Advent AIO-101 review

The machine's sound capabilities are slightly less impressive. The integrated speakers living inside the base section are tinny at best, so you'll probably want to attach a set of external speakers in order to facilitate a better audio experience. Unfortunately, the machine lacks digital audio outputs, so surround-sound speakers are a no-no. The best you can realistically do is to connect a set of stereo speakers to the machine's headphone output port.

Performance
The AIO-101 isn't a particularly fast machine, but neither is it particularly slow. It failed to complete our PCMark05 benchmark test, but anecdotal testing indicates this machine is best suited to light- to medium-intensity tasks. Internet browsing, office productivity chores and consumer-level image and video editing are all possible -- all at the same time if you so desire -- thanks to the ample 4GB of memory, but equivalent Intel-based machines do feel noticeably quicker.

The AIO-101's 3D performance is fairly mediocre. It racked up 2,182 in our 3DMark06 test, which puts it in line with low- to medium-end laptops. It'll provide the grunt needed to run 3D titles at a low resolution and low detail settings, but, if you're serious about games, you should look elsewhere.

Conclusion
The Advent AIO-101 is a good-looking and versatile all-in-one PC. It isn't as sexy as rivals such as the iMac, but it's affordable and well-designed nonetheless. It would make a good purchase for anyone seeking a space-saving PC.

Edited by Charles Kloet