All in one pc

babyroo

Hi,

Anyone have a all-in-one pc, i'm looking to get one but just want some feedback from anyone who has one.

GunJack

I don't have one (because I wouldn't have one), but can tell you some of the down sides..

1. less bang per buck of a regular desktop

2. more prone to overheating due to packing in of components & screen, and more difficult to keep the cooling vents clear.

3. It's almost a case of "when it breaks, it's completely broken", can be hard to source spares for them, and they're a bit of a mare to take apart to fix

4. If the screen goes, it's pretty much a write-off.

robmar0se

GunJack wrote: »

I don't have one (because I wouldn't have one), but can tell you some of the down sides..

1. less bang per buck of a regular desktop

2. more prone to overheating due to packing in of components & screen, and more difficult to keep the cooling vents clear.

3. It's almost a case of "when it breaks, it's completely broken", can be hard to source spares for them, and they're a bit of a mare to take apart to fix

4. If the screen goes, it's pretty much a write-off.

I'll second that!

I'll add that especially on the HP models, spares are really not available, so when the graphics chip went on a mobo of one of HP's Touchsmart all-in-ones, the whole thing was a write-off - it was only 2 years old!

The exception maybe the Mac all-in-ones, much better built - but they cost.

babyroo

That's worth thinking about, think i'll stick to one with a tower !!

esuhl

Description of an "all-in-one" PC: all of the disadvantages of a laptop, with none of the benefits of a desktop.

RobertoMoir

I've got a slightly different perspective to the other replies you've had so far because we use them where I work and I'm thinking of what I've seen over several hundred of them at a time and overall they've been pretty reliable.

Despite that, the points raised so far are valid. You're giving up a lot of the flexibility of a "normal" PC in order to gain some desk space or maybe some portability back. Are those things more important than flexibility? (For example, while I agree with the point that you can't open up and fix an AIO PC yourself, if you would never ever open a 'normal' PC yourself anyway then while its a good point well made, its not relevant to you.)

spud17

RobertoMoir wrote: »

(For example, while I agree with the point that you can't open up and fix an AIO PC yourself, if you would never ever open a 'normal' PC yourself anyway then while its a good point well made, its not relevant to you.)

But, just to play devil's advocate, , whilst the owner might not want to open an AIO themselves, many do rely on the good folks of this forum i.e. friends, relatives etc, as a source of cheap repairs.

RobertoMoir

spud17 wrote: »

But, just to play devil's advocate, , whilst the owner might not want to open an AIO themselves, many do rely on the good folks of this forum i.e. friends, relatives etc, as a source of cheap repairs.

Well yeah. My point is that they have to decide what they want more. They're trading a lower price and convenience of maintenance for convenience of use if they purchase an AIO. None of us can tell them what decision is right, just what they need to balance while making their own decision.

spud17

RobertoMoir wrote: »

Well yeah. My point is that they have to decide what they want more. They're trading a lower price and convenience of maintenance for convenience of use if they purchase an AIO. None of us can tell them what decision is right, just what they need to balance while making their own decision.

I wasn't disagreeing, in fact I totally agree.
I was just pointing out that if they should have problems, it might not be as easy to get a relative/friend to sort it compared to a conventional desktop or even a laptop.

smos585

RobertoMoir wrote: »

Well yeah. My point is that they have to decide what they want more. They're trading a lower price and convenience of maintenance for convenience of use if they purchase an AIO. None of us can tell them what decision is right, just what they need to balance while making their own decision.

Both yr posts are fair, and make good points. I would just like to add the PC engineers don't really like them, as parts etc are difficult, and repairs generally are not really economic (unless limited to RAM/HDD issues).