer XC-885 measures 32x29x9.5cm, the front of the unit has an on/off button at the top below this in a vertical line down the right side of the front are an SD card slot, always on USB ‘C’ port, an always on USB port and 3.5mm sockets for headphones and a microphone. The back has a kettle style mains input with a fan output beside it, below this are two HDMI inputs and D-Sub.
A rare find these days a Desktop offering, rather than a Laptop/Tablet/Notebook. This is a very small offering the dimensions are below and it comes with a Wireless keyboard and mouse set so nothing apart from the panel needs to be on your desk.
The Acer XC-885 desktop computer measures only 10cm wide, 29cm tall and 32cm from back to front but add another 4cm for cables etc. so 36cm deep. On the back it has two HDMI connectors and a VGA. There are 4xUSB and below that 2xUSB3 and Ethernet. The standard three 3.5mm audio connections and there is still room for two internal blanking plates. The front has on/off button at the top and working down an SD Card reader, two always on ports USB ‘C’ and USB and finally 3.
A very large and powerful Tower system designed not for gamers – although it’s very fast – but for those Creative People who are not the norm but those who need the power to create their work, this will certainly suit those in that category.
First the dimensions it is 43cm tall, 47cm deep and 20cm wide. It is also quite heavy at around 9kilos. This is the top of the range ConceptD, specifications further down but to let you know now its £2999 link at the end. However you do get a three year warranty. It comes with Windows 10 Pro 64bit. It has an Intel Core i9 running at 3.6GHz.
The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Starter Kit from OKdo, a brand of the long-established Electrocomponents Group, brings together all the special items necessary to get started and put together a computer based on the 4GB Raspberry Pi 4 Model B single board computer.
In addition to the Pi itself the kit includes power supply, cables, heat sinks, microSD card with operating system pre-loaded, and a Raspberry Pi case with an integrated fan. This latter is important because the Pi 4 is more powerful than earlier versions and so needs the enhanced cooling that a fan will provide. (You provide your own monitor, keyboard and mouse.
This is a small but extremely powerful tower system. Acer does a number of different versions under the same name and model number both with and without an SSD drive, it also has various Intel and AMD processors so do think about all this prior to selecting where to purchase it from as certain models like this one are only available from two outlets.
It’s 35cm from front to back but add another 5cm for cables to be inserted. It is 16.5cm wide and 35cm tall. The top has a wireless charging plate towards the front. The front has a vertically mounted optical drive and towards the right near the base an SD card port, a USB ‘C’ and a USB3 port (always on) as well as 3.5mm headphone and microphone sockets. The back has kettle style mains lead, lower down are four USB2 sockets and below this two USB3 ports and an Ethernet port.
Raspberry Pi has launched its 4th generation model which is significantly faster and more capable than any of the existing products.
Size matters and here this is a small tower that can deliver as much as most large towers except of course take up far less desk space. So if you need expansion then this unit can give it as there are three slots although one is occupied in the setup sent to me by the graphics card. So what has Acer squeezed into this small format desktop tower.
It is 34cm deep, 16cm wide and 33cm tall. There is a vertically mounted optical drive 6cm down from the top just right of the centre of the front, above this is the turn on button. Towards the bottom of the front on the right edge a pair of always on connections USB ‘C’ and USB3 and below these 3.5mm sockets for headphone and microphone. On the front edges at the top are two small flip out handles to hold your headphones as for a gamer hearing tiny sounds can be life or death.
This is one of the Predator gaming range, most of which are big heavy powerful notebooks, this is slightly different in that it is a big heavy Tower system, it has a rather unusual configuration of external connections in the supplied unit.
It is 56cm tall, 52cm deep and 22cm wide. The front has a couple of blue LED lines as well as the on/off button and an optical (DVD) drive. The front of the top of the unit has a pair of USB3.1 ports, another USB3.1 and a USB ‘C’. The rear has a pair of USB2 ports, a line of four USB3.1 ports, a pair of USB2 ports and an Ethernet port. Six audio ports next taking two of the eight expansion bays two Display Port sockets, one HDMI socket and a further Display Port.
