Similar to the relationship between netbooks and laptops (or notebooks), nettops are not only smaller versions of desktops, but are also less expensive and consume less power. Acer in particular became one of the foremost nettop manufacturers, with the 2009 debut of the Acer Aspire Revo.

Typically loaded with the Windows 7 or Windows Vista operating system, the Acer Aspire Revo uses a slim form factor and weighs less than 2 pounds. That’s about half the size of the average laptop PC. The Revo usually has a single- or dual-core Intel Atom processor, which is paired with the NVIDIA Ion chipset for handling all of the computer’s tasks. The nettop can accommodate up to 4 GB of RAM, which is a lot for a computer of its design and classification. That means you would barely have to worry about any slowdown when you are surfing the Internet or checking your email.

The Acer Aspire Revo is particularly renowned for its robust collection of ports. It has six USB ports: two in the front, four in the back. So, you can hook up anything from printers to external hard drives. Also on the nettop are headphone and microphone jacks, HDMI port for hooking up an HDTV, VGA port for an external computer display, and an Ethernet port for wired Internet connectivity with a data rate of up to 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps). And speaking of connectivity, you can rely on the Revo’s 802.11b/g/n network adapter for connecting wirelessly to the Internet.

The Acer Aspire Revo typically comes with a 250 GB or 500 GB hard disk drive for data storage, and there’s a 4-in-1 card reader for removable flash memory. Packaged with the Revo are a wireless keyboard and mouse, thus eliminating messy wires.

The Acer Aspire Revo is perfect if you need a desktop PC that is inexpensive, easy to carry around, does basic computing, or can be transformed into a small home theater or media center. To get one, check your local retail store or go online today.