IMG_6211.JPG

If you are looking for a PC with a compact form factor, especially one that you can use as a media server and media player you should definitely checkout Acer’s Revo One. A tiny little PC but packed with plenty of power. The Acer Revo One RL85 packs a lot into a device about the size of a large coffee cup. The unit I am reviewing comes with a 60GB SSD drive that Windows 8.1 is installed on and two 1TB drivers that are mirrored giving your 1TB space. It has an Intel i5 processor (5200U Dual Core 2.2Ghz) with 8GB RAM.

Even though its a small box there are still plenty of connectivity options. There are Two USB 3 and two USB 2 ports, RJ45 networking, audio output (mini jack), Mini DisplayPort and HDMI. Acer say you can drive two 4k displays with the PC, one via HDMI and one via Mini DisplayPort. There is also a full size SD card slot on the top. For Wireless connectivity there is 802.11a/b/g/n Wifi with Bluetooth 4.0 support.

The Revo has a very interesting design that would not look out of place below a TV. It has a glossy white finish with rounded corners and is an elegant design. It has blinking LED indicators on the top and a white power indicator shining out of the bottom but other than them the box has a very minimalist look to it with all the connector ports around the back.
IMG_6222.JPG
The Revo One includes a remote control that has a QWERY keyboard on one side and a trackpad with media control buttons on the other side. I wouldn’t like to type out a long email on the remote but it would probably be ok for entering URLs or searching in Netflix. I hooked up wireless keyboard and mouse to the review unit as even in the living room I prefer a full sized keyboard. Unfortunately the remote didn’t work in my review unit so I couldn’t actually put it to the test.
IMG_6224.JPG
IMG_6227.JPG

Having an i5 and 8GB of RAM means it handles 1080p media without any problems. As you can see in the video I tried a few different videos including streaming from my media server and the Revo handles it perfectly. I didn’t try and heavy duty games on it but I did try Minecraft with worked fine. It would actually make a good media server as well as a media player, it would be very capable of running Emby or Plex server using the 1TB storage for all your home media. As a media player you could run Emby, Kodi, Plex, BBC iPlayer and just about anything else you want on it, with it being a PC you are not limited to one ecosystem.

The review unit came with Windows 8.1 and it is Windows 10 compatible so there should be no problem upgrading it to the new OS.

There is a whole range of Revo One, starting with a £248 Celeron powered device up to the £475 i5 model I am reviewing (Amazon Link).

As you can see in the video it is a very elegant and powerful media center PC.

Leave a Reply