- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 16 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Functional but irritating"
Pros: Sleek design, many features, low price.
Cons: Instructions poor or nonexistant, excessive pushing of software applications, possible malfunction of audio system
Summary: I am a moderately sophisticated PC user. So I was disappointed but not intimidated by the single sheet of visually oriented instructions. The machines are made in China and widely distributed. Fortunately, the Vista software did a flawless job of getting the basics setup (e.g., connecting monitor, keyboard, printer, getting on the Internet). However, connecting other peripherals can be problematic. For example, I spent an hour attempting to connect the Acer speakers. Configuring analog or digital output through the Control panel menu was was only partly successful; I never did figure out how to use the digital output to the Acer speakers, and settled to using the analog output to my own speakers. The on-board user's guide is very brief and lacks step-by-step setup instructions or trouble-shooting procedures. The absence of a printed instruction manual or a CD with a low-priced computer is understandable, but the failure to provide a detailed software user's guide is inexcusable. And Acer's Web page as of February 2009 has some instructions for their x1600 but none for the x1700. The bottom line is is that when it comes to figuring out the details of this machine, you are on your own. This is unfortunate because a little effort on the manufacturer's part could make the initial use of this PC a lot more friendly. It is one of the reasons so many people prefer Macs over PCs.
