Acer Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi3O Desktop PC Review

We purchased the Acer Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi3O Desktop PC so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

The Acer Aspire TC-885-ACCFLi3O Desktop PC is an efficient and compact desktop computer featuring an Intel Core i-38100 processor, which delivers efficient processing and fast performance for general use. Although this is not a PC you will want to game on, its 8th generation 3.6GHz processor is plenty powerful to handle home and general business applications. 

The TC-885 excelled at editing home videos, photos, and multitasking taking into account the affordable price. Read on for a closer look at its capabilities.

Design: Compact and attractive

The Acer TC-885's relatively small size makes it ideal for a small desk or home office. The TC-885 is vertically oriented and has an attractively angled, minimal front panel. The front houses the power button, a slim (and vertical) DVD read and write optical drive, a headphone jack, a microphone input, one standard USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port. The DVD drive tray does feel a little bit fragile compared to other optical drives in similarly priced PC's, but it ejected and operated without any issues during testing.

On the rear panel, the TC-885 houses two HDMI connections, which is handy for a potential multiple monitor set-up or connection to a TV plus monitor. Additionally, the rear panel houses one VGA connection, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, one Gigabyte Ethernet jack, one extra audio line-in, and audio line out. Lastly, the rear panel has access for one 5.25-inch external bay.

Setup Process: Quick activation, but Windows 10 Home came with bloatware

After connecting the included keyboard and mouse we booted the machine up and followed the on-screen instructions to activate the pre-installed version of Windows 10 Home. Activating Windows 10 went smoothly, allowing us to either connect offline or link a Microsoft account. The TC-885 then asked us to create or link an Acer account, but you can skip this step if you have privacy concerns.

Privacy control brings us to a concern we found with the Acer TC-885; the PC is loaded with bloatware. Bloatware is a general term that can refer to unnecessary software that is included on a PC by the manufacturer. While not absolutely terrible, this bloatware is unfortunate. Certain apps that we would normally be comfortable using, like Firefox, came with Amazon shopping extensions, which seems a bit sneaky. What was most unwanted was the Amazon and Norton apps pushing promotional pop-ups during our testing. It all feels a bit cheap, but can easily be uninstalled with a bit of time by using Microsoft's Add or Remove program.

Performance: Fast processing on an affordable PC

The TC-885 excelled at all the general use tasks we put it to. The PC was capable of running several applications at the same time, running multiple browser tabs, and streaming content while multitasking. The TC-885 performed nicely at basic video editing. The TC-885 isn't a serious workstation PC, but it was able to work with footage we shot on our phone and add titles, soundtracks, and some video effects just fine. Render times were relatively fast too.

The speed and productivity of the Aspire TC-885 is in large part thanks to two key performance-oriented features this Acer comes with: its Core i3-8110 CPUT and 16GB of Intel Optane Memory. The Intel Core i3-8100 is an 8th gen, 2017-era CPU that is part of the Coffee Lake series. The Core i3-8100 is a quad-core processor with 6MB cache that has a base frequency of 3.6GHz. We found that this processor easily outperformed the older generation Core i5 processors in some other PCs we tested.

The second key feature on the TC-885 is 16GB of Intel Optane Memory. This augments the hard disk drive (HDD) by storing data from frequently used applications and programs to create fast loading times and overall faster system performance. Intel Optane Memory has attributes that are analogous to solid-state drive (SSD) technology and can be thought of a memory system that is like a hybrid between an HDD and an SSD. It’s specifically designed to operate as cache memory for the HDD, making multitasking easier and enabling fast in-app performance for more demanding uses like video editing.

PCMark 10 scores are relative to a PC's hardware, but an expensive high-end 4K gaming PC will score in the 5,000 point region. The TC-885 had a total overall score of 3,074, which is classified by PCMark10 as performing 17 percent better than most results for business-grade desktops.

The graphics processing test scores were a weak spot for the TC-885. This Acer Aspire model utilizes integrated graphics processing called Intel Ultra High Definition (UHD) graphics 630. 

In GFXBench 5.0, the TC-885 was able to render 75.7 frames per second (fps) for the T-Rex Chase test and 23.2fps for Car Chase. These scores are middle of the road average for the lower-end integrated graphics, and gamers will not find this performance ideal. The one plus side to the TC-885's integrated graphics is the PC can support 4K playback and 4K streaming.

Network: Fast Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth

Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable, and the Acer TC-885 operated with good signal range for home or office use. The PC automatically detected and connected to our wireless network during the setup process. The Wi-Fi card supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections. The Acer TC-885 also supports Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity (a rare find), and has one Gigabit Ethernet port for wired internet connection.

Price: 8th gen components are good value

The Acer TC-885-ACCFLi3O has a $450 MSRP, but is currently retailing on major online outlets for about $400. When it comes to the value and price of an affordable desktop PC there is a lot to consider, but it can easily be argued that storage and the generation of components in your machine are two of the most important factors. The TC-885 features a 1TB hard drive which is good amount of storage considering the Acer's compact size. Further, the Acer TC-885's combination of 8th generation Intel Core i3-8100 and 16GB of Intel Optane Memory makes this desktop an especially good value for the $400 price range.

Acer TC-885-ACCFLi3O Desktop PC vs. Dell Inspiron 3470 Desktop PC

The Dell Inspiron 3470 has an MSRP starting at $396, but is currently retailing online for cheaper than the TC-885, selling for about $370. This Dell has the same Intel Core i3-8100 processor with integrated UHD 630 graphics, the same 8GB of DDR4 RAM plus the same 1TB hard drive. 

Similarly, the Inspiron 3470 includes a DVD read and write optical drive, media card reader, and included keyboard plus mouse. The one omission is the Intel Optane Memory that the Acer TC-885 features. That said, this newer generation of memory system acceleration is not imperative to general or business use and the Inspiron 3470 is still a good option on a fixed budget.

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