The idea behind an all-in-one desktop is quite simple. You take all the components you would find in a traditional desktop setup and cram them into the monitor. As a result, you get a cleaner look with a relatively smaller overall footprint. The Acer Aspire C24-1700 AiO follows that blueprint to the tee. Priced at Rs 53,990, the AiO is an intriguing option indeed. Let’s take a quick look at what it has to offer.
Table of Contents
Design and build
The Acer Aspire AiO features a very good build that uses a mix of metal and plastic parts. For starters, everything is bright white, which adds to the clean aesthetic. You get two front-facing speakers with bottom-facing power, brightness, and display buttons next to it. The left side of the monitor has nothing, but the right features a USB Type-C SuperSpeed port, a USB Type-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD Card reader. There is also an RGB button that’s used to cycle between the various lighting styles.
At the back, you’ll find vents as well as the RGB lighting. Meanwhile, the rest of the ports are positioned at the bottom of the monitor, including the barrel port for power. At the top is the 5MP webcam that is tucked away inside the body of the monitor. When needed, users can just pop it out and use it. The camera itself swivels a few degrees vertically, letting people ensure they are in the centre. The camera housing is also a nice addition for those who value their privacy and don’t want the camera visible all the time.
The stand is made from solid metal, which gives a sense of assurance. It keeps things stable with minimal wobble. The monitor can move vertically and swivel forward and back a few degrees. Sadly, it cannot be rotated. However, it can be attached to the stand in portrait orientation.
There is nothing to take away from the build of the Acer Aspire C32-1700 AiO. It’s a very solid build. That being said, it has a few strange design choices. For starters, the ports are very awkwardly located. This may be an inconvenience for the first time you decide to plug an HDMI cable into the back, but it’s a one-time thing. Also, the downward-facing ports mean that the cables can be neatly managed and don’t stick out from the back.
The AiO comes with 2 RGB strips at the back. While RGB is generally associated with gaming gear, such as Acer Predator lineup, its addition here is a hit or miss based on your requirements. If you want the youthful look or the slight glow of RGB behind the AiO while you work into the night, it is there. If RGB isn’t your thing, you can always switch them off. It’s more of a personal choice based on the aesthetics you prefer and the statement you want to make on your work desk. It will no doubt appeal to the young at home for sure.
A tiny nitpick I have is that while the all-white design looks great, it might just be a dirt magnet over time. In the little time I was using the AiO, I could see some minor dirt and scuff marks build up on the keyboard and mouse. So you may want to ensure you keep the AiO clean as often as you can. My 5-year-old PS5 is white, and cleaning it regularly ensures it looks almost new (including the controller), so there is hope for the all white AiO.
Display, audio, and webcam
The Acer Aspire C24-1700 packs a 23.8-inch Full HD IPS display that should be more than enough for most users. The matte screen protector reduces glare by quite a bit, but at the cost of reduced viewing angles and a less vibrant screen. That being said, the display still looks pretty good and should be more than good enough for the average user. We watched some movies on Netflix, game trailers on YouTube, edited some documents, wrote this review, and more on the display, and it gets the job done quite well for everyday use. Videos are immersive, and text is crisp. A few people sitting and watching a movie is fine, but people sitting more than 50 degrees off centre will notice a colour shift. Overall, a good display for everyday use.
In terms of audio, the AiO packs two 3W front-facing speakers. The audio quality on these is average. While these won’t replace your speakers for movies and music, they get the job done for solo viewing, checking out some trailers on YouTube, and having music hum at low volumes while you work. If you do want to bring the house down, you can always connect a pair of desktop speakers to the 3.5mm ports, which is easier to access as it’s on the right side.
As mentioned above, the webcam is tucked away behind the monitor for privacy and has to be pulled out manually when you want to use it. The 5MP unit delivers impressive detail, and the swivel allows for limited vertical movement, ensuring you can move the camera and not the entire unit to get that perfect frame for a video call.
Accessories
The Acer Aspire C24-1700 comes with the brand’s OSKBWC001 mouse and keyboard combo that uses a single USB dongle to pair with the AiO – similar to what we’ve seen from numerous brands. They are fine for everyday use and are a full-sized keyboard that includes a dedicated number pad. While it does the job for everyday use, the keyboard feels a little spongy, and the mouse feels a bit small to my big hands. Mind you, this will get the job done for most use cases, but if you type a lot or use the mouse a lot for specific applications, you can consider an upgrade down the line.
Performance
At the heart of the Aspire C24-1700 is an Intel Core i5-12450H processor, which offers a decent level of performance. Those buying the AiO for everyday tasks will not be left wanting for sure, and the same is evident with the decent scores we got when we ran the PCMark 10 benchmark. I used the machine as my daily office desktop for a few days with multiple Chrome tabs open, and the AiO performed perfectly fine. The open tabs included a mix of word processing, Google Sheets, and YouTube, while the rest were websites.
While this machine is meant for the everyday user, we did try to run some intensive tasks like editing and gaming. This machine does not have a dedicated GPU, so you can get some basic editing done. For a full-blown editing rig, you will need to increase your budget. This isn’t a gaming AiO, but it managed to run GTA V and Valorant, which means that the kids in the house can have a casual gaming experience with basic games. To put numbers to the experience, we managed to get Valorant to run at an average of about 92 FPS. When we played a more demanding title like GTA V, we got an average of about 25 FPS. However, note that the settings for GTA V were cracked up to High, and toning it down will add to the framerates. Again, I’d like to reiterate that the AiO does not have a dedicated GPU, so playing casual games is what you can expect from this machine.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 53,900, the Acer Aspire C24-1700 is targeted at the home or office user who does not need a machine for demanding tasks. It can handle everyday work very well, such as document editing, PPTs, web browsing with 30 tabs open, school or work projects, and more. It is also decent for media content consumption. While the speakers are average for watching movies, you can always add headphones or computer speakers to the AIO. The keyboard and mouse get the job done, but are the only aspects I’d upgrade down the line, depending on my requirements. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, so whether you like the all white design with RGB, is something I’ll let you decide. If you are looking for an AIO for work from home, or college work, or need a computer for home use or the office, then this should get the job done nicely. Gamers, graphics designers, and those looking for a powerhouse will need to increase their budget significantly and look for specific hardware designed for their needs.
Editor’s rating: 7.5/10
Pros
- Clean design with solid build
- Good display
- Good quality webcam
- Decent everyday performance
Cons
- Not suitable for graphics-heavy workloads
