Packard Bell oneTwo Li5871
For the cheapest machine on test, the Packard Bell oneTwo Li5871 measures up brilliantly. It’s a pared-back version of its brother- from-the-same-mother- company, the Acer Aspire Z5801, and you can get it for £200 less online, making it a real bargain.
The oneTwos frame lacks the metal legs and large speaker bar of the Aspire. but that could be a plus. depending on your aesthetic proclivities. A lack of Blu-ray drive is a more serious fault.
Overall, it certainly doesn’t feel :heap. The only physical drawback s that it sits a little too low to the desk for comfort — a problem that can be levelled at most all-in-ones without height-adjustable stands. The screen itself is one of the more responsive in terms of touch, and boasts respectably bright and well contrasted colours. Although it lacks discrete graphics, a true quad-core CPU gives it top-notch desktop processing power, making it more powerful than the dual- core Toshiba, with a better display and no major design flaws to hold it back. If you plan to game or watch Blu-rays, it’s well worth spending the extra £150 on the Asus ET2410 for its separate graphics card. But if you’re not a gamer, this Packard Bell is an ideal alternative.
Toshiba Qosmio DX730-102
Toshiba’s first all—in-one machine is so narrow that you wonder where they hid the PC. But packed somewhere into this size-zero case is a decent dual-core CPU, a Blu-ray drive and a 1TB hard disk.
The design — with its large metal stand and a thick, black, recessed bezel — is pretty unexciting. But It’s inoffensive enough to go anywhere, and what’s more it’s the quietest of the machines on test. In fact, this PC is as near to silent as you get, easily fading into the background. What lets the Toshiba down Is that It’s terrible value for money. The screen is merely passable. with average image quality and a fairly responsive surface — better than the HP, but not in the same class as the Asus. It also lacks a discrete graphics card, relying instead on the internal Intel HD 3000 graphics. This is very limiting in terms of gaming — newish titles will play on it. but they’ll need to be pared right down to low settings.
If you’re not an Intensive gamer and find the Qosmio at a reduced price — and you can, online — it’s worth a look asa work machine. Tons of Tosh’s corporate-friendly productivity software comes preinstalled, as does a handy TV tuner. But at list price, we can’t recommend It over the competition.
Asus EeeTop ET2410
It may not be the best looking PC we’ve ever tested, but behind that clunky black bezel lurks a killer all-In—one all-rounder.
For starters, there’s a quad—core CPU and a respectable GeForce 540M graphics card, which provide roughly double the 3D rendering power of the Acer. Together, they make desktop software fly and have a decent stab at running games, too. It may be a little underpowered to run Battlefield 3 on Ultra (what isn’t?), but performance is better by far than on most all-In-ones. Skyrim is very smooth, even when you get towards the highest settings.
The screen is highly responsive to fingertips, and thanks to the heavy stand, it won’t wobble around as you prod away at pixels or type exuberantly on your desk. Importantly, it’s also a very good panel by non-touch standards — colours are rich and full of contrast, with dark blacks, bright whites and nice wide viewing angles.
With a built-in Blu-ray drive arid a reasonable price tag, there’s little to fault this machine on, and it avoids every issue which catches out the other contenders. The Asus may not make much of a first impression, but spend a little time with it and It’s a dear winner.
HP Touchsmart 520-1080
HP has more experience with touchscreen all-in—ones than anyone else, and it shows. Its latest Touchsmart is a tidy package with an innovative hinged design that’s stable and easy to adjust, and the responsive screen picks up gestures quickly and smoothly. For general desktop work, the dual-core processor and AMD graphics have all the power you’ll ever need. But despite its discrete graphics card, the Touchsmart isn’t much of a gamer — the Radeon silicon is the slowest on test and struggles, for example, with Skyrim even on lower settings.
While the HP’s screen is well-designed for touch, it doesn’t look as good as some of its rivals. Black levels aren’t terrible, but they’re noticeably weaker than others. Where the Touchsmart 520 does score points, though, is as an all-round entertainment machine. There’s a TV tuner, a media centre remote and a Blu-ray drive all Included. An external power brick means that It’s thankfully bereft of fan noise, with a barely audible whisper coming from the coolers.
