As all-in-ones strive to take over
the desk space once dominated by bulky desktops, they must continually evolve
to meet our requirements as consumers and PC users. We checked out three models
that have appeared since our last roundup in February, and one very interesting
upcoming device from Asus, in our quest to follow that evolution
All-In-One PCs are not a new concept. Apple
carved out a niche in the consumer space with its 1998 iMac - a bubbly, trendy,
CRT-screened computer based on the PowerPC processor, which catered well to
those in search of a simple, just-the- basics home computing experience. Over
the last fifteen years the iMac has evolved into a serious workstation for
photographers and designers, and a piece of hardware that could replace any
home desktop PC except that of a hardcore over-clocker or gamer.
Along the way, the all-in-one concept has
risen in the Windows space with thin clients in businesses, schools and
libraries. Then the product category faded a little, and re-emerged in recent
years with serious iMac- competitors from HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo
and others in the mainstream PC hardware market.
Along
the way, the all-in-one concept has risen in the Windows space with thin
clients in businesses, schools and libraries
The launch of Windows 8 in late-2012
triggered the latest evolutionary step, with the standardizing of touchscreen
technology to be 'Windows 8 Certified'. Given the numerous, often slipshod
approaches to PC touchscreens in the past, the latest crop of all-in-ones we reviewed
in February were a huge step forward.
We reviewed five of those Windows 8
Certified AiOs in February, with Dell's fantastic XPS One 27 taking our
editors' choice for its practical design, high spec and great performance.
(Read the full review at http://bit.Ly/WLvnOI.)
This month we've reviewed two more Windows
8-certified AiOs that missed our February feature, from Asus and Lenovo. We've
also checked out the latest Apple iMac, which has recently undergone its first
major design change since 2009 with a radical slimming-down of the chassis.
Finally, we've got our first impressions of the Asus Transformer AiO: a radical
Windows 8 all-in-one device that doubles as a massive 18.4-inch Android tablet.
Acer Aspire 5600U
Earlier this year we previewed Acer's Aspire
7600U - a 27-inch all-in-one PC with a stylish and modern 'picture-frame'
design. This month we tested its 23- inch twin sibling, the Aspire 5600U.
Apart from the size difference, the two
models appear identical. The 10-point multi-touch screen is surrounded by a
3-4cm black border, and the front stand is a 6cm-high clear acrylic strip that
makes the screen look like it's floating in the air. Well, it does once you
painstakingly remove all of the Microsoft, Intel and Nvidia branding stickers
that conspire to ruin that look.
The included wireless keyboard and mouse
are basic, but functional and comfortable. They follow the same style as the
all-in-one itself, black plastic with a clear acrylic edge.
Earlier
this year we previewed Acer's Aspire 7600U - a 27-inch all-in-one PC with a
stylish and modern 'picture-frame' design.
The 5600U leans back against an adjustable
picture-frame stand, which gives it a tilt range of30-80 degrees. That's a good
range to make the most of the touch features - the 30-degree minimum angle is
great for touch-intensive apps and games. Unfortunately, the display has a
rather narrow vertical viewing angle. With the screen fully reclined, you
really need to be sitting above it and looking down to see a color-accurate
picture.
Narrow angle aside, the 1920 x 1080-pixel
display offers a good quality picture: we found the resolution a little low on
the 27-inch model, but it provides a good sharp picture in this 23-inch size.
It covers 98% of the sRGB color space, and scored an overall 4.5/5 when tested
with the Spyder4 calibration tool. Its only weak point was how evenly the
backlight illuminates the screen, ('luminance uniformity'), scoring 3.5/5.
Behind the screen is an Intel Core i5-32I0M
dual-core CPU, with 8GB of RAM. Graphics are handled by an Nvidia GeForce GT
630M with 1GB of dedicated memory. There's an unfortunate bottleneck in the
case of the ITB 5400RPM hard drive, though, which has a speed cost for
disk-intensive activities like editing very large photos or videos, starting
certain applications, and load-times in games. A 7200RPM hard drive, or even
hard drive/SSD hybrid setup, would have been preferable.
Behind
the screen is an Intel Core i5-32I0M dual-core CPU, with 8GB of RAM.
While the 5600U is by no means a gaming powerhouse,
it can definitely handle many older and less graphically-demanding titles at
moderate quality settings. It's also more than capable of basic photo resizing
and retouching, managing your iTunes library or media collection, and other
common 'home computer' tasks that people often hit the desktop for. It's no
workstation or high- powered gaming desktop, but it's a good step up from an
ultraportable PC or tablet, in more than just sheer screen size.
Of all the all-in-ones we've tested, the
Aspire stands out in one clearway, though and it's got nothing to do with its
stylish appearance or reasonable performance. Acer has actually acknowledged
the fact that at some stage, you might wish to plug a USB stick, memory card or
pair of headphones into your computer, and made those connections readily
accessible along the left-hand edge of the screen. It seems like a small touch,
but its competitors all seem to go out of their way to make USB ports and card
readers as inaccessible as possible.
Connectivity on the whole is pretty good,
with two USB 3.0 ports on that sidebar, three USB 2.0 ports at the back, TV
tuner, HDMI input and output, plus an optical audio output for your high-end
sound system or headset amp. There's both Wi-Fi 802.11n and gigabit Ethernet, giving
you high-speed network connectivity either way.
Of
all the all-in-ones we've tested, the Aspire stands out in one clearway, though
and it's got nothing to do with its stylish appearance or reasonable
performance
The Aspire 5600U is easy to recommend as a
home desktop PC - the place you'd go to browse holiday destinations on the big
screen with your spouse, to resize a few photos from your digital camera, or to
get a few hours of schoolwork done with a full-sized screen and keyboard.
The only downsides we found were the narrow
vertical viewing angle and the slow storage; the latter is made up for somewhat
by its ample 1TB capacity.
At a Glance
·
23-inch 1920 x 1080-pixel display
·
Intel Core i5-3210M dual-core CPU
·
8GB RAM
·
Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics (1GB)
·
1TB 5400RPM hard drive
Acer aspire 5600U (Dq.Smksa.001)
·
RRP incI GST: $1,899
·
Contact: acer.co.nz
·
Rating: 4/5
An attractive and thoughtful design, with
great tilt range for touch-driven use and easily accessible ports.
