Who needs Microsoft, Intel or AMD? Not Acer

Acer defied desktop computing convention this week with the U.S. roll out of two all-in-one (AIO) desktop PCs that don’t include Microsoft Windows nor processors from Intel and AMD.

As the name would indicate, Acer’s new Chromebase AIOs have shunted aside Windows instead using Google’s Chrome operating system. However, the company did not stop there. Replacing the usual Intel or AMD processors is Nvidia’s Tegra K1 quad-core processor, but Acer noted the company has been selling its Chromebook 13 with an NVIDIA Tegra K1 for quite some time.

“We leverage the Nvidia Tegra K1 quad-core processor in our Chromebase AIOs for its speed and power efficiency, which translates to speedy multitasking, so customers can easily browse websites while streaming audio or working on a spreadsheet,” the company said

Going with Chrome does require the users have a Google account which gives them access to many pre-installed apps and the ability to download more from the Chrome app store.

The Google Chromebase comes in two varieties, one with a 10-point 21.5-inch touchscreen priced at $429 and one with a standard display of the same size that will carry a $329 price tag. Both will hit retailers this month. Acer also sees these units being used in a variety of business applications, particularly where space is at a premium.

The AIOs were originally introduced on April 1, but this is the first time they will be available to U.S. customers.

“The Acer Chromebase is ideal for customers wanting to leverage the speed and simplicity of the Chrome OS,” said Simon Chen, Acer America senior business manager. “We’re confident customers will also appreciate the automatic updates and layers of security that make this platform easy to use and hassle-free and at an affordable price.”
Except for the 1080p Full HD displays the two units have identical feature sets.

Each comes with a 16GB solid state drive (SSD) for storage, but Acer makes up for the lack of on-board storage space by offering for free 100GB of capacity for two years on Google Drive. Acer claims that between the Nvidia processors and SSD the units can boot up in 10 seconds or almost instantly from sleep mode.

Other features include 4GB of DDR3 1600Mhz memory, Nvidia’s Kepler graphics two 3-watt speakers, connectivity via an HDMI out, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports as well as 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless. The systems are bundled with a white USB keyboard and mouse.

With everyone from the Houston Astros to the Federal government getting hacked recently, Acer included several levels of security with the Chromebase. Chromebase’s TPM 1.2 chip encrypts and protects individual user’s data by generating and storing secure cryptographic keys. The protection is designed to ward off online threats, malware and viruses, the company said.