Mainstream all-in-one desktop roundup

Rich Brown
September 8, 2010

Now that every major PC vendor sells an all-in-one desktop, you might think they would fall into a midtower-style, minimally differentiated rut. But in our reviews of recent all-in-ones, we found noticeable variations in screen size, performance, connectivity, and HD video capability.

Acer Aspire 5700-U2112

The $1,099 Acer Aspire Z5700 and the $899 Gateway One ZX6900-01e are our favorite systems in this roundup. Both feature a 23-inch display, the largest of the systems reviewed below. The Gateway also boasts a Blu-ray drive, which makes it a strong self-contained home entertainment system, whereas the Acer has faster general performance, as well as an HDMI input that lets you connect external video components.
At its original $899 price tag, we didn't love HP's TouchSmart 300-1120 because of its slow speed and small 20-inch display. You can find it for $649 now, a price that gives it a new competitive outlook.


Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 401810U

We also appreciate Lenovo's unique take on the traditional all-in-one design with its distinct IdeaCentre A300. The lack of an optical drive hurts, and its performance isn't productivity-friendly, but at least you get an HDMI input, and the 21.5-inch display supports 1080p resolutions.


Vaio J114FX

We don't have the same enthusiasm for the Sony Vaio J114FX, which uses the same screen as the Lenovo and also comes with a Blu-ray drive. The problem is the Vaio's $969 price tag. Compare that with the $899, Blu-ray-equipped Gateway and its 23-inch screen, and the point should be obvious. The fact that the Sony is dog-slow and has a puny hard drive adds further insult.


Apple iMac

Finally, the 21.5-inch Apple iMac is the most expensive all-in-one in this group at $1,199. It also has one of the smaller displays and lacks Blu-ray. Unlike the other systems, the iMac is focused squarely on performance, and its saving grace is the fact that it's the fastest system here. That won't be enough for everyone, and Apple's reliance on the 21.5-inch display can't last long with 23-inch all-in-ones for less becoming more common. Given the competitive pressure, we suspect Apple will have to make some dramatic improvements to its next-generation entry-level iMacs.