Prior to this evening's announcement of the Pavilion All-In-One MS214, HP has never carried a traditional all-in-one in its desktop lineup. Its TouchSmart line brought touch computing to the all-in-one back in 2007, but the MS214 is the company's first attempt at a no-frills all-in-one.
(Credit:
HP)
We like the looks of the MS214, although its specs are fairly humble. Its 18.5-inch wide-screen display, 1.5GHz Athlon X2 3250e CPU, and 2GB of RAM keep it firmly on the budget-end of the all-in-one scale, as does its $599 starting price. Other features include a DVD burner, a built-in Web cam, and 802.11b/g wireless--in other words all the requisite trappings of the all-in-one category.
HP is not the first to market with a budget all-in-one. Averatec, eMachines, Lenovo, and others all have similar low-end all-in-ones at or around this low-end price, and we expect this product segment will thrive now that LCD prices are so cheap. And because prices are so low, it's hard for any vendor to really set its product apart. Thus, the only thing the Pavilion All-In-One MS214 may be able to bring to the party is a sense of comfort for those previously unwilling to buy such a system from a lesser-known vendor.
Check out the slideshow below for more shots of the MS214. Expect to see units on store shelves in time for the October 22 launch of Windows 7.
Thanks to a $399.99 price tag, the new eMachines EZ1601, announced Tuesday, might be hard for bargain-hunting shoppers to resist. We can't help but notice that the Intel Atom CPU is in its spec sheet, which takes us back to the Asus Eee Top ET1602, the last real budget all-in-one to cross our path.
eMachines' new EZ1601-01 budget all-in-one.
(Credit: eMachines)In eMachines' favor, the EX1601 actually comes with an optical drive--an 8x dual-layer DVD burner, to be exact. At $475 or so (down from $699 at launch), the Asus all-in-one is more expensive, and instead of an optical drive it comes with a haphazardly implemented touch-screen interface. Otherwise, the specs between the two are almost identical: Windows XP Home, 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 18.5-inch display, 160GB hard drive, 1GB 667MHz DDR2 RAM, Wi-Fi.
For our money, we'd much rather have fully realized DVD burner technology than only semi-useful touch input in a budget all-in-one. We do see the appeal of a low-cost, kiosk-style PC in the kitchen, which is what systems like this promise, and the ability to simply walk up and mash the system with your finger to browse around has merit. But the ability to watch movies, burn discs, and install disc-based programs is more widely useful.
As long as we're required to choose between touch or a DVD burner in a low-cost all-in-one, we like the sound of this new eMachines. We have a system on the way, so stay tuned for a full review in the coming weeks.
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Comparing Acer's new desktops with those of its sub-brand, Gateway, announced Thursday, gives you the distinct sense Acer needs to put some more thought into distinguishing the two product lines. Is Acer the value brand and Gateway the performance model, or vice versa? Based on the new systems from each line announced this week, we're still not sure.
Acer's Aspire X3800 series slim-tower desktop.
(Credit: Acer)Acer Aspire X3810-B3801A
We'll take Acer's $529 slim-tower desktop first. We've come to like these little systems for their strong value and forward-looking array of ports, including HDMI and eSATA. The up-to-date connections combine with the Aspire X-Series' small size to work well on either a desk or in the living room as a value-oriented, standard-definition media center.
This newest X-Series, the X3810-B3801A, throws in a 20-inch Acer LCD to make a complete, relatively affordable desktop package. The 2.5GHz Intel Pentium dual-core CPU and 320GB hard drive suggest that Acer has sacrificed some specs and performance to include the monitor, especially next to the $499 Gateway SX2800-01, a small-form-factor desktop that has no LCD, but comes with a quad-core CPU and a 640GB hard drive. Based on these configurations, it seems to us that more casual users looking for an affordable, baseline functional system should look to Acer, and the performance-minded, yet perhaps budget-limited shopper should turn to quad core-equipped Gateway. Easy enough so far.
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(Credit:
80 Plus)
We applaud the folks at Hardware Secrets for their timing. Not a week after we launched our desktop power testing, an article at Hardware Secrets pops up covering the key efficiency component we're not testing: desktop power supplies.
