Acer Aspire AZ3-710 Review: A Capable All-In-One PC

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All-in-one PCs are an increasingly popular option for users that are only looking for general computing power. They’re an attractive option because they are generally very reasonably priced, easy to set up, and will handle most of the basic computing tasks thrown at them. Acer recently refreshed their AZ3-710 series with Windows 10 and some other new features. Keep reading to see how the newest All-in-one from Acer handles what I threw at it in our Acer Aspire AZ3-710 review.

Specifications

  • 4th generation Intel Core i5-4590T processor 2.0 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.0GHz (6MB cache)
  • Intel® HD 4600 graphics
  • 23.8-inch Full HD widescreen LED back-lit touchscreen with IPS technology and wide viewing angles up to 178 degrees
  • 8GB DDR3L dual-channel memory
  • 1TB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
  • 8X DVD SuperMulti double-layer drive
  • 802.11ac WiFi
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Built-in HD Full HD (1080p) webcam and built-in dual digital microphones
  • Digital media card reader – Secure Digital™ Card
  • 3 USB 2.0 ports (2 rear, 1 side)
  • 2 USB 3.0 ports (1 rear, 1 side)
  • Optimized Dolby audio enhancements
  • High-definition audio
  • Acer TrueHarmony™ high-performance sound system
  • Wireless keyboard and mouse

What’s in the box

  • Aspire AZ3-710 All-in-one
  • Power cord
  • Wireless Keyboard
  • Wireless Mouse
  • Screen Wipe Cloth

Design

The focal point of any all-in-one PC will undoubtedly be its screen. We’ll talk about the screen in greater detail shortly, but for now we’ll talk about the rest of the device. Surrounding the 23.8” touchscreen display is a black bezel, around 1” thick on the top and sides, and slightly thicker on the bottom. The bottom bezel also includes the front-facing speakers. The right side of the case includes an 8X DVD Super-Multi drive along with the power button, while the left side includes one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port along with an SD card reader and headphone jack. The back of the case has the remaining USB ports in addition to an HDMI input, RJ-45 network connection, and A/C plug. On the bottom right corner is one more USB port, though it’s already pre-loaded with the adapter for the wireless keyboard and mouse. If you decide to use a different keyboard and mouse you can free up that USB drive without issue.

Acer Aspire AZ3-710 Review

All-in-all, the entire display and enclosure comes in at around 1.4” thick, which is actually pretty impressive. Other than the ports, the back of the AZ3-710 is relatively plain, with the Acer logo prominently displayed near the top along with a vent strip to prevent heat build-up.

The metal stand has a relatively small footprint considering the size of the screen, and the hinge connecting the stand to the rest of the PC is strong, yet very easy to move. You can tilt the screen anywhere from 5 – 25 degrees using only a couple of fingers at the bottom of the display and that movement is quite smooth. The back of the stand also includes a cut-out area that works nicely for cable management.

Display

The 23.8” Full HD IPS display is definitely big. There is plenty of screen real estate for viewing nearly anything. Web browsing, videos, and games all looked good, and multi-tasking was a breeze with the large viewing area.

You’ll find 10-point multi-touch on the display, as one might expect and the touch controls work as they should. I still prefer using a mouse and keyboard on a desktop computer, but the option is available if you so choose.

Acer takes its displays one step further with its Acer EyeProtect Technologies. Included on the AZ3-710 are Acer’s BluelightShield and Acer flicker-less technologies. This combination decreases eye strain by reducing blue light emissions which have been shown to wreak havoc on our bodies’ circadian rhythm, and eliminating screen flicker.

Performance

With a 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, the Aspire AZ3-710 has enough guts to handle most general computing tasks. E-mail, web browsing, watching videos, some light photo editing, and other such activities are easy and painless.

The Full HD webcam allows for high quality video conferencing or other video recording. I actually recorded a series of videos for another review and the quality of  both the video and audio was great thanks to the camera and dual digital microphones. Recorded video was crisp and clear and audio was easy to understand.

