ASUS CHROMEBOX-M004U Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Our desktop died a few months ago and we were looking for a replacement. Because my wife and I both have tablets and a laptop, we have found that we have not used the desktop as much. As a result, we were wondering whether we should even get a replacement. We decided it would be nice to have but we didn't want to spend $500+ on a new computer. I had heard of the Chromebox previously but didn't pay too much attention to it. I decided it would be worth looking into and after seeing all the good comments, I felt it was worth taking a chance on getting one.



Is it anything spectacular? Yes! Does it do anything more than Chrome on Windows? No. But here is why (when your desktop finally dies/or you are just sick of how slow it is) you should buy a Chromebox:



1) Fast enough to do everything you want to on the internet. If you are like most people, you will realize that 90+% of the time you are on a computer, you are using a web browser. Everything else on your computer therefore is added weight to slow down your internet experience. This may include Virus/Malware Scanning Software, Viruses and Malware, other background processes, etc. ChromeOS takes all this out and gives you the the web browser and a great way of connecting to it. Will it handle the latest high intensity graphics game around? No, it won't come close but if you are looking for something to do that, you probably aren't even looking at Chromeboxes and therefore are not even reading this post.



2) Still can do Microsoft Office Online. This was actually a surprise to me but it actually works fairly well. For those of you who are not familiar with Office Online, it is a web version of Office that doesn't have all the bells and whistles of regular office. If you are like most people, you really don't use the bells and whistles. I do quite a bit of work in Office with my employment (law) and find that everything that I need can be done on Office Online. If you really don't need a lot of features, check of Google Docs, it rocks as well.



3) 100GB of online storage. From your new Chromebox (or Chromebook) go to http://ift.tt/T5gIes and type in some information an viola, 100GB of online storage.



4) It is simple to use. There is no learning curve with the Chromebox. It is the Chrome web browser and if you have used any browser in the last 5 years, you will be up to speed. There are a few features that you don't get on regular Chrome like Bluetooth and WIFI but even make that easy to operate.



5) It uses Google Print. So this could be a frustration for a lot of people. The Chromebox, even though it has USB ports, does not allow you to connect printers because it doesn't install drivers. So what can you do? First, get a printer that is Google Print capable. Okay, I am with you, I really don't need another printer laying around my house. Second, try the xPrint Server from Lantronix. Granted it is a little expensive (~$150.00) which makes one wonder why not just buy a new printer. Third, use an old computer that runs Chrome as a gateway. While not a great choice, it is better than some of the first options. Fourth, get geeky with a Raspberry Pi. For those that are not aware of what a Raspberry Pi is, it is a $35 computer capable of running Linux. Needless to say, Chrome can run on Linux and it can also install printer drivers. Here is a tutorial on turning a Raspberry Pi into your Google Cloud Print servant.



[...]



Again, this is a hurdle for a lot of people but I will say, after you get Google Cloud Print working, it is awesome. No more worrying about what computer your document is on and what computer is connected to which printer. It is simply, clicking this printer and this document.



6) It can be customized. If you find out that Chrome OS is not your thing that is okay. There are plenty of tutorials on how to install Ubuntu on the Chromebox either as a dual-boot or replacement. If you are interested in this, I would recommend getting an extra 2GB stick of ram (Laptop DDR3). It may also be smart to upgrade the size of the SSD as well. If that looks greek to you, then just stick with Chrome OS.



Hopefully you have found my review helpful of the Chromebox. Just to recap, this is a great desktop replacement if all you need is something to surf the internet with and do homework. You will be pleasantly surprised at how fast it loads up and how easy it is to use.

Acer DA220HQL 21.5-Inch Android All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop 2013 Model

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This unit at this price point (we paid $299) is one of the best values I found all year. On the account of some less than great reviews I hesitated to purchase this, but let me tell you, as a very "tech person", the poor reviews are unfounded and authored by people who simply were disappointed that this does not have Windows installed which it does not claim to! You can however plug in your Windows laptop, tablet. tower, etc, and have a full blown huge Windows tablet/touchscreen all-in-one! The screen is beautiful I must mention; it's full HD and crisp - I can't take anyone with issues with the screen seriously and hopefully you won't either. My only disappointment was that I did not get this sooner!



Android OS works much better in a desktop manner than I thought it would. Mind you we got this mainly for the kids to use android, and secondly as a monitor solution to get a desktop experience from our smaller Windows tablets. It really works great for all of this and unlike many other "portable all-in-ones", this unit actually is absolutely portable! For $299, I honestly expected less, but feel I got well more than my money's worth with this product - VERY HAPPY.



****PROS****

~This unit is truly portable! It's very thin, light-weight, sleek, and just very attractive and high quality all around.

~The included keyboard and mouse are very nice - they have a uniqueness in their design that is refreshing.

~Crisp, clear, FULL HD touch-screen.

~Micro to full HDMI cable & micro to full size USB are included in the box.

~Works as a touch screen monitor for any (even non-touch screen) Windows machines.

~Adjustable built-in kickstand works great and is much lighter and less bulky than other 'stands' on all-in-ones.

~It's dirt cheap for what you get!



****CONS****

~It's only 2-point multi-touch, compared to other 5-point or 10-point options out there - that's the only con I can think of, though I haven't noticed any limitation(s), not has the wife or kids.

Acer DA220HQL 21.5-Inch Android All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop 2013 Model

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This unit at this price point (we paid $299) is one of the best values I found all year. On the account of some less than great reviews I hesitated to purchase this, but let me tell you, as a very "tech person", the poor reviews are unfounded and authored by people who simply were disappointed that this does not have Windows installed which it does not claim to! You can however plug in your Windows laptop, tablet. tower, etc, and have a full blown huge Windows tablet/touchscreen all-in-one! The screen is beautiful I must mention; it's full HD and crisp - I can't take anyone with issues with the screen seriously and hopefully you won't either. My only disappointment was that I did not get this sooner!



