Can’t help but notice this new crop of PCs, the ones without a separate tower. Very sharp. They obviously have the components built into the back of the screen. I have to assume there is a price to pay for this “miniaturization.” If so, what is it.
They tend to work fine for basic computing but they have more limitations on performance than desktop because of the small package and they aren’t very portable like a laptop is. A full desktop case still offers the best bang for the buck in the price/performance curve and they are easily upgradable. The all in one systems aren’t very upgradable and use less than cutting edge components because of size and heat constraints. They don’t room for extra drive bays and powerful video cards that some people want for things like gaming. If any part of one of those systems breaks, it can be difficult and expensive to fix.
The compact size is worth it to some people but there are tradeoffs and good reasons why many people wouldn’t choose one.
In part the price you pay is simply that, the price you pay. In terms of bang for your buck they are pretty poor, the same spec PC is a standard form-factor case will be significantly cheaper. You also face potential problems if/when you need to replace parts, if the monitor fails on a standard PC the replacement is dirt cheap but with those PCs you are at the mercy of the manufacturer who will charge you a fortune to change it (sometimes they won’t even sell you the part, they will only come out and replace it for you). They are also more difficult to upgrade, if you wanted to replace, for instance, the graphics card you better think very carefully and take the thing apart to see how much room you have to work with.
In short they look cool but you will pay a lot of money for something without much grunt and the cost of repair can be astronomical, I personally would steer well clear of them, and don’t be tempted by the lure of a touch screen a lot of people are and then never use it.
The most common reasons you’d want a regular-size computer case is to add more hard drives or install a big-ass powerful dedicated video card for gaming. If you don’t mess with large video files, tens of thousands of photos, or tens of thousands of MP3s, you probably don’t need to worry about filling up the hard drive in a modern computer. If you’re not a big gamer all you do is web surfing and word processing, you won’t fill up a modern hard drive.
An all-in-one PC probably won’t have expansion slots. Many things that were previously expansion cards like network, and sound are now built into the mainboard of the computer and don’t require a separate expansion card. Things like video capture can be had on external USB devices so they don’t need an internal card.
The other potential disadvantage of an all-in-one computer would be non-standard components. If the CPU cooler or DVD drive goes bad you might not be able to use an off-the-shelf one. That disadvantage would depend on the particular model you have in mind.
Generally I wouldn’t hesitate to get one for a light-use PC.
I have a couple of all-in-ones, and had another one that died. Rather than fix it myself (which is what I normally do), I took it in for repair because it was under extended warranty (which I never buy for anything except for Apple products). Even they couldn’t fix it, and they ended up having to give me a new computer (better specs, too. See why I buy Apple warranties?).
My desktops (the all-in-ones) are appliances, though, and I have no expectation of ever having to upgrade them. That’s what my home-brew server is for. It lives in the basement, headless, and is the machine I upgrade from time to time.
Advantages:[ul][li]Compact, takes up less space (but more than a laptop).[/li][li]Looks cool.[/ul][/li]Disadvantages:
[ul][li]Costs more than an equivalent desktop design.[/li][li]Limited expandability (often only with makers high-priced parts).[/li][li]Repairs may require makers high-priced parts.[/li][li]Repairs are harder to do yourself; and take longer when done at a shop.[/li][li]If one component fails, the whole machine may be unrepairable.[/li][/ul]
Computer shop owner checking in…
Just for a quick comparison.
Power supply replacement in my shop for a standard tower, $86 parts, labor, etc out the door.
I wrote up an estimate a few days ago for a small form factor HP tower. The cheapest power supply I found for it will be costing my customer around $80 for just the part if they choose to repair it.
This machine was purchased with an extended warranty via best buy…their turnaround time on the last warranty repair (a motherboard) was 3 weeks.
More anecdotal evidence: I used to work at a place with a load of RM Ones.
Replace desktop PC screen: 10 minutes and about $120
Replace RM One screen: Around 1 week and about $500
In the end we stopped getting them repaired and just connected up standard monitors to the RM Ones when they failed.
Because Apple products always break? (I kid, I kid!)
For the record… I work at a notable retail chain, selling computers whose most well known non-portable computer is an all-in-one. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
All in Ones are amazing for your average user. For someone who games, you need a tower for the reason that you’ll always want to be swapping and upgrading for the latest parts, and all in ones are a bitch to take apart.
