Computers & Tablets

[wl915]

My current system is a HP Pavilion a1616n  running Xp.

I will be up grading this year either to another desktop, but afer looking at the All-In-One computers I am thinking about going that way plus I am tight on space.

What are some of the pros and cons of the All-In-One computers if any

Thanks

[RedWyv3 Best Buy Employee]

Good Question! I shall try to answer as best as I can.

Pros:

1. Lightweight and simple. An all in one desktop can be pretty easily moved from one room to another and has a minimum amount of wiring. (often just a power plug and wireless keyboard and mouse)

2. Touchscreen options. Many models now have a touch screen, which is just plain convient and cool.

3. Space saving. No explaination needed here, it takes less room!

4. Style. Let's face it, they look cool.

Cons:

1. Upgradability. What you see is what you get. Upgrades are limited to memory and hard drive. You generally cannot upgrade the motherboard/proccessor, etc.

2. Heat. Running something high powered? There is little airspace inside the case. It's designed for people running daily tasks, not high end games or server applications, and cannot be upgraded to handle those.

3. All-In-One issues: If something breaks, you can't just use a temporary solution while that part is fixed (borrowing someone's monitor, etc). The whole unit has to go back.

Conclusion: An all-in-one unit has the same pros and cons of a laptop, essentially, with the exeption of being less less portable and not requiring a battery. It's a laptop on a stand with a (typically) larger monitor, so a laptop might be a good alternative to an all-in-one if you don't mind the drawbacks. However, it feels more solid in your hands then a laptop and is perfect for an (only occasionally portable) enviornment, and since it's not likely to be moved you have to worry less about dropping it or replacing batteries overtime. Versus a desktop, a desktop unit is a perfect solution for the upgrader or one who wishes to customize which monitor they use, or wishes higher end (including server) applications. This is a generalization: Of course, there are higher end all-in-ones which can handle such applications, simply you cannot change/configure/upgrade an all-in-one to do so over time.

I hope this helps, and I'd be glad to clarify any points as needed. 

[wl915 · Accepted solution]

I run a small business out of my home so therefore I am not into the games, videos.

You mention about over heating could that be a problem due to the amount of time one spent on the all in one?

Because my system will be on a about 17 hours per day.

Thanks

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

As long as the system is in a decently ventilated room, and is cleaned with compressed air on a regular basis, it will be fine.

[Entropy]

One thing to note:  The HP all-in-ones (At least the TouchSmart 310) are the first systems I've seen in years that do not have ANY external monitor port.  So if you ever want to connect it to an HDTV for Netflix or the like, you're out of luck.  Even my low-end netbooks have a VGA port.

For the purposes of upgradability, I strongly suggest avoiding all-in-ones.  You get more PC for your money with traditional desktops, and you can replace individual parts as need be.  (Want a bigger monitor?  Go ahead.)