Android OS works much better in a desktop manner than I thought it would. Mind you we got this mainly for the kids to use android, and secondly as a monitor solution to get a desktop experience from our smaller Windows tablets. It really works great for all of this and unlike many other "portable all-in-ones", this unit actually is absolutely portable! For $299, I honestly expected less, but feel I got well more than my money's worth with this product - VERY HAPPY.



****PROS****

~This unit is truly portable! It's very thin, light-weight, sleek, and just very attractive and high quality all around.

~The included keyboard and mouse are very nice - they have a uniqueness in their design that is refreshing.

~Crisp, clear, FULL HD touch-screen.

~Micro to full HDMI cable & micro to full size USB are included in the box.

~Works as a touch screen monitor for any (even non-touch screen) Windows machines.

~Adjustable built-in kickstand works great and is much lighter and less bulky than other 'stands' on all-in-ones.

~It's dirt cheap for what you get!



****CONS****

~It's only 2-point multi-touch, compared to other 5-point or 10-point options out there - that's the only con I can think of, though I haven't noticed any limitation(s), not has the wife or kids.

HP Pavilion 500-281 Desktop (Windows 7)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I am not an HP fan for computers. Printers, yes. Computers, not so much.

My history with HP computers has been one wrought with failures, crashes, loss of data, software conflicts, you name it. It all added up to a very unsatisfying experience.

However.....After buying this one on a whim (because of the price) after a motherboard burnout on another computer, I am totally surprised at its performance and ease of use.

PRO: The features it has are more than adequate for the moderate demand I wanted it for. Primarily office type demands, Photo processing, music etc. The on board video outputs, vga & hdmi, allowed me to do a dual monitor set up with virtually no lag between and link to my home theatre with excellent HD. The USB-3 inputs are more than adequate for most needs. Mic / headphone inputs are standard and the audio out handles surround sound well. After extending the use to more demanding projects...video and audio production, it performed well. There was some slowdown due to the high end demand, but it did hold its own.

I didn't expect it to perform as well as my work horse, but I just wanted to see if it could. And it ran cool and quiet under load.

I did like the fact that it had no bloatware included. There was the standard antivirus which I uninstalled and replaced with one that i preferred. Office was negligible as I had my own I use.

Con: None as yet. I will update this as time and usage increases.

Highly recommended by someone who previously was not a fan.

Apple Mac Mini MGEN2LL/A Desktop (NEWEST VERSION)

Apple iMac

• 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5


• 1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive


• 8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory


• Intel Iris Graphics


• Mac OS X Yosemite


• 
  

CUSTOMER REVIEW



There are some benefits and some drawbacks to the new Mac mini. We've tested a bunch already and they are solid units. From what we've written on the Macminicolo blog of ten things to know.



1) The machine received a second thunderbolt 2 port and lost its Firewire 800 port. A few years ago, this would have been a big loss, but I don’t think it’s as big of a deal now. The Thunderbolt drives are getting less expensive and have more options available. And with the addition of USB 3 in the 2012 mini, that covers a lot of what people need for speed.



2) For home users, the increased Graphics will be a very welcomed upgrade. In a data center, that will be useful for those who process a lot of images and will likely help when screen sharing.



3) The RAM can no longer be upgraded by the user. This option will be sorely missed by a lot of people. At least Apple has decreased the price of the RAM upgrades when you build and order a machine on the Apple Store. Also, nice to see the two higher versions come with 8GB of RAM by default now.



4) If a hard drive is ordered in the Mac mini, you can get to it and replace an SSD but it won’t be easy. As was before, replacing the hard drive is not covered under warranty.



5) On the previous mini there was one Gigabit ethernet port, and to get a second one you’d have to take the only Thunderbolt port. Now that there are two, you can have a second Gigabit port and a Thunderbolt drive.



6) There is no more “Server” version, so no more dual-drive Mac mini. From our experience, nearly everyone used that second drive for a cloned backup. Very useful, but having a backup on the outside of the Mac mini can be useful too. (It’s much easier to plug that external drive into another Mac and boot from it. This makes for a quick recovery if needed.)



7) Because there are fewer parts in the mini now, the Applecare is down now as well to $99. (Previously $149)



8) It’s nice to see the return of the $499 Mac mini. It started there, then the base price went to $599, $699, back to $599 and now a full circle back to $499. It’s still incredible having a Mac under $500.



9) When ordering an HDD option, it looks like it is still a 5400RPM drive. That’s too bad. The 2011 Mac mini had the faster 7200RPM and that was a nice bonus. I guess we’re living in an SSD world now. If you want speed, you know how to get it.



10) Overall it’s a nice upgrade. Though to be honest, with these components, it really should have happened about 6 months ago.

HP Pavilion 23-g010 23-Inch All-in-One Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



What I'm going to touch on here are the things that I found most important about this machine when I installed it for a client of mine. This machine is perfectly acceptable under most standards for daily computer usage. The stand is perfectly stable, and everything is good. However, there are some things you should be made aware of.



* The keyboard and mouse are indeed wired. That is odd for an All-In-One system. Most of these systems come with a Bluetooth pre-paired wireless set. This may be a good thing for you though, as I have had plenty of calls related to dying Bluetooth keyboards, and people do not know how to change the batteries in them. No, I'm not joking.



* The power cord is not standardized. They use their own power cord.....know what that means? It's more susceptible to breakage. That's right, money for HP....



* The touch screen is great....but .... are you really going to use it? Really? After the first 48 hours?



* Windows 8.... Let me be clear about Windows 8. It's not the greatest, but you'll be ok. Heck, you might even like it after a while.



* The Keyboard and mouse are cheap cheap cheap.



* There are no recovery disks, or Certificates of Authenticity. All of that info is stored on your motherboard, in your bios...but the recovery disks? Make a copy using the tool in the computer. Otherwise when your hard drive dies (and it will) you'll have to buy recovery disks from HP.



A NOTE ABOUT NEW COMPUTER PURCHASES: Word and Excel do not come with your new computer. The best thing I can tell you to do is to get Office 365 for 99 a year! If you don't like that, get [...]



SHORT AND SWEET: All in Ones are expensive. This one is acceptable, but you're making concessions, for sure!