We probably should have clarified in our post from last week that the EnergyStar certification for computers (PDF) has two parts: system efficiency requirements, and power supply efficiency requirements. Our tests cover system efficiency, but for reasons of time and complexity we don't test the efficiency of desktop power supplies. This is why we might refer to a PC as EnergyStar compliant, but we can't confirm whether or not it's fully EnergyStar certified.
If you've heard of the 80 Plus program, you know it acts as a short cut out there to help you determine whether a power supply is efficient. 80 Plus is a three-tiered badging system that manufacturer's can stick on their power supplies and desktop specifications. At its lowest, Bronze-level rating, 80 Plus requires a power supply to use at least 80 percent of the power it draws from your wall. The Silver and Gold tiers have even more demanding requirements, going as high as 90-percent efficiency under 50-percent load for an 80 Plus gold rating.
According to 80 Plus, over 1,300 desktop power supplies currently on the market meet at least the Bronze tier, yet 80 Plus-certified power supplies are far from ubiquitous. As a rough sample, we cracked open six or seven mainstream desktops we have in the lab right now, from the likes of Asus, Dell, HP, and eMachines. Only the eMachines EL1300G-01w has an 80 Plus-certified PSU.
If you'd like to learn more about the 80 Plus certification, including the reasoning and methodology behind it, we encourage you to take a look at Hardware Secrets' article. It provides thorough, accessible background information.
Representatives from the Acer/Gateway/eMachines collective mentioned to us last week how surprised they'd been by the popularity of the eMachines EL1209 slim-tower desktops. We imagine they have similar hopes for the new eMachines EL1300G announced Tuesday.
The eMachines EL1300G-01w
(Credit: eMachines)Available exclusively at Wal-Mart, the EL1300G comes in two flavors. The EL1300G-01w goes for $298, which gets you a standalone PC with Windows Vista Home Basic, a low-power AMD Athlon 2650e CPU, 2GB of RAM, a DVD burner, and a 160GB hard drive. The $398 EL1300G-02w comes with a 20-inch LCD, and is otherwise identical to the 01w except for Windows XP Home Edition, and only 1GB of RAM.
Each system also comes with a wired mouse and keyboard, as well as a set of 2.0 USB speakers.
eMachines keeps the prices down by keeping things simple, so you won't even find a DVI video port on these models, much less an HDMI output. That gives the EL1300 series less living room appeal than other slim-tower and small form factor desktops, like the much-admired Acer Aspire X1700. And while we have yet to test an Athlon 2650e-based system, by all accounts it has a similar power profile to Intel's Atom CPU so favored in nettops, but with significantly faster performance. We're eager to get our hands on an EL1300G to find out for ourselves.
Acer, the global PC giant that also owns the Gateway, eMachines, and Packard Bell brands, announced a collection of new systems Tuesday evening during a press event held at New Jersey's Liberty Science Center.
Interspaced with a series of IMAX videos containing enigmatic imagery and slogans ("Light as your time can be"), Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci discussed the company's "multibrand" strategy for selling new products across the Acer and Gateway brands. The emphasis was on Netbooks--not surprising, given the success of the --and new ultraportable systems with Intel's newest ultralow-voltage central processing units.
None of the dozen-plus new laptops, Netbooks, Nettops and all-in-one PCs are available yet--we're told to expect them starting in June for the back-to-school season (and some may never even be released in the United States), but here are some of the highlights:
The 14-inch Acer Timeline T4810.
(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)
Acer Timeline series
A collection of 13.3, 14.1, and 15.6-inch models with LED 16:9 displays, Intel ULV processors, touch pads with multitouch gestures (as on current MacBooks), and innovative passive cooling (developed by Intel and called Laminar Wall), which purports to keep the laptop's outer surface cooler to the touch.
By using ultralow-voltage CPUs and LED (light-emitting diode) displays, Acer claims that these new systems can run up to 10 hours on a single battery charge. Other PC makers have made similar claims in the past, usually by following extreme usage models, such as requiring you to dial the screen brightness way down or cut power to certain features.
