All-In-One PC buying advice?

[WorkPwny]

I need a smooth desktop with a small form factor, for Quickbooks, Office, web browsing, pdf viewing/editing, dvds, and few other windows programs. The less space it takes up on a tiny desk (It's not a computer desk), the better. I really like the look of the cheapest lenovo AIO's, but I don't know about the specs and how well it will work after a windows 10 upgrade:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-21-5-touch-screen-all-in-one-computer-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/8448849.p?id=1219336311772&skuId=8448849

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-21-5-touch-screen-all-in-one-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/4299400.p?id=bb4299400&skuId=4299400

With my low-end needs, I originally had it in mind to just go to Best Buy and walk out with the cheapest desktop they sell. But all the driver-related hassles that came with upgrading my yoga 2 pro laptop to W10 scared me away from that. I'm afraid I might get something that feels slow and unresponsive right out of the box.

And I'd prefer it to come from Best Buy.

 

[fralexandr]

If you want to avoid the windows 10 upgrade process, you can buy windows 10 all in ones on newegg or dell/lenovo/hp new

best buy online doesn't seem to have any that come with windows 10 yet, although maybe some of the display models are already upgraded

another option is buying a vesa mount compatible monitor and wall mounting it, or using a desk mount stand. You could then buy something like an intel nuc or gigabyte brix and mount it somewhere using velcro straps. It's too bad that most NUC don't have an optical drive, though, so you'd need an external one. Then get a wireless or wired keyboard and mouse depending on preference.

The NUC units tend to be a pricier option, since they typically don't come with RAM and require purchase of an mSATA SSD and OS.

if you're ok with used, and trying to upgrade to windows 10 yourself, then dell outlet currently has 35% off Optiplex 9000 all in ones
http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/28/...e4b1ea1bb93564a25c86e&ven3=870801864465244132

 

[WorkPwny]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, the second link didn't go through, but it included a w10 preinstalled AIO for 649.99, which feels to be a little much price-wise for what I need it for, but I have no idea.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-21-5-touch-screen-all-in-one-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/4299400.p?id=bb4299400&skuId=4299400

How do you feel about the specs in general on the cheapest versions of this Lenovo and other AIO machines? Do you think it will be sluggish? I'm completely ignorant on this, especially when it comes to these different cpus.

Traditional desktops aren't off the table as long as it's a lot cheaper, because I'll need to buy a 21inch monitor, k/b, speakers, and mouse.

 

[fralexandr]

the lenovo is fine for a generic office/browsing machine.
the g3250t and 4gb of ram are pretty well suited for those tasks.
the b40 should have an IPS display, which is nice.
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/lenovo/b-series/b40-30/#tab-features

it would be nice if all in ones had an msata slot for adding an msata ssd, to make bootups and/or loading ridiculously large quickbook files (if you work with unreasonably large quickbook files) faster, but then you'd probably need to buy the more expensive dell xps or lenovo thinkcentre all in ones or something.

 

[WorkPwny]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=lenovo+c40&_dyncharset=UTF-8&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&keys=keys

Would you say the same for the version with the AMD Quad-Core A4-6210 Processor for $429? edit: (eh, I noticed it's not touchscreen. Idk I think I'll stick to one of the former) I think I'm sold now, thanks for all the input!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

That's a C40, not a B40.

That's a lot of money for a NetTop bolted to a cheap monitor.

Have you considered just getting a normal book-sized SFF PC or NUC and using a VESA mounting kit to attach it to the back of a monitor of your choice? Or even your existing monitor?

bestbuy.com has an assortment of computers if you search for "NUC" - not sure about "Marketplace" vs. instore availability though. Don't shop there if I don't have to.

 

[VirtualLarry]

With my low-end needs, I originally had it in mind to just go to Best Buy and walk out with the cheapest desktop they sell.
I'm afraid I might get something that feels slow and unresponsive right out of the box.

That outcome is very likely.

And I'd prefer it to come from Best Buy.

That's really too bad.

Have you looked at an Asus VivoPC / MiniPC at Newegg?

Whatever you get, get a "big core" CPU, even at lower clock speeds, as opposed to a "small core" CPU.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry, the second link didn't go through, but it included a w10 preinstalled AIO for 649.99, which feels to be a little much price-wise for what I need it for, but I have no idea.

How do you feel about the specs in general on the cheapest versions of this Lenovo and other AIO machines? Do you think it will be sluggish? I'm completely ignorant on this, especially when it comes to these different cpus.

Traditional desktops aren't off the table as long as it's a lot cheaper, because I'll need to buy a 21inch monitor, k/b, speakers, and mouse.

AIOs are, comparatively speaking, a ripoff, and hard to service.

That said, I own a 20" (19.5") AIO, with an E1-2500. Only reason I got it, was it was under $200, as an open-box, and list price was something like $400-500. Which is positively exorbitant.

If you really want a decent AIO, I would get a 24" or 28" LCD, with a VESA mount, and HDMI in with speakers, and a Brix or NUC. Newegg is having a sale on the red A8-5550 Brix (AMD Richland 2.1Ghz quad-core APU). I would get one of those, an mSATA or 2.5" SSD, 8GB of DDR3L-1600 SO-DIMM memory, and Win7 64-bit, and go to town.

 

[sm625]

Pricing is outrageous on AIO units. For $649 you are getting a $79 monitor and the guts of a $150 PC. With a $400 markup. You are much better off buying a monitor/TV and then slapping onto the back of it something like a GIGABYTE GB-BXi5H-5200. You would still be paying $600 but you would get a heck of a lot more performance. And you can always detach the PC and move it to a bigger monitor/TV later on.

More info:

http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/342/images/overview.html

 

[WorkPwny]

Thanks for the replies and the link. I'm going to do the math on those when im free tonight, but at first glance it seems putting together my own aio from nothing, getting my money's worth, looks like it will take me well past 648, which i didnt want to spend on an aio for these simple tasks to begin with.

Im still leaning on the lenovo, with the 15 day return policy or craiglist in mind and making the ultra compact kits my plan B.

But ill see how low I can go first with either option. Thanks again everyone, i feel im going into this a lot more informed either way.

 

[JackMDS]

Big part of the price is the Touch Screen which in most cases it is totally useless with a Desktop.

Try to find an i3 AIO that is Not Touch screen.

 

[piasabird]

It says it is a pentium processor, but not which one. I wonder if this is like $40 CPU?