After my laptop bit the dust I decided it was time to use a desktop instead.This was more a matter of old age eyesight more than anything else - I just needed a larger screen.Quite a bit of shopping later I found the Averatec all-in-one series.I've been intrigued by this form factor since seeing HP's version at a local office supply store.Unfortunately, that version cost $1,000+ and I didn't feel like coughing up that much loot.
Also, I didn't like Vista that much.It's disconcerting when you're in a store and a third of the computers running Vista are either locked up or just flat dead.It would have to be Apple or XP.The former was way too expensive and XP has all but disappeared.
Enter Averatec's all in one.Of all places, I found it at Amazon and Wal-Mart.com, but no where else.Seems this puppy is being kept a secret which is something of a surprise since Averatec is a major player in the laptop market.
Mind you, there are two choices.The Intel Dual Core version sports Vista so that was definitely out.Its price tag was also a little too high at around $800.Enter the lesser version, one sporting an Atom processor with XP and a price tag less than $500 in most locations, shipping included.
It was delivered in about a week and I was somewhat shocked at the package.The box wasn't much bigger than some I've seen for laptops and then I found out why - it folds to roughly 1/3 its original size.In the box was the unit itself, a wired keyboard and mouse combination, cleaning cloth, mouse pad and recovery DVD (which is getting rarer these days).
The unit is a gloss black plastic but feels substantial to the touch.Unfortunately, it's a fingerprint magnet which makes the cleaning cloth a necessity more than just a nice touch.
Setting up is easy enough - remove the unit from the box, plug the keyboard and mouse in, and hook up the power.Turn it on and wait for XP to do its magic (about 20 minutes of the same old song and dance setup).
Now for the good points:
*Easy to set up.You really don't even need the quick setup chart.If you can't figure it out, you probably don't need a computer.Merely unpack the box and plug it in.
*Nice picture for such an inexpensive unit.
*Surprisingly good video playback.With an Atom processor I expected skips and hesitations but it never did.
*Five USB ports, although 2 are taken up by the keyboard and mouse.
*Screen comes with onboard webcam and brightness controls.These controls are nice and keep you from attempting to set them through XP, which could be a hassle.You can even shut down the monitor with these controls without shutting down the computer (no, it's not through a power switch like most monitors, it's a button that shuts the picture off but allows for instant on when you press the button again).
*Not as slow as you might think.Even with just 1GB RAM this unit has no problems multitasking.
*The base is substantial to the point I couldn't get the screen to tip over without really whacking it around.Overall, I'd say it weighs about 9 pounds without keyboard, mouse or powerpack.
*CD/DVD burner works like a charm with software provided.
*Onboard speakers are halfway decent but won't win any awards for clarity.Better than a laptop but not as good as hooking up externals.
*Want to take it to another room?No problem.Just unplug it and fold it up.It folds down to a compact size about twice the thickness of a standard laptop.I wouldn't recommend carrying it around like a laptop, but it can be carried short distances.
*Wireless b/g did very well, just as good as anything I've ever had.
*You can pivot the screen any way you like it.You can even pivot it so the bottom of the screens sits on your desk and hides the base unit behind it.
* There is an unsubstantiated rumor going around this unit won't accept or run MS Office.Think about it folks, it's Windows XP so it will run Office. Be kind of stupid to have a MS product that wouldn't run other MS products.
*It ran GIMP, which is a free version of PhotoShop, without any major hitches or pokiness.
*It comes with a recovery DVD instead of the usual "recovery" partition which doesn't mean much if your hard drive drops dead and you can't access that partition.Kudos to Averatec on this choice!
Bad points:
*Instant fingerprint magnet.
*Replacing the hard drive and/or RAM requires that you remove 5 screws and then the CD/DVD drive, then the bottom plate, then yet another plate inside to access the internals.Who thought this up?It takes 10 minutes to open the computer to take another 5 seconds to replace the RAM.
*Comes with a 160 GB hard drive.Geez, even most netbooks carry this much.Should come with at least a 250 GB version.Fortunately, it's SATA 2.5" and those are easy enough to come by.
*The included Norton anti-virus software has a bug in it whereby if you uninstall the program it also uninstalls 2 of the 5 USB ports.An email to the company revealed that they had already issued a patch to help with this problem - it would have been more helpful had they included it on the machine.
*The keyboard and mouse are wired and take 2 of the 5 USB ports.I opted to use my wireless keyboard and mouse combo that takes up just one port and dispenses with the wires (by the way, pictures of this unit show no wires, this is NOT true).The keyboard is roughly 90% size and has no elevators on the bottom (so you'll be typing on a flat surface with no angle allowed).
*XP will be a dead O/S by the end of this year to be replaced, along with Vista, by Windows 7.Question is, will Windows 7 run on the Atom processor?Microsoft states yes, but we'll see.Question is, with this economy will there be anybody to care or buy 7?
Overall, this is not a bad deal for a basic desktop.I wouldn't recommend it as a gaming unit, but the Atom processor was never designed for that.This makes for a good Internet and basic office machine.
Click Here to see more reviews about: AVERATEC All-In-One PC - All-in-one - 1 x Atom N270 / 1.6 GHz - RAM 1 GB - HDD 1 x 160 GB - DVDRW / DVD-RAM - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Win XP Home - Monitor : 18.4" Widescreen TFT
Product Description:
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