PC World
07/12/10
Dell's Inspiron One 2310 all-in-one PC is the company's rival to the Apple iMac. It's compact and attractive, has enough power to keep up with a modern family's multimedia and limited gaming needs, and has the advantage of a well-integrated touchscreen interface. It does cost more than similar offerings from companies like MSI and Acer, but we think it's worth it.
The Dell Inspiron One 2310 is an all-in-one desktop PC with a 23in, 1080p touchscreen, a fast Intel Core i5 processor, plenty of RAM, a dedicated 1GB ATI Radeon HD5470 graphics card and a 1TB, 7200RPM hard drive. It's got more than enough grunt to handle standard home duties as well as a bit of light gaming or graphics work. It is expensive, and we can think of more attractive all-in-one PCs on the market, but the inclusion of multitouch and Dell's Stage interface makes the Inspiron One 2310 a well-rounded home PC.
Read reviews of the best all-in-one desktop PCs of 2010.
All-in-one PCs are generally clean and attractive devices, and the Dell Inspiron One 2310 is no exception. With the included wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control — for the integrated HD TV tuner — it doesn't look fiddly or complicated on a desk. To get the system started, all that's needed is the power cord. The Inspiron One 2310's power supply is external to cut down on chassis bulk and heat production.
The Dell Inspiron One 2310 stuffs laptop-grade PC components into the shell of a 23in, 1920x1080 LED-backlit monitor. The PC is not too bulky, but the three-part stand is a pain to position properly. We're unabashed fans of the design and stand of the iMac, so we would have liked the Inspiron One 2310 to join Apple in being a little fashion-forward. Instead, the stand is like the one on the HP TouchSmart 9100 — if you move the computer around after tilting the stand, it snaps back up and you have to fiddle again.
As well as making for a capable all-in-one computer, the screen of the Dell Inspiron One 2310 accepts a range of digital and analog video inputs including HDMI, making it useful for hooking up a second device like a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. On the computing side, the Inspiron One 2310 packs in a total of six USB 2.0 ports, wired Ethernet, audio output and input, an antenna for the internal TV tuner, and a 7-in-1 card reader. It has all the connectivity that a standard family should need.
The PC is preloaded with a 64-bit edition of Windows 7 Home Premium and Dell's Stage software. Stage is somewhat like the iOS software on an Apple iPad or the Android software on Dell's own Streak tablet — it's a multitouch, user-friendly hub for accessing and sharing media like photos, music and videos. It's easy to understand and it's one of the few bundled touchscreen software suites that we haven't hated instantly.
The touchscreen of the Dell Inspiron One 2310 is a useful extra. We wouldn't use it for day-to-day tasks like typing or browsing the Net, but in tandem with Stage it's a useful extra that gives the Inspiron One 2310 a leg up on its Apple competitor.
The Dell Inspiron One 2310 has similar specs to a mid-range notebook like the Dell Vostro V130. Its Intel Core i5 460M runs at 3.2GHz, and the configuration we tested was decked out with the maximum 6GB of DDR3 RAM. The Inspiron One 2310 has surprisingly gutsy integrated graphics in the form of a 1GB AMD Radeon HD5470, which can handle most recent games at low to moderate graphics levels. The Inspiron One 2310 is identically priced to the 21.5in Apple iMac, and has similar specifications — it's generally slightly more powerful apart from the iMac's more impressive graphics.
A Blender 3D test score of 49sec and an iTunes encoding test score of 1min 2sec marks the Dell Inspiron One 2310 as more than capable of handling general home tasks like word processing, Internet browsing, photo editing and media playback. We achieved a score of 6783 in 3DMark06 on the Inspiron One 2310 — it'll handle most modern games when set to low or medium graphics levels.
If you're looking to buy a home desktop computer, an all-in-one PC cuts down on space and energy requirements without sacrificing computing power or convenience. The Dell Inspiron One 2310 is a fine example of an all-in-one desktop computer that we'd be happy to use — it has adequate specifications, a few useful extras, and performs capably.
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