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At $300, it has a high bang for the buck ratio, and even though it only has a single-core processor, it can compete with and surpass systems with dual-core Atom processors. For these reasons, the ER1402-05 earns our Editors' Choice award as the standalone nettop to get if you're trying to save money while still getting a full-fledged PC computing experience.
Design
The ER1402-05 is a compact nettop, like the Acer AspireRevo R3610-U9022 ($330 list, ). It has a slim form factor with a black and silver color design. The ER1402-05 measures about 8 by 1.5 by 8 inches (HWD) without the included detachable stand; while connected to the stand, it's 11 by 4 by 10 inches (HWD). The extra width is a result of extra space at the base, which keeps the system from tipping over. The system has a green LED embedded in the base—a flashy addition that adds to the ER1402-05's attractive design.
eMachines sells an optional bracket, so you can mount the ER1402-05 behind your HDTV or monitor. It fits well in a home theater setup, since it has a HDMI port to hook up your HDTV and SPDIF port to hook it up to your surround sound system. Along with the HD-friendly ports, the system has 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 4 USB ports, VGA, and wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is an island-style one, and omits the numeric keypad to more comfortably fit on your lap. I would have like to see an MCE remote bundled in for couch surfing sites like Hulu, but the wireless keyboard and mouse are sufficient.
Features
The ER1402-05 has a compact AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and a 160GB hard drive. The Neo K125 processor is a power-saving single-core model, which is becoming less common these days. Most desktops and many nettops come with at least dual-core processors. The system's 160GB hard drive is a little small for a consumer desktop these days. While a business desktop or nettop's hard drive can be smaller (like 80GB), consumers tend to keep digital memories and entertainment on their hard drives. Videos, music, photos, and other downloads can fill up a 160GB hard drive quickly.
The Mini-e ER1402-05 came bundled with bloatware, including stuff like eBay, eMachines games (by Wild Tangent), Microsoft Office 60-day trial, NetFlix, Norton Internet Security 60 day trial, a trial for Norton Online backup (30-days), Microsoft Works SE (the ad-supported version), and Skype. It would be better if eMachines simply had a central Website or program that lets you choose what is pre-installed.
For the complete article go to:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2367141,00.asp
