Our current collection of antiquated computers is rapidly reaching the end of its usefulness in terms of being able to do homework etc.
An ancient Macbook Air that won't upgrade and an even older Sony Vaio AIO pc that someone gave us yonks ago mean that it's time to look for a new computer.
Although I am firmly a Mac fan, the systems used by our kid's school work better with Windows, so it looks like we're on the hunt for a new PC.
Although the Sony is prehistoric, it's quite a good form factor so I've been told to find something akin to it. I know you probably get better bang for your buck by buying a separates system etc etc but thems the parameters within which I have been told I have to work.
I would very much like a new iMac, but the £1000+ price tag, plus the potential aforementioned compatibility issues have very much put me off (mainly the price tag, TBH).
Whatever we get will be strictly for non-power user use - so homework, web browsing, streamed content etc. No call for hardcore video editing or music editing at this stage.
This looks like a fairly decent pricepoint:
https://ao.com/product/v222fakba113t-asus-desktop-black-77425-253.aspx
Or with a larger screen and a combined SSD/HDD setup:
https://ao.com/product/v241eakba145t-asus-desktop-gold-89456-253.aspx
However it suggests to me that they have possibly underpowered CPUs, particular as there doesn't appear to be a separate GPU.
Anyone had any experience with them? Any other recommendations?
They'll be fine for that sort of use.
We got a Dell 5475 ages ago quite cheap from Dell outlet and that's been fine. Much neater than laptop + screen or desktop. Can upgrade RAM and SSD HDD but that's it.
Theres some more on Dell Outlet now actually, worth a look
They will both do the job as long as you are a peace with the fact you're paying for style over substance. What you're actually buying there is a really cheap budget laptop in a desktop format. The screens in particular are probably bargain basement panels despite the s****y chassis.
Avoid the first one though - there's no need for any computer to not have an SSD drive in this day and age. A 120gb SSD litteraly costs £16.
Dell do a pc that fits in a monitor stand if you don't want to go the full AIO route.
We also have their tiny form factor PCs at work and they are absolutely fine for that.
I think that first ASUS is the one my neighbour bought early this year. Ridiculously slow as delivered, but swapped the hard drive for an SSD and it’s perfectly adequate. Wasn’t room for both SSD and HDD at the same time though.
I've got the Dell Inspiron 24 5000 All-in-One had for a year and now has Windows 11. Quick, decent screen and replaced an old desktop Insiron I had for 15 years.
Theres some more on Dell Outlet now actually, worth a look
Thanks, will take a look.
think that first ASUS is the one my neighbour bought early this year. Ridiculously slow as delivered, but swapped the hard drive for an SSD and it’s perfectly adequate
Hmm, had seen some reviews suggesting it's slow - I'd put that down to bloatware, but sounds like it isn't. I'll take a look at the better spec'd ones.
All the downsides of a laptop with all the downsides of a desktop.
All the downsides of a laptop with all the downsides of a desktop.
Agree - may as well get a laptop and a monitor and then at least you can cart it around if ever needed.
I stupidly bought an all in one ages ago and have barely ever used it. Hateful thing with no redeeming features at all
Cougar
All the downsides of a laptop with all the downsides of a desktop.
Yet another useless interjection from you, Cougar. Why do you even bother? I guess we can't all be leet hackerz.
I stupidly bought an all in one ages ago and have barely ever used it. Hateful thing with no redeeming features at all
If you barely used it, how do you know it had no redeeming features?
I'm well aware of the limitations of the form factor, but contrary to your experience the one we were given was, until recently, used regularly and coped with homeschooling and home teaching through lockdown.
Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it might not work for someone else.
Hmm, had seen some reviews suggesting it’s slow – I’d put that down to bloatware
If it does have bloatware it won't help*, but that can be fixed easily. It's slow because teh CPU is rubbish and more importantly, it has an HDD rather than an SSD...