Acer DA220HQL 21.5-Inch Android All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop 2013 Model

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This unit at this price point (we paid $299) is one of the best values I found all year. On the account of some less than great reviews I hesitated to purchase this, but let me tell you, as a very "tech person", the poor reviews are unfounded and authored by people who simply were disappointed that this does not have Windows installed which it does not claim to! You can however plug in your Windows laptop, tablet. tower, etc, and have a full blown huge Windows tablet/touchscreen all-in-one! The screen is beautiful I must mention; it's full HD and crisp - I can't take anyone with issues with the screen seriously and hopefully you won't either. My only disappointment was that I did not get this sooner!



Android OS works much better in a desktop manner than I thought it would. Mind you we got this mainly for the kids to use android, and secondly as a monitor solution to get a desktop experience from our smaller Windows tablets. It really works great for all of this and unlike many other "portable all-in-ones", this unit actually is absolutely portable! For $299, I honestly expected less, but feel I got well more than my money's worth with this product - VERY HAPPY.



****PROS****

~This unit is truly portable! It's very thin, light-weight, sleek, and just very attractive and high quality all around.

~The included keyboard and mouse are very nice - they have a uniqueness in their design that is refreshing.

~Crisp, clear, FULL HD touch-screen.

~Micro to full HDMI cable & micro to full size USB are included in the box.

~Works as a touch screen monitor for any (even non-touch screen) Windows machines.

~Adjustable built-in kickstand works great and is much lighter and less bulky than other 'stands' on all-in-ones.

~It's dirt cheap for what you get!



****CONS****

~It's only 2-point multi-touch, compared to other 5-point or 10-point options out there - that's the only con I can think of, though I haven't noticed any limitation(s), not has the wife or kids.

Dell Inspiron 3847 i3847-2770BK Desktop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) OK... A little background: I am the kind of guy who builds his own PCs. Sure, over the past three-and-a-half decades I've owned several pre-builts, including several from Apple, ASUS, IBM (old school!), Acer, Compaq, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and other companies, but those usually ended up being cannibalized for parts because I never really liked how limited the designs were in those systems. They lacked expansion slots, or the memory couldn't be upgraded, or they weren't flexible enough to allow me to add more hard drives (you can never have enough hard drives). So I frequently just built Frankenputers from pieces and parts, and tailored them to my needs, all the while working in various computer stores (years ago) selling pre-built units-- including Dells-- to customers (until all the computer stores went out of business thanks to Best Bigbox killing them). I have to add that my experience with Dell at that time left me less than enthused.



Enter the Dell Inspiron i3847. They advertised it as "That expandable" and I was intrigued. "Truly? A pre-built desktop that doesn't make expansion a chore? This I've got to see!"



When the Dell arrived, I fired it up and was, indeed pleased by the fast setup and the lack of bloatware-- indeed, the only extra software on it seemed to be the 30-day trial of McAfee, but as I have my own subscription with Kaspersky, I didn't even need this and it was easily deleted, leaving me the majority of the 1TB hard drive for future software installations.



The speed was also quite nice. I was coming from an AMD Phenom X4 955 3.2 GHz, and the boost in speed when going to the Intel Core i5 (also 3.2 GHz) is quite welcome. That's not to say the AMD was slow, but that the Intel is just more optimized. It's simply faster in day-to-day functions, and plays nicer with my various applications.



The 8GB of RAM was also pretty helpful, I must say. It's nice to get a PC loaded with enough RAM to do any job. Too many pre-built PCs cheap-out in this regard, giving the buyer 4GB to deal with. In this era of 64-bit Windows, there's simply no reason not to slap the other 4GB in there and make the end-user experience that much more pleasant.



The on-board graphics? Well, they're Intel on-board graphics. Fast enough for web browsing, basic games, basic video, and business applications, but I'm a bit of a gamer and video editor, and so I was exceptionally pleased to see the free slot and ample space in the Dell Inspiron to allow me to install my Radeon HD 7850. Yes, yes... I know I'd be better served on an Intel with a GeForce card, but right now I'm happy with my existing Radeon pulled from an AMD system, and you can bet I was happy to see that it fit in the Dell.



Of course, there was one problem: Power. The Dell Inspiron i3847-5078BK comes with a very basic 300-watt power supply, and no, it does not have PCI-E connections. That meant swapping over my Corsair RM550 so that I could provide power to my Radeon card... And then, as long as I was in there, I mounted a second and third hard drive. I had to provide an extra SATA connector, and to be clear, there is no third HDD bay, but I happened to have a 5.25 caddy around, and so my third hard drive fit nicely in the second optical drive bay (which I wouldn't have needed, anyway... I really don't see the point to two optical drives unless you do a lot of disc-to-disc copying). While I was making changes, I decided to pull the stock DVD-RW drive (not a bad drive, mind you) and replace it with my own BD-RW drive.



It took some work getting the cables from my modular power supply managed, but once done, everything worked perfectly. The power supply mounted with no problems, the new hard drives all work, and the system is still so remarkably quiet I'm amazed it's got such a beefy CPU.



I didn't stop there, though. This system came with Windows 7 64-bit. That's nice and all, but after a couple years of using Windows 8 and 8.1, I was too used to the new OS and all the advancement in it (and before you gripe about how terrible Windows 8.1 is, let me point out that the under-the-hood improvements are enough of a performance boost for any gamer to think twice about being pedantic about the UI changing slightly.) With Windows 8.1 in place on this Core i5 system, with an improved video card and 8 GB of RAM, the system boots up super-fast and everything blazes.



Even before I put Windows 8.1 on this PC, though, it was pretty darn fast. The hardware is solid. The Core i5 CPU is absolutely lovely, and I have no complaints about it. The added RAM was probably the real boost to the system, though. If you absolutely hate Windows 8.1 then you will still see plenty of speed on this system as-is, with Windows 7 on it.



Despite this being an excellent computer that has changed my mind about pre-built systems, I am knocking off a point from my review for a combination of things:



First, the stock power supply was woefully inadequate for any expansion of the system. It was enough to run the hardware included, but if the average user wants to add a hard drive or video card, they're going to find out soon enough that they needed to upgrade the power supply. What's more, the included PSU has exceptionally short wires going to the CPU and motherboard, making it useful only for this particular PC & motherboard's layout. This is a minor complaint, but when they advertise that it's "That Expandable", they really should see fit to stick a beefier, more well-equipped power supply in the case.



