All in one case: TOP-5 monoblock computers

If you look at the characteristics of the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520, and then switch to the price, it turns out that this is one of the most interesting options on the market of monoblocks.

Firstly, here we have a high-quality IPS screen with a diagonal of 21.5" and a resolution of Full HD. According to subjective feelings, the screen has natural colour reproduction and, in general, high image display quality. There is a slight lack of brightness, so you should not expose it to bright light.

Secondly, taking into account the price, the AIO 520 filling looks quite decent: 4-stream Core i3, 8 GB of RAM, integrated Intel HD 520 video and a nimble 1 TB HDD with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. Such a complete set is enough for surfing the web, working with tables, watching videos and launching not too demanding professional software. In which case, the system can be slightly accelerated by installing another 8 GB of RAM and an SSD of M format in additional slots.2. Our main complaint about the filling is a noisy HDD.

In addition to the price-performance ratio, the model stands out for its modern design and unusual webcam. It has a retractable design and supports logging in using Windows Hello tools. Plus, the screen is really frameless — compared to the AIO 510 model, even the lower frame with speakers and a logo has become thinLenovo. In general, the case looks great and asks for somewhere in a prominent place.

The monoblock supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi wireless interfaces, is equipped with a pair of HDMI outputs, a card reader and five USB ports. Moreover, one of them is placed on the front panel. Also included are the keyboard and mouse, designed in a general style, so you can immediately begin to get acquainted with the monoblock after unpacking. Against the background of all this, the main disadvantage of the model is the mediocre sound quality of the built-in speakers.

A cursory inspection of popular monoblocks suggests that this story is primarily about a nice design, not powerful hardware. And the Asus Vivo AiO line, which is one of the most popular on the market, is an excellent confirmation of this. This is a computer that you want to put in the most prominent place on the table.

The Asus Vivo AiO V222GB is based on a high-quality IPS screen with Full HD resolution, a diagonal of 21.5" and a colour space coverage of 100% sRGB. Designers should be happy. There is a barely noticeable glossy border of 2 mm around the perimeter of the unit — the display here is really frameless.

The thin screen is mounted on an elegant flat leg with a hinge. It is moderately rigid, well fixed in any position. The back panel is made of a matte plastic that is pleasant to the touch, on which no dust, fingerprints, or other traces will be noticeable.

On the back there are the main connection interfaces: 4 USB 3.1 gen1 ports, an HDMI port for connecting an additional monitor or projector, as well as an Ethernet port for direct connection to the network. There are also wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4 modules.2. In general, the equipment is quite modern, there is no acute shortage of something, it would be possible to add only USB-C. But there is an additional USB port on the front panel, which somewhat simplifies life.

In terms of hardware, we have a clear correspondence to the price of $ 400 with a tail of dollars: a quad—core Pentium with a working frequency range of 1.5 GHz — 2.8 GHz, 4 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 1 TB hard disk. At the same time, the manufacturer took care of the upgrade space by equipping the model with an additional RAM slot and an M.2 slot for installing a fast SSD drive.

Vivo AiO V222GB is perfect for people who often use multimedia applications. Firstly, it uses a fairly high-quality SonicMaster audio system, which provides a fairly clear and powerful sound with minimal distortion. Secondly, unlike many monoblocks, here we do not have an integrated video chip, but a full-fledged GeForce MX110 graphics card, which will allow you to play not too demanding toys like Dota2 or FIFA.

The HP 200 G3 All-in-One 200 is an inexpensive (slightly less than $700), but modern and functional monoblock with 2018 hardware. Interestingly, HP is trying to differentiate its product lines for different groups of users (gamers, entrepreneurs, designers, etc.) and this monoball is part of business solutions, but it can also appeal to designers.

This model is equipped with a high-quality UWVA matrix with a diagonal of 21.5", Full HD resolution and natural colour reproduction, which is important for people working with photos and videos. And aesthetically it pleases the eye — the case stands on an elegant curved leg, and the screen has practically no side frames. It stands out, except that the lower grille with the logo and speakers, but it does not so much interfere here as it complements the image. Despite the fact that this is one of the younger models in the line, the PC looks as solid as the top configurations.

In this configuration, a quad-core Core i5 processor of the eighth generation is installed, which operates at a maximum clock frequency of 3.4 GHz. RAM is only 4 GB, but it is possible to expand it to the desired volume with an additional slot. Graphics processing is handled by the built-in Intel UHD 620 GPU, which even allows you to play something undemanding, like World of Tanks. The HDD acts as a drive with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm and a volume of 1 TB.

