The Asus ET2701INKI-B046C ($1,399 list) is an all-in-one desktop PC with a built-in 27-inch "full HD 1080p" display. It's a good PC for the home, and it can replace a smallish HDTV in your home if you have HD cable (or satellite) boxes. In addition to the screen, the system has a boatload of multimedia-friendly features like Blu-ray and DTS sound. A next-generation quad-core processor and decent graphics card help the system achieve benchmark scores very close to our latest high-end champ, so it's no surprise that the newest Asus all-in-one claims the Editors' Choice in the midrange all-in-one desktop category.
Design and Features
The ET2701INKI-B046C's design mirrors that of the HDTV-like styling of the previous model, the Asus ET2700INKS-B062C ($1,499 list, 3.5 stars), down to the 27-inch panel and row of I/O ports on the left side. The 27-inch panel dominates the system's looks, so it's a good thing that the display is bright and clear, with vibrant colors. The display is 1,920 by 1,080 (full 1080p), which is fine for watching movies, but for Web page creation and design work, a 2,560 by 1,440 screen?as seen on the high-end all-in-one desktop Editors' Choice Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,999 list, 4 stars) or Dell XPS One 27 ($1,999 list, 4.5 stars)?makes better sense. You get more pixel real estate to work with on the Dell One or Apple iMac, which makes a difference if you're creating rather than just enjoying entertainment.
The system's speaker bar is placed below the screen, so that the speakers are at least optimally aimed. Our review unit came with a stylish subwoofer, which helps a little with the bass response. However, since the speakers are so small, it doesn't help a lot, particularly because the system's out of box maximum volume is so low. The ET2701 is okay in a quiet room, but if you work or play in a crowded area, you're better off using a pair of headphones. The HP Omni 27 ($1,249 direct, 4 stars), with its optional subwoofer feels like a Marshall Stack in comparison. The main nit about the subwoofer is the placement of the subwoofer connector: it's on the side of the ET2701 under a hinged door that sticks out when the sub is connected. If Asus had placed the subwoofer jack on the back of the system (or omitted the door entirely), the subwoofer's plug and cable wouldn't look out of place and be so obtrusive.
The included sound software is confusing as well. You can fiddle with the included Realtek HD audio manager software to tailor the sound, but there are several redundant settings in the control panel. One tab in the audio manager is DTS UltraPC II sound enhancement software, but its sliders and buttons can either enhance or counter the settings found in the rest of the control panel. We were able to make the system "louder" than out of box, but only after fiddling with the control panel for about 20 minutes. During the adjustment session, we found sound settings that made the system sound much, much worse (like when one non-obvious setting made the system sound like it was in an echo chamber). The Beats Audio on/off button on the HP Omni 27's keyboard is a lot easier to understand and use.
The ET2701INKI-B046C has fewer I/O ports compared with a tower desktop, but the ports it does have are well balanced. There is a pair of USB 2.0 ports, one of which is occupied by the included USB dongle for the wireless keyboard and mouse. There are two USB 3.0 ports, a VGA-in port, HDMI-in port, Ethernet port, a media card reader, and audio ports.
The system comes with a plethora of shortcuts strewn around the desktop when you boot it up for the first time. It's kind of cluttered, even though most of the programs are Asus-branded (as opposed to third-party trial utilities). It would've been better if these icons were left in the Start menu where they belong.
There is one notable piece of bloatware present: The included Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security package is a 30-day trial, the same as if you had downloaded it for free from the Internet. In contrast, the HP Omni 27 came with a 15-month subscription, a much more palatable length of time.
Performance
The discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics in the ET2701INKI-B046C help it garner playable scores on Lost Planet 2 (43 frames per second, or fps) and Crysis (75 fps) at the medium/middle quality settings. However, like most all in ones, you can't push the ET2701INKI-B046C to full quality and 1080p resolution. While not single-frame slideshows, the 16fps and 11 fps scores at the two games are still unplayable. The good news is that at medium quality settings, the ET2701INKI-B046C's gaming scores very close to those of the high-end all-in-one Editors' Choice, the Dell XPS One 27. The one area where the Dell One 27 way outpaces the ET2701INKI-B046C is at PCMark 7 (4,673 points for the Dell vs. 3,512 points for the ET2701INKI-B046C). This is due to the Dell One 27's mSATA cache drive helping out. The Dell will simply feel faster on day-to-day tasks, even though the two are evenly matched on games and multimedia benchmark tests.
And that's the thing that elevates the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C above it's predecessor as well as the HP Omni 27. While the ET2701INKI-B046C can't match the Dell XPS One 27 stat for stat, for example the latter has a much higher-resolution screen, HDMI-in and -out, dual band Wi-Fi, and a TV tuner. The thing is that the ET2701INKI-B046C doesn't have to, since it's $600 cheaper. What the ET2701INKI-B046C does is it far outperform the HP Omni 27 on the benchmark tests, showing that it is more capable on 3D games, and will like take a lot longer to "feel slow" in the long run. The ET2701INKI-B046C is even faster and better at the tests than the newer HP Omni 27-1015t, which lacks features like Blu-ray. Basically, what you have here is a system that performs like a high-end all-in-one desktop, for the price of a midrange version. That easily gives the Asus ET2701INKI-B046C an Editors' Choice award for midrange all-in-one desktop PCs.
BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
COMPARISON TABLE
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