Vizio 24-inch Touch All-in-One (CA24T-B0)

There's a recent tendency among electronics manufacturers to blur the lines between PC and HDTV?we've seen it in the Samsung Series 7 (DP700A3D-A01US), the Acer Aspire A5600U-UB13, and Vizio has done the same with its line of all-in-one PCs. The latest from Vizio, the 24-inch Touch All-in-One (CA24T-B0) does the same, making it a great PC for anyone who wants to reduce their gadget clutter by using the PC as both computer and television. Along the way, the CA24T-B0 adds a touch screen and a slick design that cuts clutter and bulk.

Design and Features
Vizio is relatively new to PC manufacturing, but not to the TV business, and it shows in the 24-inch touch-screen display with 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. The touch screen is bright with full LED backlighting, and the 10-digit touch worked without a hiccup. The Vizio AIO comes with a wireless keyboard and touchpad, which are both already paired to the system out of the box. In the past, reviewers have complained that the keyboard design?flat tile keys set flush instead of raised?was uncomfortable, and the touchpad less responsive than competitors. The design remains unchanged.

As in previous all-in-one designs from Vizio?like the Vizio 24-Inch All-in-One (CA24T-A4)?the CA24T-B0 comes with an external subwoofer that doubles as a cleverly disguised power supply. While this does make for a sleeker, cleaner look on a desktop, it also means that if the power supply ever fails, you'll need to replace it (and the subwoofer) through Vizio, with no inexpensive generic replacement available.

There are a few ports on the right-hand side of the AIO base, namely an SD card reader, headphone jack, one USB 3.0 port, and a power button. It's not the most intuitive place for a power button, but once you've hunted it down the first time, you'll know where it is. On the rear of the base are the remaining ports?an eSATA port for connecting older external drives, three USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and two HDMI inputs.

True to the Vizio name, the CA24T-B0 can also be used as a television, with a display-only mode that lets you use the screen without using the PC. This display-only capability is enhanced with HDMI inputs?perfect for connecting a cable or satellite box or game console?and an included remote control that lets you turn the display on and off, switch display inputs, and adjust the volume. It's really more of a TV remote for the display, since it has no functionality in Windows.

Secreted in the slim base of the monitor stand are all of the system's components, including an 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter, Bluetooth, and a TPM chip. A 1TB hard drive is the perfect place to start building your digital movie collection or storing documents and files. If you need an optical drive, however, you'll need to pick up an external drive, because Vizio doesn't include one.

Aside from Windows 8, there is very little software preinstalled on the system, but you will find a 30-day trial of Office 365 (with cloud-connected versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote), and Skype is already on the Start Screen. Finally, Vizio covers the all-in-one with a one-year warranty and one year of complimentary telephone support.

Performance
The CA24T-B0 shaves a couple hundred dollars off of the price by utilizing an AMD A10-4600M processor, a 2.3GHz quad-core APU with 8GB of RAM. This processor lagged behind in Cinebench (2.05 points) and PCMark 7 (1,612 points), but should still provide adequate performance for Web browsing and light use. Heavy multitaskers, however, will want a system with a more robust processor.

While the AMD hardware used in the Vizio CA24T-B0 doesn't offer the same processing horsepower of the Intel Core i5 CPUs used in many competing systems, it does hold its own in graphics performance. Though not comparable to a PC made with gaming in mind, the Vizio's 3DMark 11 scores are some of the best in its class?3,013 points at Entry settings and 579 at Extreme settings?approaching the category leading scores of the Editors' Choice Asus ET2701INKI-B046C (3,150 Entry, 591 Extreme). By comparison, the Samsung Series 7 only scored 761 points (Entry) and 139 points (Extreme) relying upon Intel's integrated graphics.

Conclusion
With a good looking design and the dual functionality as both PC and TV, the Vizio 24-inch Touch All-in-One (CA24T-B0) is worth a look for anyone in the market for an All-in-One PC. While some may want to spend the money to get the model equipped with an Intel processor, the AMD-equipped Vizio CA24T-B0 is still an excellent system for the casual user, even with the too-sleek-for-comfort keyboard and mouse. For the best we've seen in this category and price range, take a look at our Editors' Choice Asus ET2701INKI-B046C, which offers better performance across the board, with a faster Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia graphics, not to mention a Blu-ray drive for added functionality and broader entertainment options.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/RtOIBxmglBs/0,2817,2419740,00.asp

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