Acer Veriton Desktop PCs Get a Makeover

The Acer Veriton M265, Veriton M412G and Veriton M670G desktops have all received a design update for more intuitive use, simplified repairs and better physical integrity.  
 
The new design includes open air vents on the front of the systems, for improved ventilation; a series of slats covering a mesh panel, to strengthen and reinforce the structural integrity of the PCs; and side skirts with slanted surfaces, for greater sturdiness.
 
A hinged, cableless front bezel has been added, making the PCs simpler to open for repairs, and for the same purpose, a new interior layout allows for the hard drive, optical drive and floppy drive to each be accessed directly and individually, without removing additional parts.
 
The PCI cards, power supply, hard drives and other hardware have been better organized in dedicated locations, making the interior of the PC more of a pleasure to navigate and allowing for a tool-less retrieval of parts.
 
Users sharing a cubicle or desk with the PCs will appreciate that the new Veriton models can be oriented either vertically or horizontally and their I/O ports have been moved to the front and top of the PC, putting an end to mingling with dust bunnies on all fours in order to plug in a peripheral device.
 
Each also includes Acer's One-Button Recovery function-a button located on the front of the PCs that will restore the PC to the last system backup or Veriton's original factory default settings, in the event that operating system files are lost or damaged.
 
The Veriton M265-ED2220C, starting at $419, runs Windows Vista Business and includes an Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2220 processor (1MB of L2 cache, 2.40GHz, 800MHz FSB), an Intel G31 Express chip set, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM (double data rate 2 synchronous dynamic random access memory) and a 160GB SATA (serial ATA) hard disk drive.
 
An M265-BE1400C has the same chip set and Vista OS but an Intel Celeron Dual-Core processor E14000 (512KB L2 cache, 2.0GHz, 800MHz FSB) and comes with a 19-inch TFT LCD screen. Prices start at $499.
 
The Veriton M412, starting at $439, also runs Windows Vista Business but includes an AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core processor 5000B (2 x 512KB L2 cache, 2.6GHz), an AMD 780G chip set, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM and a 160GB (2) SATA hard drive.
 
Lastly, the Veriton M670G, starting at $899, runs Windows Vista Business, has an Intel CoreTM 2 Quad Q9400 processor (6MB L2 cache, 2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB), an Intel Q45 Express chip set with Intel ICH10DO, 3GB of DDR3 800MHz and a 320GB SATA hard drive.
 
On March 23, Acer released the Veriton X270 desktop PC, which also featured an improved design for easier use and repair.
 
Acer is currently the No. 3 vendor for PCs, and is second in line for notebook sales; its notebook lines include Acer, Gateway and eMachines.
 
An eWEEK special report on other inexpensive computer options, including Acer desktops and notebooks, can be seen here.