*I have an ASUS vivobook laptop and to be fair there was no/hardly any bloatware on it.
Yet another useless interjection from you, Cougar.
I was trying to tell you in what I thought was an irreverent and mildly humorous manner that "all-in-one" PCs are rarely a good choice.
If you think that's useless then you crack on, it's your money.
I guess we can’t all be leet hackerz.
You're the one asking for advice. Would you rather get PC advice from an Estate Agent?
I'd built all my PC's from massive tower at uni through small form factor shuttles.
Then I needed a new PC and a new monitor so I bought a top spec 34" 2k hp envy curved signature edition off the Microsoft store, added another ssd and did a clean windows install.
The thing has been faultless over its 6 year life so far.
Struggles now with fortnite and apex legends.. but apex is a bit crap and I need to quit gaming so that's ok.
Office, browsing, Photoshop, illustrator etc all no stress.
I have no idea what would be better for me right now, but there absolutely no reason to change anything until it goes Pop.
It was hardly "advice", though, was it? Just a snide response.
I'm well aware an AIO isn't the ideal solution but for our particular user requirements the form factor works. Not everyone wants/needs a multiple monitor tower PC setup with flashy glowing cooling, a faux-racecar desk chair and a GPU that will mine bitcoin on the side.
You've misunderstood me, it wasn't intended to be snide.
But as I said, it's your money, so crack on. If you're going to be grumpy then I'm out.
Got an all in one hp years ago for general house duty.
It's done so admirably for years.
I don't see what bad sides it has for a general consumer.
It sits there. It works . It has a single wire.
What I will say is I wouldn't buy an Asus. Any Asus product I've dealt with has been a bag of shit. *
* I don't work in IT..... But I do use it to work with fibre optic monitoring system and RFID tooling.
I'd advise you against an all-in-one but if you must then absolutely positively get one with an SSD.
Anything else is completely unacceptable.
I’m well aware of the limitations of the form factor, but contrary to your experience the one we were given was, until recently, used regularly and coped with homeschooling and home teaching through lockdown.
Just because it doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it might not work for someone else.
I think mine and Cougar's response was more suggesting that a laptop does everything an all in one does but has more flexibility as you can cart it around if needed, let the kids take it to their room for a bit of peace and quiet, or the parents get out of the way and crack on with whatever work they need to do and still be able to put it on a desk and use it as an all in one with a monitor and external keyboard attached.
I have barely used mine as it just doesn't do anything well at all, can't be upgraded and generally got left aside in favour of my proper workstation for heavy lifting (which I appreciate does not apply necessarily to you) or for the convenience of my laptop when wanting to do general stuff.
What are the systems that the school uses that play better with a PC? I'm not advocating that you should buy a Mac BTW.
Whatever we get will be strictly for non-power user use – so homework, web browsing, streamed content etc. No call for hardcore video editing or music editing at this stage.
Sounds like chromebook/chrome box territory.
I'd buy a nice monitor and peripherals and then get a laptop that can be used elsewhere (as others have said) and replaced when it's duff and the monitor etc. will probably still be OK.
However it suggests to me that they have possibly underpowered CPUs, particular as there doesn’t appear to be a separate GPU.
Depends what you need it to do. Even the Intel ones will run basic CAD packages these days. Gaming is a none starter on intel though. AMD do a better job of it, the 3400g would actually do a decent job of modern games with the settings dialled down. Discreet graphics cards are like hens teeth these days, even in AIO/laptop form factors. If you can get one, then that's a bonus but it's not necessary for what you described.
I just replaced my ageing laptop with a new one. I ended up going for a Lenovo L340 Gaming for £440 "refurbished" (open box, but didn't look like it had ever been used).
