Mainstream All In One Desktops

Now that every major PC vendor sells an all-in-one desktop, you might think they would fall into a midtower-style, minimally differentiated rut. But in our reviews of recent all-in-ones, we found noticeable variations in screen size, performance, connectivity, and HD video capability.

The $1,099 Acer Aspire Z5700 and the $899 Gateway One ZX6900-01e are our favorite systems in this roundup. Both feature a 23-inch display, the largest of the systems reviewed below. The Gateway also boasts a Blu-ray drive, which makes it a strong self-contained home entertainment system, whereas the Acer has faster general performance, as well as an HDMI input that lets you connect external video components.

At its original $899 price tag, we didn't love HP's TouchSmart 300-1120 because of its slow speed and small 20-inch display. You can find it for $649 now, a price that gives it a new competitive outlook.

We also appreciate Lenovo's unique take on the traditional all-in-one design with its distinct IdeaCentre A300. The lack of an optical drive hurts, and its performance isn't productivity-friendly, but at least you get an HDMI input, and the 21.5-inch display supports 1080p resolutions.

We don't have the same enthusiasm for the Sony Vaio J114FX, which uses the same screen as the Lenovo and also comes with a Blu-ray drive. The problem is the Vaio's $969 price tag. Compare that with the $899, Blu-ray-equipped Gateway and its 23-inch screen, and the point should be obvious. The fact that the Sony is dog-slow and has a puny hard drive adds further insult.

Finally, the 21.5-inch Apple iMac is the most expensive all-in-one in this group at $1,199. It also has one of the smaller displays and lacks Blu-ray. Unlike the other systems, the iMac is focused squarely on performance, and its saving grace is the fact that it's the fastest system here. That won't be enough for everyone, and Apple's reliance on the 21.5-inch display can't last long with 23-inch all-in-ones for less becoming more common. Given the competitive pressure, we suspect Apple will have to make some dramatic improvements to its next-generation entry-level iMacs.