The disadvantages to all in ones, of course, are price. You pay for the smaller form factor. There’s a big advantage in that price, though. The average person doesn’t want a wire monster behind their desk, and with all in ones, you can get by with only one (the power cable). They look nicer than the average monitor does, and for a lot of people that’s important.
We build a lot of them into production equipment, and “panel PCs” have been filling this niche for a while now. We have some old systems in the field running Windows 95.
I’d never buy one for my own use however. One thing not mentioned above is that you are putting a lot of heat generating stuff in close quarters. We have had a rash of failures of 3-4 year old units. Dead HDs, or random failures usually related to the cooling fan(s) failing.
For the last year we have been using Atom based systems with SSHDs. These are also passively cooled. Hopefully this will reduce our field failure rate, but we won’t really know for another 2-3 years. I suspect this is what has brought them to consumer applications. The old noisy fan cooled units were not really suitable for an office environment.
I’ve been using one for years. I move it around the house (and sometimes to the office), and it’s much easier than unplugging parts and dragging a tower around. It’s a much better screen than a laptop, and I have a full keyboard and mouse. It puts all of the heat-generating stuff up on the desk where there’s good air circulation. When it’s on my desk, I have a second monitor plugged into it.
The only downsides I can see are that they’re harder to upgrade and a bit pricier up front. Well worth it for the convenience, if you ask me.
All-in-ones are very space efficient. That can be important if you’re renting office space. Personally, I’d go for something like the Zotac Zbox if I wanted that functionality.
Basically, these things are luggable laptops with the option of using a decent keyboard.
That’s not to say they’re bad, but you’re paying a premium for small components that are probably not going to perform as well and certainly aren’t going to be as easily swapped or repaired as their larger desktop equivalents in exchange for a smaller form factor and less hassle setting up the system. I think the main reason to get one is the space savings. I guess a pure laptop or dedicated mini system might be more efficient wrt power consumption but you’re probably not going to buy one of these if you want a portable or always-on system.
I don’t think that the price premium is all that much for the all in ones. If you want to reuse a monitor you already have then a tower will save you money. I looked at the dell web site If you wanted a similar monitor there was not much of a price difference between the all in one and a similar tower. The all in ones were not top of the line in terms of processing power memory and hard drive space but for a lot of people that is not a concern.
I’ve replaced the monitor on my current PC twice, so these are non-starter for me.
I’ve replaced my computer twice and have probably a ten year old monitor; I think LCD monitors were fairly new when I first got it. It does get annoying when I see other people’s screen shots with far more screen real estate, but I’ll probably keep it until it will no longer work with what I have. If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it.
It’s not a huge premium but is there. I just looked at Dell’s offerings; their cheapest tower desktop is $300, with another $150 for a monitor (which you can get for cheaper if you shop around). Their cheapest all-in-one with a roughly equivalent spec is $600.
Besides the fact that standard form factor PC’s are much more upgradeable, cheaper to service, and offer a lot more value for the dollar, they are not all the same and come in all shapes and sizes
If performance is not important to you, perhaps a mini ATX case? They’re super small and portable. If performance is an issue, a Micro ATX form factor might suit you best and there’s all kinds of boxes available. From HTPC’s that look like a sound system, to low profile, flats that can sit on your desk or hardly take up any room on the side, or cubes, etc, etc.
And I’ll second the warning about touch panels.
Wastes of money. The mouse and keyboard beat it in terms of comfort and productivity EVERY time. About the only time they become useful is when you truly are building a PC as an appliance, like maybe a small all in one for the kitchen to watch TV, hold recipes, etc. Essentially anywhere where the PC has a limited role to play and is in an environment where a mouse + keyboard just isn’t practical.
Oh, yeah, I have a Zotac MAG (slightly older than the Zbox). Makes a great hackintosh for using Plex while on the road (Plex is an XBMC derivative, and XBoxes don’t do high def anyway, and are way too large to carry about with you).
Or with my preferred brand, you don’t really have an alternative, as other than the all-in-ones, you only get pro-level towers with pro-level prices. Well, there’s that little “mini” model, but as long as I’m hiding the tower, the all-in-ones are much, much more elegant.