Second, I just don't see the point to having two 5.25 bays and only two 3.25 bays when there are four SATA connections. Most people simply aren't going to need an extra optical drive, and would want that extra hard drive some day. Maybe it's just me, but I think a third 3.25 rack would have been preferable in a case like this, or, barring that, at least include a caddy to transform that 5.25 bay into a 3.25 bay. I had one lying around, but most people won't, and again they're selling this series as "Expandable" so I'd think this hardware would be part of the case design.



Finally, there are no front fans whatsoever. No hard drive cooling, no intake. I may correct this myself if I can figure out how to make it work with the nearly-sealed front panel, but I found it strange that a system that is supposed to be expandable wouldn't take into account the possibility that future upgrades might increase the interior heat and require some additional cooling.



These are, of course, all nitpick from a PC builder's point of view. For the average consumer looking for a powerful system this is a great choice. You have the ability to add that GeForce (or AMD) video card, as long as you make sure to swap out the power supply, too. You have the ability to add an extra hard drive easily (the SATA and power connectors are right there, held in place on the empty drive bay). You have 8GB of RAM and almost the entire 1 TB hard drive to work with thanks to Dell not packing in a bunch of unnecessary bloatware. You have excellent speed, and best of all, quiet cooling and power that makes this system purr.



This is an excellent choice in pre-built PCs. I can safely say that the next time I am looking to help a layperson find a pre-built desktop computer that I won't have to help them fix all the time, it will likely be a Dell. My assessment of Dell's hardware (and software) has *vastly* improved after my experience with this system. They've made consumer-friendly systems that still cater to the desires and needs of tinkerers and people in-the-know, like me.



Final Verdict: FOUR STARS for me, but it could be FIVE STARS for the average consumer who never intends to do any upgrading themselves. Let's call it FOUR AND A HALF STARS, if Amazon would let me do that.

Dell Inspiron i3043-5000BLK 19.5-Inch Touchscreen All-in-One Desktop

Get what you need - a computer, monitor and speakers - in an affordable, space-saving design that's made for at-home entertainment and productivity. Get yours.

• Intel Pentium Processor N3530


• 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM


• 500 GB 5400.0 rpm Hard Drive


• 19.5-Inch Screen, Intel HD Graphics


• Windows 8.1

Dell Inspiron i3043-5000BLK 19.5-Inch Touchscreen All-in-One Desktop

Get what you need - a computer, monitor and speakers - in an affordable, space-saving design that's made for at-home entertainment and productivity. Get yours.

• Intel Pentium Processor N3530


• 4 GB DDR3L SDRAM


• 500 GB 5400.0 rpm Hard Drive


• 19.5-Inch Screen, Intel HD Graphics


• Windows 8.1


• 
  

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) There are some things to like about this computer and other things to be aware of. Let's start off with the fact that it is a simple and basic computer. It had problems with some higher resolution YouTube videos. In fact, my Sony Blu-Ray player did a much better job with these streaming videos, which surprised me.



Set up took over 2 hours. The system goes through some form of comprehensive pre-boot process and I kept thinking, "Come on, is this *really* necessary?". Despite that process, the actual setup of the system itself is pretty simple. Nearly plug and play. It comes with a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse. At first, I couldn't get either of those to work until I figured out that there is a dongle, or as my mom would call it, a doohickey that must be plugged into one of the USB ports, leaving 2 remaining. You could also use your own Bluetooth keyboard if you didn't want to tie up a USB slot. The keyboard works fine but has a somewhat sloppy and imprecise feel to it. I don't love it.



There is no media slot for a DVD, Blu-Ray or the like. Seems like something that could have been added. Memory is 4 GB and it could use more. I *think* you can add additional memory, but check for yourself. The reason I write that I think so is because I entered my service tag number at Dell's website and it offered several memory upgrades for purchase for this system. So if this information is wrong, blame it on Dell.



Sound quality is average. I'd like a bit more volume. Couldn't crank up a couple of music videos nearly as loud as I'd like. Yes, I do understand that I'm only going to get so much volume out of this thing, but still.



Did I mention the fact that I dislike the keyboard? Yes, I did. Typing on it now and I *really* dislike it. Super mushy. Not at all enjoyable to use.



The monitor is average as well. Not great, not bad. Could be better, About what you'd expect at this price point. The touchscreen feature is nice, precise and works well. Do be aware that a similar version is available without the touchscreen for substantially less money as of this writing (model i3043-1250). But the touchscreen is a nice feature. I also like the facial recognition feature, which logs you in by looking at your face. The downside is that you have to see your own face briefly. Mine didn't look so hot this morning. But it's fast and convenient and even works great in very low light. Must have a decent camera built into the monitor.



The screen has a spring-loaded stand that opens and stays in place by friction. It works pretty good and provides nice adjustability of screen position. It is possible though that you could move the screen out of position by using the touchscreen feature, but overall it works fine.



The form is quite small, as you might guess. The monitor with built-in computer and all, is only a bit over an inch thick. There's a part of me that's nearly amazed that they can get all of that in there, but I also come from an age of big computers and even (gasp) no computers, if you can imagine that!



I've owned several Dell products over the years and my experience has been a good one. So the Dell name is a plus, in my view anyway.



I went back and forth as to rate this system 3 or 4 stars. Based on price and features, I'd give it about 3.5 stars and we'll call it 4 since there's no half star option. There are certainly things to like about this system, but there are flaws as well and it's important to remember that it is pretty basic. As long as you understand what you're buying. you should be satisfied.

ASUS VivoPC-VM40B-02 Desktop

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I am using this as an entertainment PC in my bedroom where, although I have enough room for a full sized PC, I wanted a small form factor so my bedroom did not look like a home theater room. I have this PC connected to the TV in my bedroom by the HDMI port. I connected the VivoPC to a stereo with standard 3.5mm to RCA cable. With its small form factor, I was able to set it on the top of an NHT speaker.