Product name	Acer Aspire 5700-U2112	Apple iMac summer 2010 (Intel Core i3 3.06GHz, 21.5 in)	Gateway One ZX6900-01e	HP TouchSmart 300-1120	Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 40181OU	Sony VAIO J114FX (21.5 inch)
Price	$1,078.00	$1,149.00 to $1,199.00	Check Prices	$779.99 to $1,099.89	$949.00	$967.77 to $969.99
CNET editors' rating	3.5 stars	3.5 stars	3.5 stars	2.5 stars	3.0 stars	2.5 stars
Average user rating		3.5 stars
Release date		July 27, 2010			January 07, 2010
The Bottom Line	Acer's Aspire Z5700 is a fast, media-friendly all-in-one PC that would serve well as a media hub in a dorm or a den. We'd like to see a bit more polish in its design, and a Blu-ray drive would make it a home run, but on balance we can recommend this system for its speed, its large screen, and its digital media versatility.	Apple has elected to keep its iMac firmly grounded as a productivity device. You'll find few home entertainment conveniences in Apple's new iMac, and you can find larger screens in other all-in-ones for less. Few will offer performance like this iMac, though, and none looks as pretty, which makes it easy to recommend for general-purpose computing and for the design conscious.	The Gateway One ZX6900-01e is a great deal thanks to its 23-inch display, Blu-ray drive, and speedy performance. It has a few annoying shortcomings. A lack of an HDMI-input, in particular, keeps it from greatness, but overall we'd recommend this desktop to anyone in the market for a well-rounded all-in-one PC.	On first inspection the HP TouchSmart 300-1120 seems like a capable enough all-in-one, but it loses a lot of appeal once you compare it with others on the market. If you want an all-in-one PC for the kitchen counter, this system may work for you. For general computing or home entertainment needs, you can find several other all-in-ones with better features for the price.	Design fans in particular will appreciate Lenovo's unique all-in-one that serves best as a dedicated, Web-based home entertainment PC for a small room. The distinct look requires some trade-offs, particularly in performance and the lack of an optical drive, but if you're willing to sacrifice function for a bit of form, you'll find the IdeaCentre A300 charming and generally capable.	We like the idea of a Blu-ray-equipped all-in-one with a small footprint for home entertainment, but Sony badly missed the mark with the Vaio J114FX. In trying to make this system focused, Sony cut too many features. The result is that this PC is a terrible value relative to other all-in-ones in its price range.
Features
Processor	Intel Core i5 650 / 3.2 GHz	1 x Intel Core i3 3.06 GHz ( Dual-Core )	Intel Core i3 530 / 2.93 GHz	AMD Athlon II X2 235e / 2.7 GHz	1 x Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 / 2.2 GHz ( Dual-Core )	1 x Intel Pentium P6000 / 1.86 GHz ( Dual-Core )
Optical Storage	DVD±RW	DVD?RW (?R DL)	BD-ROM / DVD+/-RW	DVD±RW	None	DVD?RW (?R DL) / DVD-RAM / BD-ROM
RAM	4 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM	4 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz - PC3-10600	4 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz	4 GB DDR3 SDRAM	4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - Non-ECC - 800 MHz - PC3-8500	4 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
Cache Memory	4 MB L3 cache	4 MB L3 cache	4 MB	2 MB L2 cache	2 MB L2 cache	3 MB L3 cache
Dimensions (WxDxH)	22.4 in x 3.3 in x 19.1 in	20.8 in x 7.4 in x 17.8 in	23.3 in x 3.8 in x 19.3 in	Info unavailable	20.6 in x 8.3 in x 15.6 in	20.7 in x 7.3 in x 15.7 in
Weight	25.0 lbs	20.5 lbs	23.0 lbs	Info unavailable	22.9 lbs	21.6 lbs
Product Description	Acer Aspire desktop Core i5 650 3.2 GHz - 23 in TFT active matrix	iMac Apple iMac Core i3 3.06 GHz - 21.5 in TFT active matrix	Gateway One One ZX All-In-One desktop - Core i3 530 2.93 GHz - 23 in TFT active matrix	Athlon II X2 235e 2.7 GHz - 20 in	Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 4018 - Core 2 Duo T6600 2.2 GHz - 21.5 in TFT active matrix	VAIO J All-in-One Sony VAIO J Series Pentium P6000 1.86 GHz - 21.5 in TFT active matrix
Graphics Controller	Intel HD Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 4670	Info unavailable	ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3200	Intel GMA 4500MHD Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0	Intel HD Graphics Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0
Monitor	LCD display - 23 in - TFT active matrix - 1920 x 1080	LCD display - 21.5 in - TFT active matrix - 1920 x 1080	LCD display - 23 in - TFT active matrix	LCD display - 20 in	LCD display - 21.5 in - TFT active matrix - 1920 x 1080	LCD display - 21.5 in - TFT active matrix - 1920 x 1080
Storage Removable	None	None	None	None	None	None
Audio Output	Sound card	Sound card - Stereo	Sound card	Sound card	Sound card	Sound card
OS Provided	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium	Apple MacOS X 10.6	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition	Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Hard Drive	1 TB - Standard - Serial ATA	1 x 500 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-300	640 GB - Standard - Serial ATA	750 GB - Standard - Serial ATA	1 x 500 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-300	1 x 500 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150
Buying choices	Amazon.com $1,078.00 In stock: Yes Datavision Computer Video $1,078.00 In stock: Yes Prices from 2 CNET Certified stores	Amazon.com $1,164.99 In stock: Yes PC Connection Express $1,149.00 In stock: MAC Connection $1,149.00 In stock: Yes		Amazon.com $1,099.89 In stock: Yes HP Home $779.99 In stock: Yes Office Depot $899.99 In stock: Yes	Buy direct from Lenovo $949.00 In stock: Yes Price from 1 CNET Certified store	Amazon.com $967.77 In stock: Yes Newegg.com $969.99 In stock: Yes Datavision Computer Video $969.00 In stock: Yes