As with most any all-in-one PC, the major shortfall comes in the form of their integrated graphics. Admittedly, you shouldn’t expect to do a lot of hardcore gaming on an all-in-one, but this is just your friendly reminder that gaming options will be limited. I was able to boot up and run the Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta without any issue, and it did run buttery smooth. You can tell that there’s some definite optimization going on in the Windows 10 beta version though because the normal Minecraft launcher had a bit of lag. I loaded up a few Steam games to try out and discovered that Nom Nom Galaxy is a bit more system intensive than I thought. That was a bit of a letdown, but other lower-tier games worked without issue. You really aren’t going to want to try and push the hardware too much when it comes to games, but you should still have plenty of options to keep yourself entertained.

Software/Ecosystem

The Acer Aspire AZ3-710 provided my very first glimpse into the world of Windows 10. I resisted the urge to take part in the Windows preview program (and waited to update my personal PC until after playing around with this computer) and came into the release of Windows 10 fresh. You can read our Windows 10 review here if you want more specific information on the OS itself, but I found Windows 10 to run smoothly, and really do feel like this is the natural progression that Windows needed. It retains some of the touch/tablet-like interface that will allow it to easily scale across multiple devices, but feels more like a desktop OS.

With that said, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding software, games, etc. that will run on Windows 10. The Windows store has matured pretty significantly, and there is a decent selection of available apps and games. Otherwise, nearly any software you want can be found online and should work without issue. Microsoft claims this will be the “last” iteration of Windows, so now’s a good time to get familiar with the OS.

Acer has also included their own suite of software products including: Acer Care Center, Acer Drive, Acer Quick Access, Acer Recovery Management, abDocs, abFiles, abMedia, abPhoto, and others. There is also a selection of casual games pre-installed that all work nicely on the system.

Ease of Use

I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of Windows 8 (though it did grow on me a little bit with the 8.1 update), so Windows 10 was definitely easier to use overall. Otherwise, if you’ve used a personal computer in the past, you should feel right at home on the Aspire AZ3-710.

The included wireless keyboard and mouse work well. The keyboard is a compact model though it is easy enough to type on, and easy to replace if you don’t like it. Same goes with the wireless mouse. It is a compact mouse, but I didn’t have any problems with it even with bigger hands.

Speakers

The AZ3-710 features front-facing hi-fi speakers that are tuned with Acer True Harmony and Dolby Digital Plus for an improved audio experience. Honestly the integrated speakers put out some pretty decent sound. Keeping the speakers at around 45-50 percent was usually sufficient for most videos, music, and games. Dolby tuning adds some decent range and sound to the speakers, and overall you shouldn’t have any complaints with the speakers on the AZ3-710.

Camera(s)

This AIO features a front facing Full HD 1080p webcam. It works as it should for video chatting, and I was also able to record some video for another review. It works well enough in low-light situations, though sufficient light will absolutely help quite a bit. To help record audio, the AZ3-710 includes dual digital microphones that sense the location of your voice to help record more clearly even in a busy room.

Price/Value

Starting at $899, the Acer AZ3-710 is priced in the same neighborhood as other devices in its class. With most all-in-one PCs, you’re paying for convenience and a thin profile, both of which the Acer has handled nicely. The extras like Acer’s EyeProtect Technologies add value and help differentiate the Acer from other AIO’s in this category.

Wrap Up

All-in-one PC’s are a great deal for anyone looking for some basic computing power in a compact case that’s easy to set up. The Acer AZ3-710 checks all of those boxes easily. Setup is a breeze, the giant screen is housed in a very slim case, and the Acer AZ3-710 should be able to handle most tasks that don’t require discrete graphics or ridiculous amounts of RAM. All-in-all, the Acer AZ3-710 is a quality All-In-One.

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*We were sent a demo unit of the Acer Aspire AZ3-710 for the purposes of this review.

Last Updated on November 27, 2018.

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