All-in-One PC's

[hemi68charger]

Hey Gang..

Looking to change out this old-long-in-the-tooth desktop PC I have at home and get another one, but this time an "all-in-one" variety.. Are there some good, bad, indifferent things I should look for?

Cheers,

[DC_1]

I went to a laptop years ago and don't see the need for a desktop. However I have used a tablet since the first Ipad came out. I find it very convenient for most web surfing and email while watching tv or when I want to watch a movie while travelling. I still had my laptop for most other things though. Now, my recent purchase was a Microsoft Surface Pro 3. It has the convenience and compact size of a tablet but is full Windows operating system so I can run CAD software I need for work and Photoshop when I edit pictures. It isn't cheap but i'm pretty happy with it for my business and personal needs

[Ponch ®]

It's been a couple of years since Ive been out of the computer sales biz, but here's some things to consider:

1) the all-in-one's main selling point is the convenience and that they don't need a ton of space

2) the touchscreen monitors were one of the all-in-ones' advantages 2-3 years ago, but since then now you can get pretty good Windows based tablets/laptop hybrids or cheap touchscreen stand alone monitors that you can use with a conventional desktop

3) What you get specs-wise (processor, memory, storage)in an all in one is more expensive "dollar for dollar" compared to a desktop. If you need computer "horsepower" for gaming or actual work, I'd go with a conventional desktop or laptop that you can build and/or upgrade easier and cheaper.

That being said, if all you need it for is browse the internet, watch movies, let your kids play with it, the all in one is a sensible option.

[hemi68charger]

...That being said, if all you need it for is browse the internet, watch movies, let your kids play with it, the all in one is a sensible option.

That is exactly what I want it for.... These mopar site and picture editing for me, games for my two kids and my wife for her crafts....  Right now the desktop CPU is mounted to a platform I fabricated within the food pantry and the face is exposed to the corner kitchette/dining room area. I have the monitor, keyboard and mouse out in the previously mentioned area. The CPU generates heat which causes the pantry's ambient room temperature to rise, even with the A/C vent I installed......

[Troy]

Tablet or cheap laptop. Switched mom to a laptop a few years ago and it sits on the desk where her desktop did plugged into her large monitor. She never even uses the wifi to surf the internet in the kitchen/dining room/living room even though it's all configured. I finally bought a laptop just to use when I'm in the garage or traveling. Cost less than the monitor for my desktop.

Troy

[Mike DC]

   

Try to get a solid-state hard drive (SSD) if it's an option in your price & equipment range.


Translation:  No more whirring mechanical stuff inside the machine kicking itself on and off all the time.  Just silent computing, like a pocket calculator or an Iphone.  The whole thing will probably run faster too.  

The industry has been pushing ever-faster processors on us for decades.  But the hard drive is a bottleneck point too.  An SSD is nowhere near a necessity but if you can get one for a little bit more cash then I would do it.  

[68CoronetRT]

I second the Solid state HD.

My only input is the all in one computers usually do not cool very well and I've seen/heard of drives failing. For what you want/need, get a big tablet/Ipad and thats it. Portable and easy to use.

Personally I'm a desktop guy, I cant stand the feel of a small laptop/tablet. I like my dual 24" monitors. I also do graphic work/edit movies, so this is a must for me.

[hemi68charger]

Guess an alternative would be a laptop with a docking station like I have here at work. I want to get the desktop out of the pantry, but want to keep the "house" computer where it is in the breakfast dining area.......  I would have a separate keyboard and monitor.......

[twodko]

My  here.......
A few years ago we bought an iPad2 for my wife
with a built in program called EZ Speak when her
speech became so poor she couldn't communicate.
I share this because having always been a PC user
we found the iPad very versatile for portable
surfing, email and the above mention tool we badly needed.
Early last year my Dell laptop became some miserably
difficult and clunky to use I bought an Apple Mac Book Pro.
In short this is a truly amazing computer.

My advice.......buy an Apple. You'll wonder why you didn't
go Apple sooner. I sure did.