Pros:



1) Small form factor. It can be placed just about anywhere. I prefer the styling to the similar Lenovo Q and Acer Revo series;

2) It is very quiet -- unlike the full size AMD FX8350 system I built for the home theater in the family room;

3) Very attractive case with nifty light through slit in front of the PC;

4) Wireless 802.11ac networking. This enables it to communicate very quickly with the PC on which I store all of my audio and video;

5) Good connectivity with 4 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports, audio and microphone plugs, HDMI and standard VGA outputs;

6) The 3.5" 500G hard drive is easy to remove and replace so you can upgrade it easily, unlike the Lenovo and Acer models.

7) Very inexpensive.

8) While the case is made of plastic, it feels solidly built.

9) Very portable.

10) The Intel 4000 graphics is adequate for 1080p video and audio.



Cons:



1) It is slow in that it uses a Celeron dual core processor. It scored a meager 877.5 on PerformanceTest 8. If you need more power but like the small form factor, the ASUS VIVO-PC VMB60 uses an I3 or I5 processor, but costs about $100 to 200 more and is done in a brushed black rather than the attractive gold of this PC;

2) I would like a front panel USB port to connect jump drives to.

3) It came with a wired keyboard and mouse. I purchased a Logitech tk820 all in one wireless keyboard with a built in touch pad so I didn't have to mess with a mouse where I did not have a place to use it.

4) Windows 8.



I am seriously considering buying a second one for the home theater system. You may want to compare this model to the similar Lenovo Q series or Acer Revo. If you can build your own system and have an operating system floating around, you may also want to consider the Intel NUC series or Gigabyte barebones PC which requires the addition of a hard drive and memory.

Dell Inspiron 3847 i3847-2770BK Desktop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) OK... A little background: I am the kind of guy who builds his own PCs. Sure, over the past three-and-a-half decades I've owned several pre-builts, including several from Apple, ASUS, IBM (old school!), Acer, Compaq, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and other companies, but those usually ended up being cannibalized for parts because I never really liked how limited the designs were in those systems. They lacked expansion slots, or the memory couldn't be upgraded, or they weren't flexible enough to allow me to add more hard drives (you can never have enough hard drives). So I frequently just built Frankenputers from pieces and parts, and tailored them to my needs, all the while working in various computer stores (years ago) selling pre-built units-- including Dells-- to customers (until all the computer stores went out of business thanks to Best Bigbox killing them). I have to add that my experience with Dell at that time left me less than enthused.



Enter the Dell Inspiron i3847. They advertised it as "That expandable" and I was intrigued. "Truly? A pre-built desktop that doesn't make expansion a chore? This I've got to see!"



When the Dell arrived, I fired it up and was, indeed pleased by the fast setup and the lack of bloatware-- indeed, the only extra software on it seemed to be the 30-day trial of McAfee, but as I have my own subscription with Kaspersky, I didn't even need this and it was easily deleted, leaving me the majority of the 1TB hard drive for future software installations.



The speed was also quite nice. I was coming from an AMD Phenom X4 955 3.2 GHz, and the boost in speed when going to the Intel Core i5 (also 3.2 GHz) is quite welcome. That's not to say the AMD was slow, but that the Intel is just more optimized. It's simply faster in day-to-day functions, and plays nicer with my various applications.



The 8GB of RAM was also pretty helpful, I must say. It's nice to get a PC loaded with enough RAM to do any job. Too many pre-built PCs cheap-out in this regard, giving the buyer 4GB to deal with. In this era of 64-bit Windows, there's simply no reason not to slap the other 4GB in there and make the end-user experience that much more pleasant.



The on-board graphics? Well, they're Intel on-board graphics. Fast enough for web browsing, basic games, basic video, and business applications, but I'm a bit of a gamer and video editor, and so I was exceptionally pleased to see the free slot and ample space in the Dell Inspiron to allow me to install my Radeon HD 7850. Yes, yes... I know I'd be better served on an Intel with a GeForce card, but right now I'm happy with my existing Radeon pulled from an AMD system, and you can bet I was happy to see that it fit in the Dell.



Of course, there was one problem: Power. The Dell Inspiron i3847-5078BK comes with a very basic 300-watt power supply, and no, it does not have PCI-E connections. That meant swapping over my Corsair RM550 so that I could provide power to my Radeon card... And then, as long as I was in there, I mounted a second and third hard drive. I had to provide an extra SATA connector, and to be clear, there is no third HDD bay, but I happened to have a 5.25 caddy around, and so my third hard drive fit nicely in the second optical drive bay (which I wouldn't have needed, anyway... I really don't see the point to two optical drives unless you do a lot of disc-to-disc copying). While I was making changes, I decided to pull the stock DVD-RW drive (not a bad drive, mind you) and replace it with my own BD-RW drive.



It took some work getting the cables from my modular power supply managed, but once done, everything worked perfectly. The power supply mounted with no problems, the new hard drives all work, and the system is still so remarkably quiet I'm amazed it's got such a beefy CPU.



I didn't stop there, though. This system came with Windows 7 64-bit. That's nice and all, but after a couple years of using Windows 8 and 8.1, I was too used to the new OS and all the advancement in it (and before you gripe about how terrible Windows 8.1 is, let me point out that the under-the-hood improvements are enough of a performance boost for any gamer to think twice about being pedantic about the UI changing slightly.) With Windows 8.1 in place on this Core i5 system, with an improved video card and 8 GB of RAM, the system boots up super-fast and everything blazes.



Even before I put Windows 8.1 on this PC, though, it was pretty darn fast. The hardware is solid. The Core i5 CPU is absolutely lovely, and I have no complaints about it. The added RAM was probably the real boost to the system, though. If you absolutely hate Windows 8.1 then you will still see plenty of speed on this system as-is, with Windows 7 on it.



