While I like the article, I don't like the win8 remark in the end.



"it's a chore having to constantly reach out.."

do we have to? is this ios? no. it's windows. we DON'T have to. we CAN.

a touchscreen on a desktop is a great ADDITION to mouse and keyboard. not a replacement to make you suffer. sometimes, pointing is just so much more easy (easily proven by the fact that every non-touchscreen out there has tons of fingerprints on it)

You seem to forget: There is no Desktop any more.

Try to use Win8 for more than half an hour without a touchscreen and you will see.

I'm not convinced of the advantages of all-in-one systems like this from a futureproofing/environmental perspective.

Think about it this way: screens aren't changing that much anymore, most desks won't take more than a 24" monitor and a high quality monitor can last you a decade. Alternatively a cheap monitor may last 2-3 years. An all-in system like this combines a cheap display with propreitary or hard to find components. What is more likely to break down? If the screen fails out of warranty the chances of getting it repaired are perhaps reduced. Once the components are obsolete inside the chances of being able to upgrade it are reduced and therefore when you do replace it, you are also having to replace the monitor too.

I'd much rather chose monitor and a low powered slimline desktop separately and if needed, ISO mount the system to the back of the monitor. This way you get the best of both worlds.

For a major manufacturer however there are many benefits to the all-in-one design. The reduced upgrade potential and repair potential increase the likelihood of future business plus the initial design, along with laptops, is easier to sell to the typical consumer and attracts a higher profit margin. Traditional desktop PCs no longer have much money to be made on them.

23" seems a bit on the small side. I'd rather see a 27" display with proper 19:10 aspect ratio. And no touchscreen for me, this is not a phone

Thanks for the review. It's nice to see how setups like this can be rather effortlessly put together with contemporary components.

The remark at the end I take more to be a comment on choosing to have a touchscreen monitor over a regular one. Possible quality drop and extra cost for no gain, as touch is rather inconvenient for most desktop tasks. If this was a small HTPC in a kitchen or other such compact space where you're mostly standing and moving anyway, then touch might do very well in multimedia playback and browsing, but this is as Desktop as desktops get.

For anyone after bigger screen sizes (though not necessarily resolutions), there is the Asus Eee PC lineup with its ET27xxXXXX models, though they may not be as user-friendly in hardware as this Lenovo is.

I suggested this to someone, and they asked "can I use it as a display for my laptop or tablet?"

That, I think, is a very good point - a separate display could be used with multiple devices, whereas this all-in-one solution does not afford the user such flexibility (at least not without using remote desktop connections or the sort). Something to consider!

Noticed many comments from uninformed dinosaurs before I added this comment. They seem to not understand 'silent' PCs.

Check the Youtube videos, "Windows 8 all in one pc" ...
specically ... "Sony VAIO Tap 20 Unveiled" and "HP Envy 23 TouchSmart All-In-One PC - Windows 8".

I just bought, brand-name at a local auction a HP AIO (21INCH, i7, 8gb-DDR3, 64gb SSD, 500gb HDD, w7-Enterprise, but no warranty - refurbished) for about $700 US. It was one of about 20 similar HP items on sale.

It has HDMI-out, VGA-in/out, 4x USB 3, ETC. Plus keyboard, mouse. I think it might have had the bad Intel i7 chips which Intel released, but these needed replacement. Similar to my HP Pavilion DV7. So it the screen is not satisfactory, and/ or wifi cable it to another screen !!

The new W8 AIOs allow table-top horizontal lay-out, with ten finger touch. So it can be a full organ/ piano/ synthesizer player (see the above You-tubes).

I've seen other Youtubes showing them as a two-player game console: chess, table tennis, etc. AIO's will replace desktops. They have industry replacable / upgradable components inside. My wife (Hong Kong born) is very happy with her new 'toy'.

Retired Chief Information Officer (1984), Australian Capital Territory

Since most of those AIO use laptop parts, i have yet to come across one where you can replace/upgrade the gpu.

The only things you can possibly change in current AIOs are RAM (if not soldered onto mainboard or accessible by user) and HDD/SDD.

Almost agree. One of my laptops had a hardware port for extra cards - rare today. I only used it to add USB3, etc.

Other way to upgrade GPU: software acceleration. Better drivers, clock-speed increase (if permitted by the motherboard & chips), and downgrading the graphic standards demanded by the app (fewer colors, lower resolution, etc). I assume that you know this already?

You probably know already that upgraded audio, raid0 can be added easily via the USB ports.