The wireless keyboard and mouse (included) feel like they came out of a Happy Meal-and even the AAA batteries included for the keyboard were dead on arrival. The screen is comparably dim next to the competition, but it's bright enough for casual use, while the audio quality is loud but boomy. The system is achingly slow, and benchmarks bear out its plodding performance. No corner has gone uncut with the Aspire Z3 in order to hit that rock-bottom price. Graphics are integrated, and expansion ports include five USB ports (two are USB 3.0), Ethernet, HDMI in and out, and an SD cart slot. The 23-inch monolith includes a 10-point touchscreen (with 1920 x 1080 pixels of resolution), and specs include a 2.9GHz Core i3, 6GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive.
We knew we wouldn't get every single item on the list-and that some features, like Blu-ray or the TV tuner, may not be critical to every user-but we felt this configuration offered maximum flexibility, literally an "all-in-one" device. Ideally we wanted lots of inputs: multiple HDMI inputs for external consumer electronics equipment, a TV tuner, and an integrated Blu-ray reader would all be ideal. Audio should be integrated (no room for bulky speakers). Because these devices wouldn't just be used as computers but also as television monitors, we wanted 23 inches of screen real estate as a minimum, with the best resolution possible and a touchscreen if available. We asked several manufacturers for all-in-ones and gave them each an extensive wish list. Particularly, we filtered these reviews through the eyes of a few prototypical types of users-those needing a do-it-all device for a dorm room, small apartment, or small office, a single machine that would do double duty for both work and leisure, equally apt at spreadsheets as it is at handling an Xbox. If you haven't checked out an all-in-one desktop lately, you might be surprised how much is happening behind that big screen.Īll-in-ones have broad market appeal among style- and space-conscious users, but we wanted to look at some specific use cases for the all-in-one.
Desktops are dead-we get it-but there's one subcategory of this oldest-of-old-school computer type where innovation is thriving, because customers are still interested in the unique features these machines have to offer.