Despite this being an excellent computer that has changed my mind about pre-built systems, I am knocking off a point from my review for a combination of things:



First, the stock power supply was woefully inadequate for any expansion of the system. It was enough to run the hardware included, but if the average user wants to add a hard drive or video card, they're going to find out soon enough that they needed to upgrade the power supply. What's more, the included PSU has exceptionally short wires going to the CPU and motherboard, making it useful only for this particular PC & motherboard's layout. This is a minor complaint, but when they advertise that it's "That Expandable", they really should see fit to stick a beefier, more well-equipped power supply in the case.



Second, I just don't see the point to having two 5.25 bays and only two 3.25 bays when there are four SATA connections. Most people simply aren't going to need an extra optical drive, and would want that extra hard drive some day. Maybe it's just me, but I think a third 3.25 rack would have been preferable in a case like this, or, barring that, at least include a caddy to transform that 5.25 bay into a 3.25 bay. I had one lying around, but most people won't, and again they're selling this series as "Expandable" so I'd think this hardware would be part of the case design.



Finally, there are no front fans whatsoever. No hard drive cooling, no intake. I may correct this myself if I can figure out how to make it work with the nearly-sealed front panel, but I found it strange that a system that is supposed to be expandable wouldn't take into account the possibility that future upgrades might increase the interior heat and require some additional cooling.



These are, of course, all nitpick from a PC builder's point of view. For the average consumer looking for a powerful system this is a great choice. You have the ability to add that GeForce (or AMD) video card, as long as you make sure to swap out the power supply, too. You have the ability to add an extra hard drive easily (the SATA and power connectors are right there, held in place on the empty drive bay). You have 8GB of RAM and almost the entire 1 TB hard drive to work with thanks to Dell not packing in a bunch of unnecessary bloatware. You have excellent speed, and best of all, quiet cooling and power that makes this system purr.



This is an excellent choice in pre-built PCs. I can safely say that the next time I am looking to help a layperson find a pre-built desktop computer that I won't have to help them fix all the time, it will likely be a Dell. My assessment of Dell's hardware (and software) has *vastly* improved after my experience with this system. They've made consumer-friendly systems that still cater to the desires and needs of tinkerers and people in-the-know, like me.



Final Verdict: FOUR STARS for me, but it could be FIVE STARS for the average consumer who never intends to do any upgrading themselves. Let's call it FOUR AND A HALF STARS, if Amazon would let me do that.

Dell Inspiron 3048 i3048-4286BLK 20-Inch All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop

Have more fun and get more done with this all-in-one desktop. Maximized performanbce; faster everything; balance your checkbook, post to social media, upload a movie and listen to music a the same time- with less-lag. Quick response for games, videos and photo editing all get a boost with up to 1GB Intel graphics performance. Connect your phone, printer, scanner or other devices with two USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, plus an HDMI out port

• Intel Pentium Processor G3240T


• 4 GB DDR3


• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive


• 20-Inch Screen


• Windows 8.1

HP Pavilion 500-281 Desktop (Windows 7)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I am not an HP fan for computers. Printers, yes. Computers, not so much.

My history with HP computers has been one wrought with failures, crashes, loss of data, software conflicts, you name it. It all added up to a very unsatisfying experience.

However.....After buying this one on a whim (because of the price) after a motherboard burnout on another computer, I am totally surprised at its performance and ease of use.

PRO: The features it has are more than adequate for the moderate demand I wanted it for. Primarily office type demands, Photo processing, music etc. The on board video outputs, vga & hdmi, allowed me to do a dual monitor set up with virtually no lag between and link to my home theatre with excellent HD. The USB-3 inputs are more than adequate for most needs. Mic / headphone inputs are standard and the audio out handles surround sound well. After extending the use to more demanding projects...video and audio production, it performed well. There was some slowdown due to the high end demand, but it did hold its own.

I didn't expect it to perform as well as my work horse, but I just wanted to see if it could. And it ran cool and quiet under load.

I did like the fact that it had no bloatware included. There was the standard antivirus which I uninstalled and replaced with one that i preferred. Office was negligible as I had my own I use.

Con: None as yet. I will update this as time and usage increases.

Highly recommended by someone who previously was not a fan.

Acer DA220HQL 21.5-Inch Android All-in-One Touchscreen Desktop 2013 Model

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This unit at this price point (we paid $299) is one of the best values I found all year. On the account of some less than great reviews I hesitated to purchase this, but let me tell you, as a very "tech person", the poor reviews are unfounded and authored by people who simply were disappointed that this does not have Windows installed which it does not claim to! You can however plug in your Windows laptop, tablet. tower, etc, and have a full blown huge Windows tablet/touchscreen all-in-one! The screen is beautiful I must mention; it's full HD and crisp - I can't take anyone with issues with the screen seriously and hopefully you won't either. My only disappointment was that I did not get this sooner!



Android OS works much better in a desktop manner than I thought it would. Mind you we got this mainly for the kids to use android, and secondly as a monitor solution to get a desktop experience from our smaller Windows tablets. It really works great for all of this and unlike many other "portable all-in-ones", this unit actually is absolutely portable! For $299, I honestly expected less, but feel I got well more than my money's worth with this product - VERY HAPPY.



****PROS****

~This unit is truly portable! It's very thin, light-weight, sleek, and just very attractive and high quality all around.

~The included keyboard and mouse are very nice - they have a uniqueness in their design that is refreshing.

~Crisp, clear, FULL HD touch-screen.

~Micro to full HDMI cable & micro to full size USB are included in the box.

~Works as a touch screen monitor for any (even non-touch screen) Windows machines.

~Adjustable built-in kickstand works great and is much lighter and less bulky than other 'stands' on all-in-ones.

~It's dirt cheap for what you get!



****CONS****

~It's only 2-point multi-touch, compared to other 5-point or 10-point options out there - that's the only con I can think of, though I haven't noticed any limitation(s), not has the wife or kids.

HP Chromebox Desktop Bundle (Snow White)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I'm a new to Chrome OS and loving the HP Chromebox so far! After signing in with my Google Account everything was setup. I had instant access to my Gmail and Google Docs. It is amazing how fast it boots up...after pressing the power button on the Chromebox the monitor is barely awake from sleep and the login screen is already up. My printer was compatible with Google Cloud Print and I had no problem getting it setup.



