Lenovo ThinkCentre A70Z & Asus EeeTop ET2203 All-In-One PCs

February 18, 2010 by Lawrence Lee

Recently PC makers have been ramping up development of all-in-one computer systems, machines with all the hardware including the monitor integrated into one unit. Taking the big tower out of the equation improves the look of the system, gets rid of a couple of cables, and frees up space on the floor or desk. Apple relies heavily on these inherent advantages in their marketing campaigns for the popular iMac. PC manufacturers have been lagging thus far in all-in-ones, never producing anything quite as elegant or fast as the iMac, though they deliver lower price-points. We have two all-in-one PCs up for scrutiny, the Lenovo ThinkCentre A70Z, and the Asus EeeTop ET2203.

The ThinkCentre line is targeted at corporate users, so naturally the A70Z has a simple understated look compared to the more consumer-oriented IdeaCentre A600 we reviewed a few months ago. The system is business black from top to bottom and sports a modest 19" 1440x900 screen in a boxy, no-nonsense enclosure. The LCD has a matte finish so glare is kept to a minimum, ideal for offices with harsh lighting. The high-end models ship with a conventional looking wireless keyboard and mouse. Lenovo has worked to make the A70Z as inconspicuous as possible.

The EeeTop ET2203 is the A70Z's polar opposite. This is the first system we've seen that truly rivals iMac aesthetics; that is to say, the entire machine is attractive, not counting the multitude of stickers that plagues all PCs. The EeeTop has rounded corners, a slick black on silver scheme, and a stylish transparent outer shell that brings the screen closer to eye level. The 21.6" 1920x1080 glossy LCD is perfect for watching high definition material; Asus also sells a version with a touch screen and Blu-ray drive, the ET2203T-B0037. All the 20"+ EeeTops ship with a compact laptop-style chiclet wireless keyboard and a disproportionately large mouse with round contours.

Our Lenovo A70Z sample is the top-of-the-line model, featuring a Core 2 Duo 2.93GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a 7200rpm desktop hard drive all running on Windows 7 Professional. The CPU is quite speedy for day-to-day tasks but with integrated GMA X4500 graphics, it's safe to say you won't be distracted by the temptation of PC gaming. The specifications are very modest compared to a typical PC, but some sacrifices had to be made to get it all to fit, and to bring the price down to a reasonable level.

The Asus EeeTop has a sleeker profile thanks to the use of notebook hardware. It is equipped with a mobile Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.2GHz, 4GB of RAM, a budget ATI graphics card and a 5400rpm notebook hard drive. Unlike the A70Z, the EeeTop has a memory card reader and HDMI and S/PDIF out. The feature list seems to emphasis the consumption of media. Our sample shipped with Windows 7 Home Premium, but it was the 32-bit version so only 3GB of the total 4GB of system memory was accessible.