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If you find yourself running low on cash but still need a desktop computer for your home or office, the Dell Inspiron "S" series will fit the bill. We recently took a close look at the Dell Inspiron I530S-119B, a system that retains the "S" series' slimline chassis and a baseline set of components for a very affordable price tag. For around $500, you get a 2.5GHz Intel Pentium dual processor, a 128MB Intel graphics card integrated with the motherboard, a 500GB hard drive, and 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium.
We put the Inspiron I530-119B through its paces and found that this little guy packs a serious performance punch, especially in our Photoshop and Cinebench benchmarks that make full use of its speedy processor. In addition, the multitasking and iTunes encoding tests went off without a hitch, and the scores are enough to blow the eMachines ET1161-07--another Best Buy exclusive system--out of the water. Although it's missing extra AV features, like HDMI and a multimedia card reader, that would make the computer useful in a home theater environment, the Dell Inspiron still makes out with a solid configuration at a price that won't split your wallet.
Check out our full review of the Dell Inspiron I530S-119B
.
Do not attempt to adjust your monitor: yes, the eMachines you see to the left of this copy is just as boring as it appears. It's a budget system that costs $380, so we're not expecting world-class design, but eMachines doesn't even make it pretty on the inside. There's ample room for expansion, but the core components aren't blowing up skirts:
- 2.1GHz AMD Athlon Dual Core Processor 4050e
- 3GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM
- 128MB shared NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics chip
- 320GB, 7,200 rpm hard drive
- dual-layer DVD burner
- Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (32-bit
The 32-bit Windows is really the final nail on this machine's coffin. With so many other systems in a price comparison ship with the 64-bit OS, that can speed up your machine by utilizing its memory to full capacity, especially in a busy multitasking environment. Check out the full review if you want to experience the ET1161-07's shameful performance scores, but if you really want to stretch your dollar the furthest, we actually recommend Acer's newest machine, the Aspire X1700. We don't have a full review up, but it's in the works to publish next week and trust us when we say that it's worth ponying up the extra $100.
We normally don't give budget desktop computers less than a three-star rating, mostly because the majority of them contain similar components, so it comes down to a question of pricing and overall value. Unfortunately, the eMachines EL1200-05w just doesn't make the grade and successfully garners one of the lowest ratings we've given to a budget system in a long time.
The problems begin with a subpar collection of internal components. The $298 price tag nets you a single-core 1.6GHz AMD processor, a measly 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP. Chances are, if you're shopping for a desktop at this price bracket, you most likely won't be popping off the side panel, but adventurous types will be disappointed by the cramped interior and meager opportunity for future upgrades. eMachines gives you a slimtower chassis and a handful of port cutouts in the back for aftermarket sound and video cards, but you'll be pulling your hair out trying to perform a simple memory upgrade.
If you're on a strict sub-$300 budget, the eMachines EL1200-05w will barely get you through baseline applications, but don't expect to run any kind of graphics editing software. We recommend saving a little extra for the Acer Aspire AX3200 or the HP Compaq Presario SR5610f.
Check out our full review of the eMachines EL1200-05w.
With the dire news about Circuit City this week, our roundup of off-the-shelf desktops seems even more apt. We put our hands on 10 mainstream PCs earlier this month, between a few different price and product categories. All are fixed configurations, which makes buying and reviewing them easier, as accounting for various configurable options falls to the wayside. We were also happily surprised to find 64-bit Vista in all but the two lowest-end systems. (sorry Mac fans, apparently Apple doesn't know how to make "junk.") Of them all, we found four you'll want to check out first.
$400 to $500
Dell's Inspiron 530S slim tower desktop is on the more expensive end of the scale.
(Credit: CNET)Of the three systems in this price range, we liked Dell's $499 Inspiron 530s best. It's on the more expensive end of the scale, but it's also faster than PCs that cost $50 to $100 more. On top of its speed, we also liked its large 320GB hard drive. Unlike the eMachines and HP Compaq PCs (each $399), the Dell also includes 64-bit Vista, which, combined with its 4GB of RAM (the 32-bit PCs only have 3GB), will have a noticeable positive impact on multitasking and switching between applications. We hope to see wireless networking come to slim towers in this price range soon, but alas, this Dell does not include it.
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