There isn't really any learning curve in Chrome OS I've noticed so far because everything opens in a Google Chrome window and the Apps launcher icon the in lower left functions much like a Windows Start Menu. I've noticed popular Windows keyboard shortcuts like CTRL+X for cut and CTRL+T for new tab, etc also all work!



There is no lag browsing the internet or using the preloaded Google Apps (I'm on a U-Verse fiber connection over WiFi). I ran several speedtests on speedtest.net and the results are several megabits faster than my old computer; nothing too noticeable, but this made me happy. I haven't come across any websites yet which aren't compatible. I've also added several apps from the Chrome Web Store and they install quickly.



The Chromebox is quiet. You have to really be listening in order to hear the light hum of the fan. The build quality is impressive, the device does not look cheap or plasticy at all. There are no screws or latches visible. The compact keyboard is comfortable to use and I like the dedicated keys at the top for browser back, forward, reload, full screen, view all open windows, etc. I also liked that batteries were included for the keyboard and mouse so everything was ready to go right out of the box.



I was happy to see the Chromebox puts both video and audio out over HDMI so I don't need an extra cable going to the monitor for sound. My old computer only output video so I had to have a second cable for the sound. I'm using a 1920x1080 resolution and everything renders as expected.



One thing I'd liked to have known before purchasing is the wireless keyboard and mouse require a small USB dongle (included) be connected to the Chromebox; so you'll always have a USB port dedicated for this. Don't expect the wireless keyboard and mouse to mean Bluetooth. Also, there is only one memory slot in the computer so if you want to upgrade to the max of 4GB, you'll need to remove the existing 2GB module and replace with a 4GB module. I haven't seen the need for additional memory though so far.



7/23/14 Edit - Additional Observations:

--I have noticed when streaming music or video the fan does spin up and can be a little noisy. I have the Chromebox on my desktop under my monitor and it is not really noticeable when sound is playing, but if there is a low spot in the music/sound you may hear the fan if you are near the device.

--No screensaver! This one is a little weird to me. The monitor tends to just dim after a while. I've been turning the Chromebox off after using it since it boots up so quickly so I have just recently observed this.

Dell Inspiron 3847 i3847-4923BK Desktop (Intel Core i3 Processor, 8GB RAM)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) OK... A little background: I am the kind of guy who builds his own PCs. Sure, over the past three-and-a-half decades I've owned several pre-builts, including several from Apple, ASUS, IBM (old school!), Acer, Compaq, HP, Lenovo, Gateway and other companies, but those usually ended up being cannibalized for parts because I never really liked how limited the designs were in those systems. They lacked expansion slots, or the memory couldn't be upgraded, or they weren't flexible enough to allow me to add more hard drives (you can never have enough hard drives). So I frequently just built Frankenputers from pieces and parts, and tailored them to my needs, all the while working in various computer stores (years ago) selling pre-built units-- including Dells-- to customers (until all the computer stores went out of business thanks to Best Bigbox killing them). I have to add that my experience with Dell at that time left me less than enthused.



Enter the Dell Inspiron i3847. They advertised it as "That expandable" and I was intrigued. "Truly? A pre-built desktop that doesn't make expansion a chore? This I've got to see!"



When the Dell arrived, I fired it up and was, indeed pleased by the fast setup and the lack of bloatware-- indeed, the only extra software on it seemed to be the 30-day trial of McAfee, but as I have my own subscription with Kaspersky, I didn't even need this and it was easily deleted, leaving me the majority of the 1TB hard drive for future software installations.



The speed was also quite nice. I was coming from an AMD Phenom X4 955 3.2 GHz, and the boost in speed when going to the Intel Core i5 (also 3.2 GHz) is quite welcome. That's not to say the AMD was slow, but that the Intel is just more optimized. It's simply faster in day-to-day functions, and plays nicer with my various applications.



The 8GB of RAM was also pretty helpful, I must say. It's nice to get a PC loaded with enough RAM to do any job. Too many pre-built PCs cheap-out in this regard, giving the buyer 4GB to deal with. In this era of 64-bit Windows, there's simply no reason not to slap the other 4GB in there and make the end-user experience that much more pleasant.



The on-board graphics? Well, they're Intel on-board graphics. Fast enough for web browsing, basic games, basic video, and business applications, but I'm a bit of a gamer and video editor, and so I was exceptionally pleased to see the free slot and ample space in the Dell Inspiron to allow me to install my Radeon HD 7850. Yes, yes... I know I'd be better served on an Intel with a GeForce card, but right now I'm happy with my existing Radeon pulled from an AMD system, and you can bet I was happy to see that it fit in the Dell.



Of course, there was one problem: Power. The Dell Inspiron i3847-5078BK comes with a very basic 300-watt power supply, and no, it does not have PCI-E connections. That meant swapping over my Corsair RM550 so that I could provide power to my Radeon card... And then, as long as I was in there, I mounted a second and third hard drive. I had to provide an extra SATA connector, and to be clear, there is no third HDD bay, but I happened to have a 5.25 caddy around, and so my third hard drive fit nicely in the second optical drive bay (which I wouldn't have needed, anyway... I really don't see the point to two optical drives unless you do a lot of disc-to-disc copying). While I was making changes, I decided to pull the stock DVD-RW drive (not a bad drive, mind you) and replace it with my own BD-RW drive.



It took some work getting the cables from my modular power supply managed, but once done, everything worked perfectly. The power supply mounted with no problems, the new hard drives all work, and the system is still so remarkably quiet I'm amazed it's got such a beefy CPU.



I didn't stop there, though. This system came with Windows 7 64-bit. That's nice and all, but after a couple years of using Windows 8 and 8.1, I was too used to the new OS and all the advancement in it (and before you gripe about how terrible Windows 8.1 is, let me point out that the under-the-hood improvements are enough of a performance boost for any gamer to think twice about being pedantic about the UI changing slightly.) With Windows 8.1 in place on this Core i5 system, with an improved video card and 8 GB of RAM, the system boots up super-fast and everything blazes.



