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We’re incredibly excited to be bringing our readers a review of this fantastic bit of tech. Delivering an obscene amount of power, accessibility and streamlined user-experience, all for less than $1000 – we want to give a full, no-holds-barred rundown of the Acer Aspire Z24 890 UA91 AIO.
Post Sections
- Introduction – Why Buy an Acer Aspire Z24 890?
- Performance Specs
- Ports on the z24 890
- Display
- Design
- Keyboard and Mouse
- Audio
- Additional Features
- Alternative Models
- Conclusion
Introduction – Why Buy an Acer Aspire Z24 890?
Let’s sum this up as simply as possible. If you are looking for a solid, capable, even impressive PC, the Acer Aspire Z24 890 delivers a fantastic product at an amazing value.
Acer Z24 Pros
- Great Price
- Performance – 512 GB SSD, 12 GB DDR4
- Nice 1080p Screen
- Alexa
- OneDrive Backup
- USB C Port and many other ports
Acer Z24 Cons
- No 4K Screen
- No Large Storage For Video
- Bulky keyboard (buy a bluetooth one yourself)
- No Apple ecosystem
- No Portability Like Laptop
Check Price and Availability on Amazon
This product will raise the eyebrows of savvy computer purchasers when they see the performance specs below, but there is a larger trend that explains this great value. As the market continues to crave smaller, thinner laptops, PC desktops have been declining in popularity.
If you don’t mind bucking the trend, this machine blows most mid-range laptops out of the water, while costing much less. Additionally, there is no tower to deal with. They have met the consumer half way by providing a great deal with a minimal footprint, with a wireless keyboard and mouse included.
Everything Performance
This particular model we’re reviewing harbors a multitude of high-performing features, perfectly matching the budget – and in some cases, it exceeds in delivery.
The Z24-890-UA91 is equipped with an Intel Core i5-9400T, an 9th generation processor, clocking in at an impressive 3.4GHz, along with 12GB of RAM and 512GB solid state drive. While the model is indeed an all-in-one, meant for multifarious uses like family computing tasks, home business computing, children’s learning, and easy photo editing, the Z24 is finds solid ground as a high-value jack of all trades that is capable.
Why SSD?
SSD (solid state drive) makes a huge difference in the speed of your computer. When you need to load something stored in the hard drive, an SSD is snappier than the traditional HDD (hard disk drives) that use magnetic storage and rotating platters. When you think of SSD, you can think of an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy.
This single difference in buying a computer has huge consequences. If you go with an old school HDD, you will get a 1 tb or 2 tb hard drive, which stores all your photos and videos, but it will be slower to load large files and programs.
If you go with the SSD 512 gb, like the Acer Aspire Z24, you don’t get as much space, but your machine will respond and load things faster. Note, to overcome the lack of storage, you can easily purchase an external hard drive and back up all your photos and videos for free on google photos.
After using an iMacs for several years that have HDD, it was shocking how much faster the Acer was. As a quick comparison, the lowest price iMac gives you a 1 tb HDD storage. If you want SSD, they will only give you 256 gb, and the cost is $200 extra. The Acer gives you 512 gb SSD out of the box.
12 gb DDR4 RAM, DIY Upgrade to 24 gb
The Acer Aspire Z24 890 comes with 12 gb DDR4 RAM. If you want something faster, you can actually upgrade the RAM for cheap yourself, another bonus of leaving the Apple ecosystem behind! You can upgrade 12 gb RAM to 24 gb RAM by replacing the existing 4 gb RAM slot with a 16 gb DDR4 RAM, which will cost around $60. In the coming weeks, there will be a post and video of this process.
To compare to Apple’s cheapest iMac, you get 8 gb DDR4 RAM out of the box. It costs $200 extra to upgrade to 16 gb RAM, which is pretty ridiculous, because you are almost getting that with the Acer out of the box (12 gb vs 16 gb).
Capable Performance, But Maybe Not For Hard Core Gamers
During intense gaming and demanding productivity tasks, the Z24’s 512GB SSD does start to shudder, but this is natural and again expected from a sub-$1000 machine. The booting on this model was incredibly fast (something we take for granted at times!) and switching between apps doesn’t hurt, so long as you don’t overindulge on app usage.
As there are no doubt one or two gaming enthusiasts in the audience, we don’t wish to disappoint: but the Z24’s integrated UHD Graphics 630 chip may not cut it for serious gaming. On the other hand, children especially can get the best out of the device with the less exotic activities like web-browser games, or simplistic games like Minecraft/Runescape.