If you see yourself as a regular touchscreen user, then the HP is definitely worth considering. But If touch control Is orgy an occasional luxury, then look elsewhere.
Acer Aspire Z5801
The Acer Aspire Z5801 presents a Mac-like face to the world. There’s plenty of power In the quad-core innards of this PC, and a large 24in screen fits flush to the bezel, giving a very comfortable desktop area.
And it1s not just the size of the screen that’s so Impressive. It’s 24in of excellent quality, with wide viewing angles and punchy colours that stay bright and strong right up to the edges of the display.
Not everything about it is perfect, though. Thanks to its large speaker bar and protruding stand, the Acer sits very high on the desk and is always tilted away from you, not facing you flat. As far as posture goes, reaching out to touch the screen is almost painful. The Acer is also unique in that its stand can fold back so the screen sits at around 30, like a giant tablet. It’s good for using with fingers, but again, not exactly comfortable, and you’ll probably revert to putting it in the upright position most of the time.
Another negative comes with the fan: it’s noisy and seemingly always on, which quickly becomes annoying. Such design quirks are frustrating, because the Z5801 Is almost Ideal for an all-In-one — they Just hold It back from greatness.
For the cheapest machine on test, the Packard Bell oneTwo Li5871 measures up brilliantly. It’s a pared-back version of its brother- from-the-same-mother- company, the Acer Aspire Z5801, and you can get it for £200 less online, making it a real bargain.
The oneTwos frame lacks the metal legs and large speaker bar of the Aspire. but that could be a plus. depending on your aesthetic proclivities. A lack of Blu-ray drive is a more serious fault.
Overall, it certainly doesn’t feel :heap. The only physical drawback s that it sits a little too low to the desk for comfort — a problem that can be levelled at most all-in-ones without height-adjustable stands. The screen itself is one of the more responsive in terms of touch, and boasts respectably bright and well contrasted colours. Although it lacks discrete graphics, a true quad-core CPU gives it top-notch desktop processing power, making it more powerful than the dual- core Toshiba, with a better display and no major design flaws to hold it back. If you plan to game or watch Blu-rays, it’s well worth spending the extra £150 on the Asus ET2410 for its separate graphics card. But if you’re not a gamer, this Packard Bell is an ideal alternative.
TECH SPECS
Screen 23in, 12Ox1 080
CPU Quad-core Intel Core i5 2400S 2.56Hz
Memory 4GB RAM/i TB HDD
Graphics Intel HD 3000
BIu-ray/DVD-RW No/Yes
Connectivity Wireless N, 5D, USB2.0 (x4), U583.0 (x2), 50, TV tuner, HDMI-in
Toshiba Qosmio DX730-102
Toshiba’s first all—in-one machine is so narrow that you wonder where they hid the PC. But packed somewhere into this size-zero case is a decent dual-core CPU, a Blu-ray drive and a 1TB hard disk.
The design — with its large metal stand and a thick, black, recessed bezel — is pretty unexciting. But It’s inoffensive enough to go anywhere, and what’s more it’s the quietest of the machines on test. In fact, this PC is as near to silent as you get, easily fading into the background. What lets the Toshiba down Is that It’s terrible value for money. The screen is merely passable. with average image quality and a fairly responsive surface — better than the HP, but not in the same class as the Asus. It also lacks a discrete graphics card, relying instead on the internal Intel HD 3000 graphics. This is very limiting in terms of gaming — newish titles will play on it. but they’ll need to be pared right down to low settings.
If you’re not an Intensive gamer and find the Qosmio at a reduced price — and you can, online — it’s worth a look asa work machine. Tons of Tosh’s corporate-friendly productivity software comes preinstalled, as does a handy TV tuner. But at list price, we can’t recommend It over the competition.
TECH SPECS
Screen 23in, 1920x1080
Cpu Dual-core Intel Core i5 2430M @ 2.46Hz
Memory 6GB RAW1TB HDD
Graphics Intel HD 3000
Blu-ray/DVD-RW Yes/Yes
Connectivity Wireless N, Bluetooth, RF, USB2.0 (x4), USB3.O (x2), SD,TV tuner, HDMI-in
It may not be the best looking PC we’ve ever tested, but behind that clunky black bezel lurks a killer all-In—one all-rounder.
