Economy desktops shoppers are always looking to score the best value, and we’ve picked one of the best around. The Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92, is built on the popularity of its predecessor from last year – the Acer Aspire TC-885-UA92, but rocks the best combination of price, build and performance of any budget desktop PC we’ve reviewed in 2021, including a range of competitors from HP and Lenovo.
Well, if you look around carefully, you’ll find some alternatives that cost slightly less, but the Aspire TC-1660-UA92 outperforms both those and some more expensive systems while still hitting the price sweet spot.
There is absolutely nothing to complain about the price, as its peppy Intel Core i5-10400 CPU, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB solid-state drive will have you zipping through your daily home-office tasks as fast as it zipped to our Editor’s Choice list.
Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 Specs
- Desktop Class: Personal, Business
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10400
- RAM: 12 GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Dimensions: 13.78 x 6.42 x 13.39 inches
Design and Features
For a simple, home-office desktop, the Acer Aspire has a sleek style. It’s just step away from being completely plain, and we think the angular front panel design and plastic front will make it blend well into any home office setup. While some may favor the ribbed front design on the HP Envy Desktop, but both are among the nicer budget desktops.
On matters size, the Aspire TC-1660-UA92 is fairly compact. In fact, there’s no reason for budget desktops to be especially big, bearing in mind they are filled with basic components and are not meant for extensive upgrades. As such, the Acer Aspire measures just 13.4 by 6.4 by 13.8 (HWD), taking up very little desktop surface and able to fit in a small compartment in a desk.
Compared, the HP Envy is similarly sized at 13.3 by 6.1 by 11.9 inches, while the Lenovo IdeaCentre 510A is slightly trimmer at 14.4 by 5.7 by 11.2 inches.
Connectivity is quite solid, including a DVD-RW drive on the front panel alongside one USB-C port, a USB 3.2 port and headphone and mic jacks. The rear holds two more USB 3.2 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI connections, a VGA port, and a Gigabit Ethernet jack. Wireless connectivity comes via dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Also bundled into the package are a basic wired keyboard and mouse, which are nothing to write home about but get the job done.
Acer Aspire performance
- ROBUST COMPUTING HUB: Tackle any task—from basic computing to multimedia...
- 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400 6-Core Processor (Up to 4.3GHz)
- 12GB 2666MHz DDR4 Memory 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD 8X DVD-Writer Double-Layer Drive (DVD-RW)
Under the hood, our review unit packs 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400 6-Core Processor (4.3GHz), 12GB of memory, 512GB SSD storage. When stacked against its direct competitors, the Aspire has a leg up here with its 6-core processor, but part of the reason we like this system so much is that it’s including superior core components without much of a price increase.
The 10th Gen Core i5 CPU’s proficiency on multi-threaded tasks is impressive, and performs marginally better than previous-gen chips, and it gets higher clock speeds. This means you’re getting the Aspire at a lower price than most of its competitors, but with good aptitude at all-around productivity and multitasking in most home office tasks that you’ll need to complete.
While the newer processor and decent amount of RAM make for a capable desktop PC, as expected, its gaming chops are still very limited. You aren’t going to play modern games at high frames rates on the Intel UHD Graphics 630, maybe a few browser games and you’re done.
Should you need a desktop for around this price for work and some bit of gaming, the HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop is worth a long look, with its AMD Ryzen 5 processor and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. Still, the Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 remains a capable desktop for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet work, web browsing and home entertainment.
Verdict – The Best Value Available
The Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 is a great budget desktop, offering superior components and performance, offered a very reasonable price. Well, it doesn’t have any standout features, but it crucially avoids any obvious errors. While shopping at this price tier, you don’t look out for fancy extra features, and so we give the Aspire TC-1660-UA92 top marks for doing the essentials better than the rest at a good price, making it our new Editors’ Choice among budget desktops.
The Review
Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92
The Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 is a great budget desktop, offering superior components and performance, offered a very reasonable price. Well, it doesn’t have any standout features, but it crucially avoids any obvious errors
Recommended Configuration
Acer Aspire TC-1660-UA92 Desktop | 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10400 6-Core Processor | 12GB 2666MHz DDR4 | 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD | 8X DVD | Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 | Bluetooth 5.2 | Windows 10 Home
5 used from $419.00
PROS
- Great value.
- Best current performance for the category.
- Slick design with a small footprint.
CONS
- Somewhat cramped interior.
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 03:56 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