GTX 1650
8gb ram (yes, more is better but that's plenty, but I've already put a 16gb stick in instead)
256gb m.2 drive (I've already put a 1tb 2.5" SSD in as well for games as I already had it spare)
i5-9300h processor
It'll run all bar the most demanding games at playable settings, work for video editing at amateur bitrates and for playback of my professional stuff, photo editing, and that's enough for me as the price is a bargain!
laptop does everything an all in one does but has more flexibility as you can cart it around if needed, let the kids take it to their room
That's as good an arguement against as it is for.
Before we talk about the big wide web....most laptops (my.own included) get broken when moving ...not when sat at the desk.
My aio does no video editing , no photo editing. It opens the internet , it does word Excel and occasional PowerPoints if I let my laptop at office , it has a webcam so we can chat to family abroad and stores one copy of our family photos and videos.
It does and has done all that well since about 2015.
All the downsides of a laptop with all the downsides of a desktop.
Tell that to my 32 envy all in one.
Fab screen, 98% P3 10bit 4K, half decent processor and 2080. Etc. Some upgradability and fits perfectly in the kitchen as my edit at home system.
Good sound too.
Now price is another thing.
They're relevent for some scenarios especially work at home minimal footprint and max screen/performance.
All in one is fine. One wire, doesn’t hog space, wireless keyboard and mouse tucked away when you want the desk for other stuff, proper screen size in the right place unlike a laptop. Speakers built in, webcam built in, what’s not to like?
most laptops (my.own included) get broken when moving
Fair. However we’re then back to if it’s going to be a desk based machine you may as well have the flexibility of being able to upgrade it.
I appreciate the OP may not need a killer workstation/gangster gaming rig but just being able to stick another few gb of RAM in or an extra hard drive or a bigger one etc can massively extend the useful life of even a modest PC and give options to move to something more powerful if Jr suddenly needs a bit if extra oomph for a particular piece of software for coursework or whatever.
After all they are in this position precisely because they cannot upgrade what they have so are having to buy new.
For the record, despite having carted laptops all over the place, including for party use (DJing etc) I’ve never broken one…
Laptops generally don't have big enough screens for serious productivity.
You have to add one, and a keybaord and a mouse. And your ports will probably be limited.
The only laptop I've seen close to desirable is the Asus Duo range which I spent a bit of time with.
For the record, despite having carted laptops all over the place, including for party use (DJing etc) I’ve never broken one…
My current one has a 3d curved screen......not by design.
you may as well have the flexibility of being able to upgrade it.
Realistically most folk neither do nor will need to do this though.
I expect for my use the computer will expire before I need to upgrade . I mean it'll take new ram but has 8gb.
I think cougar was being polite, and I was too.
My honest uncensored opinion is both machines in the OP are overpriced piles of shyte. In a fancy form-factor.. Lol!
Similarly to what a couple of others have said, I'd recommend a NUC style PC with a monitor and peripherals, you'll get a better screen, keyboard etc. for less money and the NUC will fit on a VESA mount on the back of the monitor so it's essentially an AIO.
The main issue with AIO's isn't the performance, as others have noted you can get some that are plenty powerful (counter to my advice I'd go with an iMac in your position as well but they are pricey and the more powerful Apple Silicon ones will be coming within the year), the main issue is that if anything goes wrong with it you are stuck. In the current climate getting it replaced will likely be expensive or take considerable time. With a seperate monitor and a NUC style PC you have options to get back up and running and aren't potentially throwing away a perfectly good monitor because the AIO mainboard got fried or vice-versa.
https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/home-office-pcs/barebone-intel-nucs
https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-hardware/home-office-pcs/intel-nuc-pc
Maybe go for a NUK type mini pc box and buy a 27 inch IPS monitor if you really can't stand the thought of having a larger normal sized pc.
Or just buy a better spec laptop with a decent monitor to go with it.
But if it's going to spend it's life being used as a desktop.. Just buy a desktop? You'll get more for the money.
What I will say is I wouldn’t buy an Asus
Asus make a lot of very good kit at the higher end. They also punt a lot of guff at the cheaper end of the market. They cater for all markets/budgets.