For starters, there’s a quad—core CPU and a respectable GeForce 540M graphics card, which provide roughly double the 3D rendering power of the Acer. Together, they make desktop software fly and have a decent stab at running games, too. It may be a little underpowered to run Battlefield 3 on Ultra (what isn’t?), but performance is better by far than on most all-In-ones. Skyrim is very smooth, even when you get towards the highest settings.
The screen is highly responsive to fingertips, and thanks to the heavy stand, it won’t wobble around as you prod away at pixels or type exuberantly on your desk. Importantly, it’s also a very good panel by non-touch standards — colours are rich and full of contrast, with dark blacks, bright whites and nice wide viewing angles.
With a built-in Blu-ray drive arid a reasonable price tag, there’s little to fault this machine on, and it avoids every issue which catches out the other contenders. The Asus may not make much of a first impression, but spend a little time with it and It’s a dear winner.
TECH SPECS
Screen 23.6in, 12Ox1O8O
Cpu Quad-core Intel Core i5 2400S @ 2.56Hz
Memory 6GB RAM/1TB HDD
Graphics Nvidia GT 540M
Blu-ray/DVD-RW Yes/Yes
Connectivity Wireless N, SD, USB2.0 (x3), USB3.0 (x2), SD, eSATA, TV tuner, HDMI-in, HDMI-out, VGA
HP Touchsmart 520-1080
HP has more experience with touchscreen all-in—ones than anyone else, and it shows. Its latest Touchsmart is a tidy package with an innovative hinged design that’s stable and easy to adjust, and the responsive screen picks up gestures quickly and smoothly. For general desktop work, the dual-core processor and AMD graphics have all the power you’ll ever need. But despite its discrete graphics card, the Touchsmart isn’t much of a gamer — the Radeon silicon is the slowest on test and struggles, for example, with Skyrim even on lower settings.
While the HP’s screen is well-designed for touch, it doesn’t look as good as some of its rivals. Black levels aren’t terrible, but they’re noticeably weaker than others. Where the Touchsmart 520 does score points, though, is as an all-round entertainment machine. There’s a TV tuner, a media centre remote and a Blu-ray drive all Included. An external power brick means that It’s thankfully bereft of fan noise, with a barely audible whisper coming from the coolers.
If you see yourself as a regular touchscreen user, then the HP is definitely worth considering. But If touch control Is orgy an occasional luxury, then look elsewhere.
TECH SPECS
Screen 23in, 1920x1080
Cpu Dual-core Intel Core i5 2390T @ 2.76Hz
Memory 4GB RAM/1.5TB HDD
Graphics Radeon HD 6450A
Blu-ray/DVD-RW Yes/Yes
Connectivity Wireless N, USB2.O (x4), USB3.O (x2), SD, TV tuner, infrared, Beats Audio ports
Acer Aspire Z5801
The Acer Aspire Z5801 presents a Mac-like face to the world. There’s plenty of power In the quad-core innards of this PC, and a large 24in screen fits flush to the bezel, giving a very comfortable desktop area.
And it1s not just the size of the screen that’s so Impressive. It’s 24in of excellent quality, with wide viewing angles and punchy colours that stay bright and strong right up to the edges of the display.
Not everything about it is perfect, though. Thanks to its large speaker bar and protruding stand, the Acer sits very high on the desk and is always tilted away from you, not facing you flat. As far as posture goes, reaching out to touch the screen is almost painful. The Acer is also unique in that its stand can fold back so the screen sits at around 30, like a giant tablet. It’s good for using with fingers, but again, not exactly comfortable, and you’ll probably revert to putting it in the upright position most of the time.
Another negative comes with the fan: it’s noisy and seemingly always on, which quickly becomes annoying. Such design quirks are frustrating, because the Z5801 Is almost Ideal for an all-In-one — they Just hold It back from greatness.
TECH SPECS
Screen 241n, 1920x1080
Cpu Quad-core Intel Core i5 2400 3.16Hz
Memory 4GB RAM/1TB HDD
Graphics Nvidia GT 520M
Blu-ray/DVD-RW No/Yes
Connectivity Wireless N, USB2.0 (x4), USB3.0 (x2), SD, TV tuner, HDMI-in (x2), HDMI-out, eSATA