All-in-ones
are interesting little (or in some cases, big) PCs. They're desktops
with integrated displays and are often built with laptop-grade parts. As
such they've inherited a bad reputation for poor performance compared
to their full-on desktop tower brethren. The stigma is not completely
undeserved. Mobile graphics cards and processors have always lagged
behind those made for personal computers.
However, the all-in-one
form factor has its own advantages. These self-contained PCs take up
less room than a giant full-size tower and don't create a giant tangle
of USB and display cables. What's more, some all-in-one computers are
doubling as giant tablets. When's the last time you were able to pick up
your PC and screen off your work desk and ferry it over to work on the
couch?
Without further ado, here are the best all-in-ones we've reviewed.
An 18-inch tablet-PC you can take on the go
The
Dell XPS 18 blows away any notion that all-in-ones are hulking great
machines tied to desks. Essentially a massive touch-operated tablet that
turns into a monitor when slipped into its stand, the 18.5-inch device
is designed to be used all around the house and is a great choice for
online TV addicts. It's a capable PC too thanks to its Intel Core i7
CPU, Intel HD 4400 graphics and 8GB of RAM at the top end.
- iMac with Retina 5K display
An expensive luxury, that might just be worth it
While
Apple's iMac with Retina 5K display is one of the most impressive
all-in-ones around, its price places it out of the reach of most people.
Apple's older 27-inch iMac possesses many of its best qualities without
the wallet-intimidating price tag. Apple redesigned its iMac line in
2013 to give it an attractive slimline chassis that houses a sharp
27-inch IPS display with a respectable 2,560 x 1,440 pixel-resolution.
Excellent build quality means it's a PC built to last, and a fine option
for productivity work, watching movies or light gaming.
A Chrome OS desktop with simplicity in mind
The
LG Chromebase's biggest strength is its simplicity. Essentially a
Chromebook crammed into a 21.5-inch 1080p IPS display, the Chromebase
runs Google's ChromeOS that lets you do basic PC tasks using Chrome's
growing list of web apps. If you have no need for the bells and whistles
that come with Windows 8.1 and OS X and don't mind relying on the
internet to get things done, the LG Chromebase is an attractive,
affordable and convenient all-in-one.
Gaming performance in an all-in-one package
All-in-ones
tend to be advertised as family-friendly alternatives to desktop PCs
due to their suitability for the living room, but the MSI AG240 isn't
interested in that. The 23.6-inch AG240 is a gnarly gaming PC in an
all-in-one's chassis, combining an Intel Core i7 CPU with a powerful
Nvidia GeForce GT860M GPU that's backed up by 16GB of RAM. If you're
hankering for a large touchscreen display with the innards of a gaming
PC, the dare-to-be-different AG240 fits the bill.
Lenovo flexible all-in-one is ready to play games
Like
the Dell XPS 18, the Horizon 2 is an all-in-one Windows 8.1 PC that can
transform into different positions, allowing it to be used as a large
tablet. But unlike Dell's machine, the Horizon 2 lets you connect
HDMI-equipped devices such as Blu-ray players or games console to be
used at its native 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution. The XPS 18 packs
quite a punch itself thanks to the Intel Core i5 CPU and Nvidia GeForce
GT 840A GPU inside that can handle demanding games. It also has the
latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi and comes with a capacious 1TB hard disk
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