Breaking Free From An Old Reputation
“Everything worked great out of the box. Easy set up. The SSD drive makes this work like a rocket-ship. Boot is seconds, rather than minutes. The SSD drive is one of the reasons people love Apple computers, those heavy 1TB+ hard drives will slow down the fastest computers. Picture and sound are both terrific, as are the wireless monitor and keyboard.’”– 5-Star Amazon Review
Acer has not always ranked high in quality in the past, and shoppers may be used to looking for Asus or Dell in the PC area. It can be hard to overcome a reputation as a “lower-end” computer, but this computer shines again and again in the reviews.
Those All-Important Ports
- 3 USB ports – 2 of 3 are Gen 2 3.1 USB
- 1 USB C Gen 2 3.1
- 2 HDMI – 1 input, 1 output
- SD Card Slot
- USB slot for Bluetooth keyboard and mouse under screen (preinstalled)
- Ethernet
- DVD Drive? Yes!
The Z24 model hosts a variety of ports; ideal for users with a multitude of needs from their all-in-one platforms. A trio of USB 3 ports allows for up-to-date use, working hard alongside a single USB-C port. On top of this, the Z24 is kitted out with two HDMI connectors, both an output and input, allowing for some pretty flexible possibilities for the monitor itself. For the usb port junky, fear not, you can always get a USB port hub.
Below the display on the bottom edge, you’ll find the traditional SD card slot for our photographers and editors in the audience, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a slick USB 2.0 port. Customers will probably make use of this port without even knowing it, as it comes preinstalled with a Bluetooth receiver that connects to your wireless keyboard and mouse (kindly included with the Z24!).
For potential customers thinking network, the Z24 provides both a wired LAN port and built-in Wi-Fi, as well as standard access to Bluetooth.
The Display
The display itself boasts a pretty smooth matte finish, allowing for full dominion over excessive glare from external light sources (something that annoys the hell out of us!).
When pitted against other models, (for example, Apple’s 2019 iMac of a similar size) the lack of 4K resolution did leave an unpleasant taste in our mouths. But keep in mind, the lowest price iMac utilizes a 1080p monitor just like the Acer Z24, which is great for regular computing.
Acer has our backs for the monitor: the Color Intelligence module allows for some pretty unwavering customization and optimization of the display, so we can tweak and pull at the settings until they’re just right for us. Impressively, Acer knew full-well that users would be spending a lot of time working on projects with this model (and that children would likely tinker, too) so they provided Bluelight Shield, a display parameter that reduces blue light emissions from the screen to better protect user eyes. Pair this with flicker reduction for smoother viewing, and we have ourselves a pretty intuitive system designed for comfort.
The Z24 harbours anti-glare monitor features and full HD, 1920×1080 resolution. The monitor boasts an impressive 14ms response time in LED.
The display is also relatively thin for the device’s power: 1.4 inches in depth allows for light movement if relocation is necessary for remote workers/travellers.
A Pretty Sleek Design
All-in-ones are not traditionally smooth. Oftentimes we’ve excessive bulk, some rigid structures and heavy hardware. Acer Aspire turns this tradition on its head, and does it with style. The black-silver colour scheme allows for blending in with the rest of the office, and the narrow bezels on its 23.8-inch display makes for a seamless UX.
A Y-shaped base hooks to the back, providing the user with considerable flexibility, vertical-angle adjustment and limited horizontal adjustment. Admittedly, the Z24 hosts limited ergonomic adjustments. It is the trade-off for a cost-effective all-in-one, comparative to the pricier models on the market that allow for almost limitless repositioning.
The construction of the Z24 is a case of what you see is what you get. For users of high-end, portable devices, the model may appear somewhat clunky, and the faux-metal across the board doesn’t help this fact. The trim, base and stand provided by Acer are each kitted out with the faux-metal, and some colorful customers may see this as a tad bland. We like simplicity, though – so it suits us.
An important note: there is no way to adjust the height of the Z24. This is pretty common in the world of all-in-ones, and it’s not as big an issue as it sounds (particularly if you work statically on the device). People don’t mind that the height of a laptop monitor can’t be adjusted, but you can adjust the tilt. Similarly, it is easy to adjust the tilt of the Acer monitor. If you want to adjust the height, the Apple iMac Pro Monitor stand is only $1000, so the higher-end markets might have you covered (please excuse the sarcasm)!
We were actually pretty surprised by a ‘sore thumb’ feature that refuses to embrace cloud computing in 2020: A tray-loading DVD drive.