In general, the system has pretty decent performance (especially if you add RAM), and ideally the system lacks only an SSD. Fortunately, there is an additional M.2 slot for installing fast SSDs, so if desired, the system can be overclocked well.

Well, now let's go back to the initial positioning for business. It consists mainly in small things aimed at improving the security of the system. For example, there is a TPM security module, a Kensington/Noble lock, a 30-day trial for McAfee LiveSafe antivirus, and the webcam is equipped with a special shutter that allows you to avoid accidental recording and protect user privacy.

In general, the HP 200 G3 All-in-One 200 has no outright weaknesses, rather a couple of moments from the category to find fault. The first is not a very convenient location of the USB ports on the back panel (it looks standard, but some users complain that they don't have quite a right angle), so it's possible that it's worth buying a USB hub in a pair with it. The second point is the large and not the most comfortable mouse and keyboard that come with the kit. They look like they are straight out of a Dell advertising poster for 89, and for such a nice case I would like something more modern and, ideally, wireless.

The Taiwanese company Acer, as part of the Aspire line, produces not only laptops, but also monoblocks. Aspire C22-865 meets the philosophy of the line, combining good performance with a reasonable price and modern frameless design.

The screen of the monoblock is made using IPS technology with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The anti-glare coating protects against glare, but somewhat hides the saturation of the image. Overall, the screen is not bad, but this is clearly not what this model will be praised for in reviews.

As for the filling, the laptop is equipped with a dual–core Core i3 processor with operating frequencies of 2.2 – 3.4 GHz and multithreading support. On paper, the processor, though not the most powerful, but for working with documents, tests, surfing the web or consuming multimedia content, it is enough for the eyes. In terms of memory, we have 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256 GB SSD. By the standards of inexpensive monoblocks, this is excellent equipment, usually, regular HDD and 4 GB of RAM are installed in models for this money. Plus, there are additional slots for RAM and M.2 for installing a second SSD.

Aspire C22-865 has modest dimensions (thickness 11 mm) and weighs only 3 kg. This is almost 2 times less than the conditional iMac of the latest revisions and much smaller than most of its counterparts. Of course, this is not a laptop, in which every extra gram is felt, but a candy bar, whose place is on the table, but it's still nice. And the thickness is pleasantly surprising, if not for the thickening at the bottom, where the filling is hidden, the Aspire C22-865 would easily be confused with a conventional plasma panel and an ultra-thin monitor.

From the connections to the outside world, the model has Spartan equipment: only 4 USB ports, HDMI, LAN and a card reader with SD card support. Well, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with the world wirelessly. And on top of the case there is a pretty good removable webcam. The only drawback is that it uses one of the USB ports to connect, which are not many here anyway.

All together, this leaves the feeling of a strong working machine, which on the one hand does not strike the imagination with something unusual, and on the other does not have any outright flaws.

In our opinion, the most controversial point of the latest "macs" is the design. In the case of the 2017 version, we have a stylish and thin aluminium body with seamless welding and the highest build quality. On the other hand, the design of Apple's monoblocks has not actually changed since 2012, and these huge frames around the screen now look as modern as Andrei Malakhov's attempts to conquer YouTube. Although, you won't have to carry it in your pocket as a smartphone, so you can tolerate these "centimeters of emptiness". If you miss these little things, then the design of the computer is absolutely not outdated and does not cause any rejection.

As a display in this modification, not Retina with 4K resolution is used, but the more familiar Full HD IPS class. However, it will not be possible to find fault with the quality even with a strong desire — the brightness and contrast are excellent, and the colour calibration is close to perfect. No wonder each panel undergoes factory calibration and looks out of the box as the doctor prescribed. Although, if you work professionally with graphics, it's better to pay an extra $200 and take a model with a Retina display, the picture looks godlike on it.

At the same time, the filling allows you to work with professional software for graphics, music production or light video editing. Not to mention simple office applications. As the heart of the iMac 2017 uses a seventh-generation quad-threaded Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, integrated Iris Plus Graphics 640 video and a 1 TB HDD. But there is no customization, it will not work to add an additional SSD or a memory bar, as in monoblocks on Windows. This is Apple's usual "buy, put, turn on and don't get inside" policy. Therefore, it is worth preparing for the fact that it will take time to start the system and applications. Well, or pay extra and take the option with SSD.

Traditionally, iMac shines in terms of usability and functionality. Firstly, instead of the standard 4 USB ports for monoblocks (which are always lacking), here we have all 6. Moreover, a couple of them belong to the USB-C format and support the universal Thunderbolt interface. Secondly, there is a good quality of built-in speakers and a webcam, and thirdly, Apple Magic branded wireless mouse and keyboard are included with the computer.