Review: Acer Veriton VL4630G Packs Power into a Small Space

The Acer Veriton VL4630G mini desktop computer packs plenty of processing power into a slim form factor. Weighing no more than 11 pounds and about the size of a reference book, it's perfect for the small space in which many federal workers find themselves. But despite the computer's size, its Intel Core i7 processor, which boasts more than ample memory, can handle even the demands of IT development staff whose workloads tend to push lesser machines to their limits. 

The sheer number of connectivity ports available on the VL4630G is impressive. The computer features a total of 10 USB ports, four of which are USB 3.0. It has separate headphone  and microphone jacks on both the front and the back, with an additional port on the back. Display options include standard VGA and DVI ports, plus two Display Ports. There's even a serial RS-232 and parallel port for users who need to connect to other specialized equipment — a rarity on a desktop with such a small form factor.

The Veriton VL4630G gives users a choice of operating systems: Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1. Switching between them was fairly simple. The Acer Recovery Management tool can restore the computer to factory defaults in either OS, with the option of retaining user data. Administrators can roll out Windows 7 for now, and then easily migrate staff over to Windows 8.1 if needed.

Boot time is fairly good for a desktop on a standard SATA drive: It takes about 20 seconds to log on and 8 seconds more until the machine is usable. In testing, Windows Experience Index results came back with 5.7 and 5.9 ratings, which is excellent for a machine in the Veriton VL4630G's price range.

One caveat: On 3DMark 11 tests (which are used primarily for gaming software but can be applied to video applications with high frame rates), the Veriton VL4630G scored just 750 and had some difficulty on a few of the more demanding demos. 

It may not be suited for graphics-intensive applications. For more information on the Acer Veriton VL4630G’s application suite, click here.