Microsoft’s touch-centric Windows 8 operating system
is here to stay. We tested a range of touch-enabled all-in-one PCs to see if it
helps or hinders in a desktop setting
LAST MONTH, we looked at Windows 8 ultra-portables.
Touch proved surprisingly useful as long as it supplemented a laptop’s
conventional keyboard and touchpad.
With a laptop, your hands are centimeters away from the
screen at all times reaching up is quick and natural. On a desktop, that’s not
usually the case. But touch-enabled desktops are becoming more common. To find
out whether touch adds to your desktop, we tested touch-enabled Windows 8
all-in-one PCs from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Samsung. We covered the spectrum
from entry-level 23-inch to high-spec 27-inch: a good cross-section of the
Windows 8 all-in-ones on New Zealand store shelves.
Dell XPS One 27
Dell’s XPS One 27
is a slim, attractive and powerful all-in-one
DELL’S XPS ONE 27 is a Windows 8 all-in-one PC,
available in both touch and non-touch configurations. We tested the touch
version with the highest specifications.
All touch versions include a highly adjustable stand with a
35-95 degree tilt range, which makes it easy to find the ideal viewing angle,
or to tilt the screen back into a highly reclined position for use with touch
applications. Despite the weight of the large 27-inch display, it tilts
smoothly and holds its position well.
A wireless keyboard and mouse are included in the box, both
of which are functional but otherwise unremarkable.
The screen has the highest resolution of all the all-in-ones
we tested in our roundup, at 2560 x 1440 pixels (109 pixels per inch). That
gives a fairly sharp display, just a little less sharp than your average
Ultrabook. Consequently, it’s the only all-in-one we tested that didn’t show
visible pixilation when close enough to use the touch interface. It’s not
nearly as sharp as high-resolution tablets and smartphone, but then, you won’t
get as close to a 27-inch monitor even if you’re touching it.
We used the Spyder4Elite calibration tool to assess monitor
quality. The screen scored four out of a possible five, but showed weak tone
response and average luminance uniformity, which may make it unsuitable for
professional photo editing and desktop publishing.
Behind the screen is an Intel Core i7-3770S quad-core CPU,
8GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics solution with 2GB of
dedicated memory. There’s also a 2TB 7200RPM hard drive, in a hybrid-storage
setup with a 32GB SSD, and a Blu-ray reader/DVD writer.
Performance in our standard benchmark suite exceeded that of
the Dell Inspiron 17R laptop that has held many of our performance records
since mid-2012. The XPS One 27 outperformed the all-in-ones in our roundup, and
in most categories beat them by a wide margin.
The other tested models were fairly weak in storage-based
tests, primarily because they use 5400RPM hard drive. The XPS One 27, however,
has a 7200RPM hard drive/32GB SSD hybrid storage that performs admirably almost
at the level of purely SSD-based Ultrabooks.
The XPS One 27 won’t keep up with a custom-built gaming
desktop, but it’s perfectly sufficient to run most modern games at medium
graphical settings or lower. It’s also great for things like amateur/hobbyist
video and photo editing with its fast, multi-core CPU and quick storage… just
bear in mind that the screen isn’t ideal for professional photo work.
The XPS One includes a stunning six USB 3.0 ports, HDMI
input and output, headphone and microphone sockets, SP/DIF output audio output,
and gigabit Ethernet. Wireless features include 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
4.0, and it also offers Intel Wireless Display (WiDi).
Overall, Dell’s XPS One 27 is a slim, attractive and
powerful all-in-one. You’ll pay for that combination at $3,599, it’s not really
an impulse buy but it’s worth it if you’re looking for something more than a
web browser and media player. If you want an all-in-one you can run 3D games
on, work on your next 48-hour film festival entry, or use to develop the next big
mobile app, here’s your big-screen powerhouse without the big-old box.
Specifications
·
Price: $3,599 (as tested)
·
Display size: 27.0 inches
·
Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels
·
Intel Core i7-3770S quad-core CPU
·
Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics (2GB)
·
2TB hard drive/32GB SSD hybrid
Samsung Series 7 All-in-One PC
Sedate styling
fits in anywhere
SAMSUNG’S SERIES 9 was our top all-in-one last year,
so we had high hopes for the Samsung Series 7.
Where the Series 9’s design defied convention, the Series 7
has much more sedate styling. A bare metal bezel and convincingly faux0metal
stand are attractive, but understated enough to fit in anywhere unobtrusively.
The stand provides a vertical tilt between 70-95 degrees.
This is fine for a regular monitor, but 70 degrees is hardly enough of an
incline for comfortable touch. If you intend to use the touchscreen often, for
games or painting applications perhaps, it’s very limiting. Most competing
products provide a greater tilt, some even lie completely flat for tabletop use.
A basic wireless keyboard and mouse are included, along with
a media remote control. The mouse and remote work fine, though the keyboard has
very shallow key travel and is uncomfortable to type on at speed or for long
periods.
The LED-backlit LCD screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels (93ppi), a
reasonable match to the 23-inch screen size. However, while fine from a
comfortable screen-viewing distance, it’s not sharp enough when you use the
touchscreen up close.
Contrast, color uniformity and color accuracy are all good:
the display scored four out of five with the spyder4 Elite calibration tool.
Under the hood is an Intel Core i5-3470T dual-core CPU, 6GB
of RAM and an AMD Radeon HD 7690M graphics card with 1GB of dedicated memory.
Storage is a 1TB, 5400RPM hard drive, and a tray-loading Blu-ray reader/DVD
writer combo.
Overall performance is good. The Series 7 has high
computational power both per-core, and overall for a dual-core machine. It’s
about in line with a midrange laptop, able to run modern games at low to
moderate graphical settings, and easily handle tasks such as web browsing,
photo editing, and even basic video editing.
The one performance bottleneck where the Series 7 lags
behind is the 5400RPM hard drive, which slows down disk-based tasks such as
starting applications and working with large files. For a basic home PC, this
is a fair tradeoff for the storage capacity.
There’s an adequate selection of connections including three
USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, SD card reader, HDMI output, HDMI input that
allows you to use the Series 7 as a monitor, separate headphone and microphone
sockets, Ethernet port and a digital TV tuner. You also get 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi,
and Bluetooth 4.0.
There are a couple of annoyances, though. The included
wireless mouse and keyboard require a USB adapter that takes up one of your
five USB ports. The ports below the hinge at the rear are hand to access and
show off any cable mess. The SD card reader, both USB 3.0 ports and
headphone/mic sockets are hidden behind an unneeded flip-out cover behind the
screen bezel. They’re about mid-way up the screen, so if you’re connecting a
USB 3.0 external hard drive for long-term use, expect the cable to dangle
awkwardly down the side.
Samsung’s Series 7 all-in-one is elegant, as long as you don’t
need to plug things in. though it supports touch, it’s very much a secondary
input method given that the screen doesn’t tilt far enough back to use it
comfortably for extended periods. However, it performs well as a home PC, a
nice intermediate step between bulky desktop and small-screened laptop. At
$2.499, we’d recommend it for home or small-business users that are after
something compact and standalone, and aren’t planning to make much use of the
touch interface.
Specifications
·
Price: $2,499
·
Display type: Glossy LCD
·
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
·
Intel Core i5-3470T dual-core CPU
·
Standard system memory: 6GB RAM
·
AMD Radeon HD 7690M graphics (1GB)
·
Storage: 1TB 5400RPM hard drive
