Mediaboss Marketing

Traditional tower desktops have had a good run. All-in-one PCs--expensive upstarts just two or three years ago--have all but usurped the throne.

Towers will always have a special place in our hearts, as well as under the desks of enthusiasts and professionals who need more power and versatility. But for many PC users today, all-in-ones just make more sense. They take up a fraction of the space of a traditional PC, without sacrificing much in the way of performance. And that performance has improved while prices have dropped, so you dont have to compromise. Most important, all-in-ones are paving the way for touchscreen adoption outside of tablets and smartphones. Touch and gestures are baked into the very core of Microsofts Windows 8, and all-in-ones will be ahead of the curve.

Youll find no stronger evidence of the trend than the great selection of all-in-one PCs available today. Big-name desktop makers such as HP and Lenovo offer a wide array of all-in-ones, and Dell has jumped in on the action. Even laptop manufacturers like Samsung have recently introduced their first all-in-ones (and, not coincidentally, their first desktops) in years. You can expect plenty more once Windows 8 arrives, and Intels Ivy Bridge CPUs will make all-in-one PCs faster and slimmer still.

Overall, the options are great: If youd like a large display to complement (or replace) a television, they dont come any bigger than the HP Omni 27, a goliath with a gorgeous 27-inch screen. If you need to do some work, youll find plenty of strong performers: Lenovos ThinkCentre Edge line stands out, providing machines that are attractive, powerful, and stocked with security software and utilities that small businesses can appreciate.

We tested all of these all-in-ones with our revamped WorldBench 7 benchmark suite, which pits PCs against a battery of tests based on real-world usage models. Be sure to read "How We Test PCs" to learn all about our new methods and the apps we use.

1. HP Touchsmart 9300 Elite: The Consummate Workhorse

HP's 23-inch TouchSmart 9300 Elite is a business-centric, all-in-one powerhouse. It may not be much to look at--it's boring yet functional--but it delivers excellent performance and sits on an easy-to-adjust stand; the reclining design is very comfortable to use. It even tackles multimedia rather well. As befits a business PC, our test model ran the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. If youre seeking to get things done, this all-in-one fits the bill very nicely.

2. HP Omni 27: Big Things in a Big Package

When we first saw HPs Omni 27 sitting in the PCWorld Labs, we were absolutely taken by its gorgeous, edge-to-edge, 27-inch glass screen. The rest of the design leaves a little to be desired, but this screen is definitely a step in the right direction. The only real complaint we have is that its not a touchscreen, which is pretty much standard for all-in-ones these days. Nevertheless, this is definitely an all-in-one that can double as a small television. In our tests, for example, Blu-ray playback was excellent, and HD video streaming looked very smooth.

3. Lenovo IdeaCentre B320: HDTV, Budget All-in-One, or Just Confused?

Follow this link:
7 Great All-in-One Desktop PCs