Unlike our personal shadows, which follow us where ever we go, whether visible or not, the Blade company’s Shadow (note the capital letter indicating its different status) is an entirely different entity. Let me explain
Blade is a French company founded in 2015 by Emmanual Freud, Acher Criou and Stéphane Héliot. The company was originally set up to serve the French market but has recently expanded its influence into a more worldwide spread. This has been brought about by success at raising ₡51 billion in order to help it reinvent the way personal computers are used worldwide by creating the PC-as-a-service. otherwise known as Shadow, residing in the Cloud.
All In One PC’s are not exactly new but here is a large screen offering that is equipped with lots of good features and even includes a Thunderbolt 3 socket as well as HDMI in the latter ideal for you to attach a PVR for those after work hours watching.
The screen is 63x39x2cm the stand is fixed and raises it by 10cm from your desk. The stand is in the shape of a ‘V’ with 13cm being behind the screen, the sides of the ‘V’ are 33cm long which means it needs a total of 25cm from back to front of desk space. The notional diagonal imperial screen measurement is 27inches.
When space is at a premium you might like to consider a tower system from Lenovo.
The Lenovo Ideacentre 620S could be classified as a tower computer but that could send out the wrong message regarding this device. Yes this Lenovo kit does consist of the elements (keyboard, mouse and system box) making up a tower system but one aspect marks this computer as a breed apart. That aspect is the system box which immediately reminded me of a binocular case, door stopper or even a speaker unit with regards to its size and shape.
I had read a good bit about this tiny bare board computer that a lot will use for a single purpose. Then I was offered the chance to review one of the new batch that can take the required power from an Ethernet cable which seemed unusual at least.
My computing life goes back before the PC, in fact my first computer was made by Tandy and you had to load the operating system and files from a cassette tape. My first surprise was the lack of size the box it arrives in is 9.5x7x2.5cm and the total weight is 60 grams including the box. The next is that it comes with no instructions only a health and safety sheet.
Normally when I hear ‘All In One’ it refers to a printer and scanner unit. This however is a PC everything is built into the touch screen with the only external bits the wireless keyboard and mouse so much less desk space is required.
The overall size is 53.5x33.5x3cm, the stand is 23.5x23.5cm and raises the screen by 6cm. The only other parts are the keyboard and mouse both are wireless controlled by a single tiny USB controller. Apart from one USB 3.1 port, a headphone socket and an SD Card port on the left side bottom edge of the screen everything else is on the rear of the unit. On the right side of the connecting arm are an HDMI, two USB 3.1 and a USB 2 port as well as a small Kensington Lock Port.
It’s a very long time since I have reviewed anything from Dell and even longer since I have reviewed a Tower system from anyone, in fact if my memory is correct after my last Tower review I actually purchased it and that was running Windows 7. Here this system is running Windows 10 and version 1703 at that.
The Dell Vostro 3650 Desktop Mini Tower is 28cm deep (34cm with leads attached), 15cm wide and 34cm tall. The face has the on/off button, optical drive, two USB3 ports and an SD Card slot. The back has three audio sockets, video connections for VGA and HDMI, two pairs of USB ports and an Ethernet. Four internal external bays and near the base a kettle style mains lead socket. Dell describe the Vostro as a ‘Business System’.
This next offering from the Dell family of products sets out to reduce the amount of office space required for its presence.
I suppose, at a pinch, you could describe this next product, which is the Dell OptiPlex 3050 All-in-One, as a laptop for the desktop. This particular product, which Dell claims to have been “crafted for functionality and flexibility”, consists of a combined screen and system unit partnered with a bog standard tethered keyboard and mouse. An optional extra of a wireless keyboard and mouse is available at an additional cost.
Not that long ago a 14inch notebook would be unlikely to display 1920x1080 this unit is IPS QHD (3K) which shows 2560x1440 and its quite useable. So what other features does this Intel i7 offering with Windows 10 have to offer.
The Gigabyte P34W measures 34x23.5x1.5cm and weighs just under 1.8kilos. This is a mixture of conventional and the latest, a Kensington Lock Port, Ethernet, VGA, USB3 (with charging when off), USB 3.1 and 3.5mm socket for headphone/microphone are the left side. The front has a line of five LED’s. The right side has USB3, SD Slot, USB3, HDMI and DC input. The rear is clear as the lid comes down to 135 degrees. The viewable screen is 31x17.
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