All-in-one desktops come of age

Rich Brown, Senior Editor May 29, 2009

We have six all-in-one desktops featured in this roundup, but the list could easily be twice as long. We expect that by the end of the year every major PC vendor, along with several minor players, will offer some kind of all-in-one desktop.

We selected the six systems in this roundup mostly because they're the six we've reviewed most recently. Apple's new iMacs have more or less become the standard-bearers of the category. Sony's Vaio SJ250J and LV250B provide perhaps the best convergence of PC and home entertainment device (and who says convergence dead?). And even though we didn't love Dell's new Studio One 19 in the $1,000-plus configuration we reviewed, the default $699 price tag will get you the same 18.5-inch screen. You can also spend $749 on the Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 and its 21.5-inch LCD, although that system also has price challenges from its competitors.

Chances are you've already seen or read about cheap "Nettops" and touch-sensitive all-in-ones. We're wary of the former and cautiously optimistic about the latter. Expect those fads and others to continue drawing attention to themselves in their quest for legitimacy. As you sort through all of that hype, be sure to keep in mind that all-in-ones like those featured here have already proven themselves.