All in one PCs

clv101 · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:15

What do people think about all in one systems, for example the HP TouchSmart 300-1115uk (cnet review)?

It's ~£650 and while its specs aren't amazing (AMD Athlon II X2 235e (2.7GHz), 4 GB, Radeon 3200, Touch-enabled 20" (1600x900), 500 GB, DVD writer, card reader, WLAN, speakers, Webcam/mic, USB mouse/kb) it is a complete comprehensive system with a small footprint, assume it'll be pretty quiet etc.

Friend of mine is thinking of getting one asked me what I think. My initial thoughts were negative, but then they are only wanting to do fairly simple stuff (Web/IM/Office/photos/iPlayer). No games, no hardcore PhotoShop etc. Space, noise, aesthetics etc. are important. Entry level iMac is too expensive.

These days - when even pretty basic hardware will be good for years to come (it's not 2000 any more when you needed to upgrade every 6 months), I'm thinking these all in one systems might be a good choice.

Philtor · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:19

Do these not use proprietary parts? So in other words if the PSU fails or the System board then you have to go through Hp for the repair and/or parts? Just thinking once it's over 1 year old and if something went wrong. Nice looking machine all the same

AtticusFinch · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:19

Mac Mini?

Redmint · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:19

Nice alternative to small form factor machines if you don't want to buy a Mac.

clv101 · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:22

I did think about a Mac Mini, however once a monitor, keyboard, mouse... not to mention webcam, card reader etc is added it's quite a lot more expensive. Also, Mac Mini suffers the same kind of problem of being non-upgradable, proprietary parts etc. I guess the non-upgradeable aspect isn't really a big deal these days and the proprietary parts of a Mac Mini setup wouldn't be as serious as some low volume system like the HP above.

clv101 · 2 Aug 2010 at 14:30

I guess for £650 one could build a nice system around a case like the Lian Li Mini-Q, it would be a little bigger/more wires etc... but more powerful and better for the future. Hmm...

A system like this for example:

Similar price... but no webcam/mic, no card reader, no speakers, no touch screen, not as neat and tidy.

mattyfez · 2 Aug 2010 at 15:01

I would suggest a build similar to the above, or even a laptop, as that is essentially what it is.

J.B · 2 Aug 2010 at 15:39

A guy I know got one for his parents last Christmas, I dont think they are that bad if you dont want anything amazing and just want to go on the internet. Obviously the design appeals to a lot of people as they look quite slick. And fairly energy effecient.

£650 seems quite a bit though, I imagine you are paying for the touch enabled screen, if thats not an important feature might be worth shopping around a bit.

clv101 · 2 Aug 2010 at 22:12

Looking at the Dell Inspiron Zino HD, seems like a nice system. Only thing is, it's based around the AMD 3250E 1.5GHz. It's duel core, around twice as fast as an Atom, but only half as powerful as a ~2.5GHz C2D. Question is, is that fast enough? I have my doubts whether it will really cut it for a main PC, even if it won't be used for gaming, video processing etc.

I'm thinking an i3 ITX system is the best best. It's not as small as the Zino (or Mac Mini) but is plenty powerful and only around £100 more for the complete system.