While this may have been an absolute essential a decade ago, it struck us as a bit of an anomaly. Yes, lots of users will still have extensive access to DVDs (don’t we all!?) but actually dusting them off and enjoying a crackly flick is a whole different story.
Complementary Keyboard & Mouse
The model comes with a generous helping of accessories, including the Aspire range’s classic keyboard and mouse. Both of these accessories are connected through a small wireless dongle, which is why we suggest users take advantage of the USB port available on the bottom-edge of the chassis which comes preinstalled.
It takes up very little space, and is absolutely not an eye-sore. The dongle is easy to forget about once it’s plugged in.
Keyboards are always a hot topic, and we need to discuss the included accessory with the Z24-890. It’s comfortable (within reason), and the chiclet keys with standard sensitivity makes for a painless typing experience. If you don’t like the large keyboard with number pad, there is no reason to abandon the Acer. You can easily replace it with this highly rated Bluetooth keyboard with a smaller footprint for a very low cost.
On the other side, the included mouse is also painless, but nothing to brag about. You need a single AA battery to power it (which is quite annoying for any seasoned PC user) and it works like a standard mouse. It feels normal and comfortable in the user’s hand.
Audio Summary
The raw audio quality of the Z24 was pretty impressive by our standards, and again, for a sub-$1000 product, Acer have pulled out a series of stops to provide their userbase with an impressive, out-of-the-box sound solution.
Downward-firing, internal speakers allows for a seamless, thin experience without the bulkiness of external speakers or accessories, but we still recommend a harder-hitting Bluetooth-compatible device for true audio enjoyment.
The volume levels are also nothing to scoff at; even at factory settings and without installs/tinkering. The bass is ultimately quite shallow, but we don’t expect many buyers of the Z24 to be incredibly obsessed with audio, anyway.
Additional Features
Above the sleek screen is a humble, integrated webcam. The Z24 webcam has full-HD capabilities, with an impressive resolution for Zoom calls and Skype with family. But again, back to the price-point, the picture quality is ultimately good, but not incredible.
It captures well in ordinary lighting and allows for simple details and facial pick-up, but most colors do blend together in a mesh. It is exactly what we’d expect from a built-in webcam; especially one belonging to an all-in-one PC.
There are also four built-in microphones that pair well with the webcam for live calls and conversations. With fair-field listening capability, you can not only talk to peers via call and over video, but the device actually hears out for Amazon Alexa or Microsoft Cortana voice assistants in wider room settings, allowing for easy-to-access command when needed.
The quadruple-pronged microphones pick up surprisingly well, and we liked the reach. So, if you’re not looking to purchase an Echo or related Amazon products for the voice command centre, the Z24 has you covered.
Alternative Models To Consider
The model we have in mind for this review is the Z24-890-UA91 AIO. While we’re pretty satisfied with this model, there’s no reason to neglect the other options if your budget provides.
If you go with a Dell with similar specs, check out the Dell Inspirion 7000. It has 12 gb memory like the Acer, but only 128 GB SSD storage (instead of 512 gb). To overcome the disparity, the Dell also comes with 1 tb HDD storage. This model will cost somewhere around $400 more. Ouch! You can buy the Acer and an external hard drive for about $50 to store your large videos and photos, and enjoy 4 times the SSD storage for much less!
If you want an Acer with similar specs but in packaged in a smaller, laptop form, check out the Acer Aspire 5.
For shock and awe, note the lowest price iMac with 8 gb DDR4 RAM and 1 TB HDD storage costs $1100.
Final Verdict
We revert back to the price-point to dictate our final judgment of the Z24 890. Acer have come leaps and bounds in recent years with their various ranges, and the Aspire set of products allows for some fantastic options. As an all-in-one, you are naturally never going to be served the immense power of standalone devices like with, for example, modern high-end iMacs with the best specs.
We feel like a broken record – but for under $1000, the holy ground with very little high-performing machines, the Z24 boasts a great experience. It’s a perfect buy for family-orientated use and work from home essentials, while offering moderate versatility.
With a solid 12 gb DDR4 memory and 512 gb SSD storage provision, it beats most sub-$1000 PCs in terms of bang for your buck. The lack of a powerful graphics card holds the Z24 back from being a tremendously well-rounded all-in-one, at least for us. You’ll love it for casual home use, and if you’re not a serious gamer, the Z24 890 UA91 will hold up.
We recommend you check it out, and be on the lookout for more reviews from our team. Have a great month.