Acer is making building your own PC as simple as snapping together Lego bricks. Much like Google‘s Project Ara and Phonebloks that let people customize their smartphones, Acer’s new Revo Build Series does the same, but for a mini PC.
The Revo Build Series’ base unit is a 4.92-inch square “block” with an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor and a system memory of up to 8GB DDR4 RAM. Additional blocks can be stacked on top of it, each bringing more functionality.
A 500GB/1TB portable hard drive block will be available at launch, and other blocks including an audio block, a wireless power bank, and other modules will be rolled out slowly.
Acer
Even if the blocks aren’t connected magnetically by the pogo pins that hold them together, they can still operate by themselves or with other computers.
Acer’s personalized PC will be rolling out in October in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East—locations where cheap, personalized computers might appeal to a growing number of Internet users in emerging markets. The modular computer will also launch in China in December. There’s no word on when it will be available in the U.S.
Because the computer can be built and customized entirely without modifying the frame or the electronics running inside the PC, it could also be a great product for students. They’re already used to playing with toys and blocks—making their own PCs will just be a technical upgrade.
Prices start at 99€, meaning the relatively inexpensive parts could let students customize their own computers for the classroom, and learn about hardware along the way.
Photo via Acer
