The all-in-one PC (or AIO) as a category is quickly picking up pace. We got our hands on the ASUS ET2012IGTS AIO, a Windows 7 unit (upgradable to Windows 8), powered by an Intel Core i3-2120 dual-core processor. We will try to get our hands on the Windows 8 based models soon. But before we give a complete detailed review, let us give you our quick first impressions, starting with the overall design of the device.
Design
ASUS ET2012IGTS AIO comes in an all-plastic body which has a matte-black finish and doesn’t attract any fingerprint smudges. The edge of the monitor has a recessed black glossy strip running around all the sides. Between the base of the AIO and the bottom edge of the monitor, there is an air gap. Under the base of the monitor at the right hand side, there are buttons for the OSD or on-screen display. Coming to the rear side, there is a stand that can adjust its angle to align the monitor according to your convenience. It is hinged at the rear side of the monitor towards the bottom.
Just behind the edges on either side, you have the range of expansion ports on the left hand side and the optical drive on the right hand side. It seems a bit odd and will take some time getting used to, but on an afterthought, your pen-drives will not stick out like sore thumbs when you stick them in the USB port on the left hand side. There are two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port, along with an HDMI port on the left hand side.
On the rear side of the AIO you will find all the connectivity ports on the bottom right hand side (if the rear side is facing you). There are two USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI port, a D-Sub port, a LAN port and also an antenna port. This makes this AIO ideal to be used as a TV as well. It comes with a multi-media remote control as well.
The AIO comes bundled with a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. The keyboard has a brush-metal finish which looks quite elegant. The chiclet keyboard has keys which have a decent amount of travel. Typing on the keypad was a joy and it comes with a full-fledged number pad as well. Had it been backlit as well, things would have just been perfect. Alas that wasn’t meant to be.
The ASUS mouse looks like a small pebble from a distance with a matte black finish on its upper surface. The click buttons are quite responsive. It feels good in the hand, thanks to the upward-rising heft on the outer edge. Sensitivity of the mouse seemed to be quite decent and we did not notice any jerky response.
The ET2012 houses an Intel Core i3-2120 dual-core processor clocked at 3.3GHz along with 4 GB of RAM. It also houses an AMD Radeon HD 7470M graphics solution along with the Intel HD 2000 integrated graphics on the processor. On the storage front, you have a 500 GB drive. These are decent components for a mid-range multimedia PC.
The AIO has a touchscreen monitor, which may not make much sense on a Windows 7 OS, but for those of you planning to upgrade to Windows 8, this makes a lot of sense on the live tile user interface of Windows 8. We did not notice any issue with the touch response. In fact, at times, registers a click as you get your fingers very close to the screen.
Apart from these first impressions with the Asus ET2012 AIO, there is a lot more to cover. Next time around, we will look at some the bundled applications that ASUS has provided with the ET2012.