Even before I put Windows 8.1 on this PC, though, it was pretty darn fast. The hardware is solid. The Core i5 CPU is absolutely lovely, and I have no complaints about it. The added RAM was probably the real boost to the system, though. If you absolutely hate Windows 8.1 then you will still see plenty of speed on this system as-is, with Windows 7 on it.



Despite this being an excellent computer that has changed my mind about pre-built systems, I am knocking off a point from my review for a combination of things:



First, the stock power supply was woefully inadequate for any expansion of the system. It was enough to run the hardware included, but if the average user wants to add a hard drive or video card, they're going to find out soon enough that they needed to upgrade the power supply. What's more, the included PSU has exceptionally short wires going to the CPU and motherboard, making it useful only for this particular PC & motherboard's layout. This is a minor complaint, but when they advertise that it's "That Expandable", they really should see fit to stick a beefier, more well-equipped power supply in the case.



Second, I just don't see the point to having two 5.25 bays and only two 3.25 bays when there are four SATA connections. Most people simply aren't going to need an extra optical drive, and would want that extra hard drive some day. Maybe it's just me, but I think a third 3.25 rack would have been preferable in a case like this, or, barring that, at least include a caddy to transform that 5.25 bay into a 3.25 bay. I had one lying around, but most people won't, and again they're selling this series as "Expandable" so I'd think this hardware would be part of the case design.



Finally, there are no front fans whatsoever. No hard drive cooling, no intake. I may correct this myself if I can figure out how to make it work with the nearly-sealed front panel, but I found it strange that a system that is supposed to be expandable wouldn't take into account the possibility that future upgrades might increase the interior heat and require some additional cooling.



These are, of course, all nitpick from a PC builder's point of view. For the average consumer looking for a powerful system this is a great choice. You have the ability to add that GeForce (or AMD) video card, as long as you make sure to swap out the power supply, too. You have the ability to add an extra hard drive easily (the SATA and power connectors are right there, held in place on the empty drive bay). You have 8GB of RAM and almost the entire 1 TB hard drive to work with thanks to Dell not packing in a bunch of unnecessary bloatware. You have excellent speed, and best of all, quiet cooling and power that makes this system purr.



This is an excellent choice in pre-built PCs. I can safely say that the next time I am looking to help a layperson find a pre-built desktop computer that I won't have to help them fix all the time, it will likely be a Dell. My assessment of Dell's hardware (and software) has *vastly* improved after my experience with this system. They've made consumer-friendly systems that still cater to the desires and needs of tinkerers and people in-the-know, like me.



Final Verdict: FOUR STARS for me, but it could be FIVE STARS for the average consumer who never intends to do any upgrading themselves. Let's call it FOUR AND A HALF STARS, if Amazon would let me do that.

Lenovo ThinkServer TS140 70A4000HUX i3-4130 3.4GHz Server Desktop Computer

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Received server today, so this is just quick feedback for all you thinking about it out there.



I got it for use as home server, similar to what other people use HP mini server. Nicely built heavy metal case, sound dampening and quiet. No dust filters.



Inside it has:

280 W HE Bronze PSU.

4 memory slots, One stick 4 Gb installed.

5 SATA ports

1 PCI slot, 2 PCI-E X16, 1 PCI-E X4

2 well ventilated HD inch bays with front fan blowing on them, 2 HDs more can be installed into slots that are not so well ventilated.

2 display ports and 1 VGA



There are reports about these servers (this one and earlier version, TS130) not supporting certain OS (i.e. Ubuntu, Centos). I took 80 Gb Intel SSD with Lubuntu 13.4 from my Lenovo T420 laptop, plugged into SATA inside and booted Lubuntu in under 10 sec. Using it to write this review right now. I believe the problem is incorrect configuration of UEFI boot, suggest switching to legacy BIOS boot. You will loose space over 2 Tb on larger HD though.



Lubuntu is lightweight Ubuntu mod and I believe boot is the same. Can not quite understand if audio works in Lubuntu. Dont need it anyways.



Power usage by Lubuntu with one SSD installed is 19 W at idle and 45 W at max CPU according to my watt meter. Most of the time it will be idle so the annual 24/7 energy use expected at 166 KWh which translates into about $30 per year where I live. Every HDD will add about 10W but they can be configured to go to sleep when not in use.



Windows 7 with drivers installed consumes 17.5 W when idle. Wundows experience index with single memory stick:

CPU: 7.3

Memory: 5.9

Graphics: 5.0

Gaming Graphics: 6.5

I expect Memory and Graphics go up when second memory stick installed and dual channel mode kicks in.



To enter BIOS press F1 the moment you see first text or logo after you turned it on.



Did I mention it has remote management capability? Startup/shutdown only though?



Update 12/16/2013:



Added 4 GB memory for second channel: Crucial Technology CT51272BD160B 4GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800 CL=9 Dual Ranked Unbuffered ECC 1.35V 512Meg x 72 Memory, installed into blue slots.



Windows experience index for Win 7 64 bit with memory in dual channel mode:

CPU: 7.3

Memory: 7.6

Graphics: 6.6

Gaming Graphics: 6.6



UPDATE Deb. 23, 2014

I have this server working as Windows 7 Mediacenter fed by HDHomerun Prime with Cable card. Used old small SSD as OS disk and two WD Greed 3 Tb for recording. JBOD, no RAID on any kind. It easily handles 3 channel recording and playback. Any significant CPU usage only observed when compskip kicks in to mark commercials.



I first attempted to connect TV via VGA port on motherboard but no avail. Unless there is another monitor attached to the display port it would refuse to display through VGA to the TV. I ended up using very old PCI_E v1 video card GeForce 8500GT I had from 2007 with loss of video performance. Was still ok though even with 1080 video. It works well when you have regular display attached to VGA even with 2560x1440 resolution but not when attached to 1080p TV.



I bought cheapest Display Port to HDMI female-female cable of fleabay. Standalone video card was removed and both video and audio are fed through that cable. HDCP works for protected content with TV; it did not work with Dell monitor. Plenty of power and memory remains to run few small VMs and transcoding. Typical power usage with two HDDs while recording is about 30W.