It's a bit like saying SRAM make crap gear shifters based on the experience of an x3 groupset.
It’s a bit like saying SRAM make crap gear shifters based on the experience of an x3 groupset.
Indeed. But it would be accurate had youd had to deal with a good bit of their high end kit.....
The ones in the op arne't very good.
If an all in one if what you are after.. A quick google suggests you can do much better, first glass this looks infintely better. only 4gb ram, but you can upgrade that, and you can plug in extenral drives if needed.
you may as well have the flexibility of being able to upgrade it.
To be fair though, how many people actually upgrade their computer?
It matters to gamers because there's always new games, and the latest ones will always be ahead of even the top tier PC's so there's always something you can spend your money on.
If you just want a PC for doing general stuff. Then it'll still run just fine in 10 years time with no upgrades at all. What would have killed my old laptop is windows 10 becoming unsupported in a couple of years. I just wanted something that could do some gaming on the road (and have USB3 for transferring footage at a non-glacial pace!).
^that doesn't look too bad actually.. 4gb Ram might be an issue but my laptop only has 4gb ram (albeit faster than average DDR4 ram) and copes fine... It's only when you try to multi task it starts creaking.
That one actually has 4 actual cores so you are off to a good start.
To be fair though, how many people actually upgrade their computer?
It matters to gamers because there’s always new games, and the latest ones will always be ahead of even the top tier PC’s so there’s always something you can spend your money on
Not really. I Probably upgrade my pc about every ten years.. But I'm only 43 so I'm a very small sample.
I'm still rocking a skylake i5 and an RX480.
I'm quite happily playing far cry 6 and horizon 5 at 1440p with HDR..
Granted on medium /high settings rather than ultra.. But my 10? Year old pc is great.
That said.. When I do rebuild my PCs.. I spend about £1500 to make sure it lasts.
Also if you buy a top end PSU and case.. You won't ever have to replace them.. Well maybe the PSU after 20 year.
On a sidenote/derail..
Some people make me laugh.. They'll buy a top end power supply with a ten year warranty.. And then start asking if they should buy a new one, once it's 10 year's old.
No! They are expensive because they are built to last! Fool of a took!
Actually just checked. Can get the 8gb 256gb model as well as Ryzen 5 for 579 if willing to stretch the budget a wee bit.
@seosamh77 - that one actually looks half reasonable for an AIO. These days, yes whilst 4gb will just about do, I think if buying new then 8gb should be the starting point and with 256gb SSD for what the OP wants to do should be enough.
Obvs I still in the laptop or proper desktop camp however that 5500 is a decent CPU...
Mrs Dubs old folks have got those Lenovo AIOs (or an older version). Seem perfectly acceptable.
NUCs are pretty nice and worth a look. I didn't look at how they stack up value wise (full disclosure, I work for Intel so used quite a few in the lab, bit didn't pay for them). Vesa mount makes them disappear behind the monitor.
dannybgoode
Full Member
@seosamh77 – that one actually looks half reasonable for an AIO. These days, yes whilst 4gb will just about do, I think if buying new then 8gb should be the starting point and with 256gb SSD for what the OP wants to do should be enough.Obvs I still in the laptop or proper desktop camp however that 5500 is a decent CPU…
Yeah, I'd agree go with the separates but still if the man wants and AIO get an AIO 😆 nothing wrong with them if they suit the intended use. The graphics on that machine won't be great, but it'll generally run well for what the OP maentions, might do some light gaming(google the processor about that OP if of interest. you'll probably find a list of games), biggest thing that would annoy me would be the screen, big screen for 1080p. But I plug my macbook into a 27in 4k, so that's just what I'm used to(but it cost me about £1150 for the privilege 😆 ). If you aren't used to 4k, you'll probably not notice the difference. Plus I'd imagine the integrated graphics will be more suited to a 1080p machine.