Traditional tower desktops have had a good run.
All-in-one PCs–expensive upstarts just two or three years ago–have all but usurped the throne.
Towers will always have a special place in our hearts, as well as under the desks of
enthusiasts and professionals
who need more power and versatility. But for many PC users today,
all-in-ones just make more sense. They take up a fraction of the space
of a traditional PC, without sacrificing much in the way of performance.
And that performance has improved while prices have dropped, so you
don’t have to compromise. Most important, all-in-ones are paving the way
for touchscreen adoption outside of tablets and smartphones. Touch and
gestures are baked into the very core of
Microsoft’s Windows 8, and all-in-ones will be ahead of the curve.
You’ll find no stronger evidence of the trend than the great
selection of all-in-one PCs available today. Big-name desktop makers
such as HP and Lenovo offer a wide array of all-in-ones, and Dell has
jumped in on the action. Even laptop manufacturers like Samsung have
recently introduced their first all-in-ones (and, not coincidentally,
their first desktops) in years. You can expect plenty more once Windows 8
arrives, and
Intel’s Ivy Bridge CPUs will make all-in-one PCs faster and slimmer still.
Overall, the options are great: If you’d like a large display to
complement (or replace) a television, they don’t come any bigger than
the HP Omni 27, a goliath with a gorgeous 27-inch screen. If you need to
do some work, you’ll find plenty of strong performers: Lenovo’s
ThinkCentre Edge line stands out, providing machines that are
attractive, powerful, and stocked with security software and utilities
that small businesses can appreciate.
We tested all of these all-in-ones with our revamped WorldBench 7
benchmark suite, which pits PCs against a battery of tests based on
real-world usage models. Be sure to read “
How We Test PCs” to learn all about our new methods and the apps we use.
All-in-One PC Reviews
1. HP Touchsmart 9300 Elite: The Consummate Workhorse
HP’s 23-inch TouchSmart 9300 Elite is a business-centric, all-in-one
powerhouse. It may not be much to look at–it’s boring yet functional–but
it delivers excellent performance and sits on an easy-to-adjust stand;
the reclining design is very comfortable to use. It even tackles
multimedia rather well. As befits a business PC, our test model ran the
64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. If you’re seeking to get
things done, this all-in-one fits the bill very nicely.
2. HP Omni 27: Big Things in a Big Package
When we first saw HP’s Omni 27 sitting in the PCWorld Labs, we were
absolutely taken by its gorgeous, edge-to-edge, 27-inch glass screen.
The rest of the design leaves a little to be desired, but this screen is
definitely a step in the right direction. The only real complaint we
have is that it’s not a touchscreen, which is pretty much standard for
all-in-ones these days. Nevertheless, this is definitely an all-in-one
that can double as a small television. In our tests, for example,
Blu-ray playback was excellent, and HD video streaming looked very
smooth.
3. Lenovo IdeaCentre B320: HDTV, Budget All-in-One, or Just Confused?
Lenovo bills the 21.5-inch IdeaCentre B320 as a “sleek desktop” with
“two extreme missions”–to be an HDTV and to be a PC. It spreads itself a
bit thin, however. It has an unusual mix of attributes, and its
affordable price tag makes it a good fit for a cash-strapped college
student in a small dorm room. But if you’re looking for stronger media
capabilities and features (such as a Blu-ray drive) and you have a bit
more coin to spare, a larger machine could be a more satisfying
investment.
More
