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Best all-in-one PCs 2023: Ideal for both home and work use

Looking for a fast, convenient, space-saving PC? Take an upgrade from your laptop and stretch out with a bigger screen

While we’ve fallen in love with sleek, slimline laptops, all-in-one PCs can be a smarter choice. Sure, you’re tethered to one desk and you’ll need a bit more space, but you’ll get all the benefits of a bigger screen, a full-sized keyboard, improved sound and a wider range of connections, and the best all-in-one PCs marry this with a super stylish appearance, too.

That means a lot when you work from home or want a computer for homework, entertainment and casual browsing that’s kept permanently in a quiet corner. And although a traditional desktop PC can give you more performance, an all-in-one will take up less space and run quieter.

All-in-ones do tend to come with a price premium, often costing more than the equivalent desktop PC and monitor combo. And performance can be limited as they tend to use repurposed laptop parts. All the same, the best all-in-ones are faster and more versatile than ever before and ready to take on almost any home or office role.


Best all-in-one PCs: At a glance


How to choose the best all-in-one PC for you

All-in-ones tend to follow the same basic design, with the system resembling a standard flat-screen monitor and the system components either situated in the casing behind the display or crammed into the stand below. They’re usually supplied with a matching mouse and keyboard and, bar a power cable or external power supply unit, that’s all you need to plug in. Everything should work out of the box, making all-in-ones extremely easy to set up and use.

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Perhaps the biggest advantage of the format is the bigger screen. Where laptops stop at 18in displays, all-in-ones come with screens of between 20in and 27in in size, with a few going even larger to 34in. This makes them much easier to work on, especially if you’re multitasking. Resolution and quality, however, vary. Cheaper models typically come with fairly bog standard 1080p Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) screens, while premium models will push that upwards to 1440p (2,560 x 1,440) or even 4K (3,840 x 2,160). Make sure you get the screen you want as, while you can usually add a second screen, you can’t upgrade the built-in display.

What kind of spec do you need?

After the screen, the key thing is the specification. Here, you’re looking for much the same sort of thing you would look for in any desktop or laptop: a fast CPU, an SSD for storage, and plenty of RAM, with 8GB the minimum and 16GB recommended. It’s often wiser to spend more on 16GB and 1TB of storage when you buy, as you may not always be able to upgrade later.

As we’ve already touched on, all-in-one systems tend to use laptop rather than desktop components, so it’s worth checking the specifications to make sure they will cope with your workload. While there’s greater parity between Intel’s latest desktop and mobile CPUs, you will still find some using mobile CPUs that have fewer cores than you would expect from the desktop version.

Mobile graphics processors may also have fewer cores or run at lower clock speeds than their desktop equivalents, so don’t expect the same performance.

If you’re after an iMac, Apple’s 2021 version uses the same M1 processor as the last-generation Mac Mini, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. This is still powerful enough for most applications and even lightweight gaming. If you’re buying a Windows machine, it’s wise to go for a model with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor (12th gen or later) or the AMD Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 equivalent (5000 series or later).

While you’ll find some machines with low-end CPUs from Intel’s Celeron and Pentium ranges, you might find that these lack the performance your all-in-one needs to run the applications you want them to. Similarly, if you want to play games or run more intensive creative apps, such as Photoshop, then a dedicated graphics processor (for example, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 or 4050) is a must. Go without, and you’ll be limited to playing older games at low to medium graphics settings and you’ll lose out on the speed optimisations in some applications.

Is there anything else worth looking out for?

You might be surprised how few USB ports some AIOs ship with, and how quickly these can fill up, so connectivity is crucial. USB-A ports come in handy for connecting legacy peripherals – wired keyboards and mice, for instance – while fast USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 ports are a must for hooking up external storage should the internal SSD fill up.

An RJ45 port can come in handy for Ethernet or Powerline networking, while HDMI ports let you connect a second monitor. Some all-in-ones even let you use the screen as a display for a games console or streaming stick.

Most new AIOs support the newer Wi-Fi 6 or 6E standards and Bluetooth 5.0 or 5.2, but this is worth double-checking as you want a machine that’s as future-proof as possible and will play well with the latest peripherals and headsets.

Finally, don’t forget about audio. One of the joys of a good AIO is having decent speakers built in; if you get one with tinny or underpowered speakers, you’re not going to feel like using them.

How we test all-in-one PCs

We test all-in-one PCs against our own in-house 4K media benchmarks, plus a collection of synthetic benchmarks, including Geekbench 5 and 6, GFXBench, and Maxon’s Cinebench 3D rendering benchmark. We also use a combination of the AS-SSD and BlackMagic disk benchmarks to measure storage performance. Where possible, we also test by running a series of games, including Doom (2016), Hitman 2, Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk 2077, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Having completed these performance tests, we evaluate all-in-one PCs over the course of up to a week of real-world use, paying particular attention to the ergonomics of the screen, mouse, and keyboard, as well as the capabilities of any built-in audio systems. We also measure screen brightness and colour reproduction using a colorimeter, and take a look at the performance of any built-in webcams for video-chats and meetings.

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The best all-in-one PCs you can buy in 2023

1. HP ENVY 34-c1004na: Best big screen AIO

Price when reviewed: £2,209 | Check price at HP

HP’s luxury all-in-one really has it all: a massive 34in ultrawide 4K screen, a powerful Intel Core i7 CPU, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, giving you all the performance you need to run demanding creative applications or play today’s blockbuster games. We originally reviewed the Envy 34-c0005na, with an 11th-gen Core i7 11700, but this updated model swaps that out for a 12th-gen Core i7 12700, with 8 performance cores and 4 efficient cores running 20 threads at speeds of up to 4.9GHz. It’s a monstrously speedy AIO.

The screen is height-adjustable for comfort, and extremely bright with excellent colour reproduction. The sound is almost as impressive, with a wider soundstage and more bass than most rivals can muster. You won’t struggle for connectivity either, with Wi-Fi 6, Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and Bluetooth 5.2 all on board. There’s even scope to upgrade the RAM and add an extra SSD. We also like the built-in QI wireless charger in the stand and the bundled magnetic webcam. In fact, the only serious issue with the Envy 34 is the cost, but if you want the best Windows option, then this is it.

Key specsDisplay size: 34in; Resolution: 5,120 x 2,160; Type: IPS; CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 (2.5GHz to 4.9GHz, 12C/20T); Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3060 6GB; RAM: 32GB; Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD; Dimensions: 817 x 368 x 223mm (WDH); Weight: 11.05kg

Check price at HP


2. Apple M1 iMac 24in: Best AIO for work and entertainment

Price when reviewed: £1,399 | Check price at John Lewis

Apple’s latest iMac combines an update of its iconic design with the power of the Apple M1 chip, giving you a system that copes with even the most challenging video- and image-editing jobs, and looks fantastic while it’s doing it.

The slimmed-down chassis now comes in a wider range of colours, while the 24in 4.5K IPS screen is a thing of beauty, with superb colour handling and high levels of brightness and contrast. The redesigned magic keyboard now has an integrated Touch ID fingerprint scanner, and even the audio is good.

Any quibbles are minor. Connectivity might be too minimalist, with no USB-A ports and just two (or four depending on the model you choose) USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 4, although you still have an Ethernet port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You get more from the cheaper, £649 M2 Mac Mini, which features Apple’s faster CPU. But, all the same, Apple’s iMac remains a class-leader for a reason, and is still the all-in-one to beat.

Key specs Display size: 24in; Resolution: 4,480 x 2,520; Type: IPS True Tone; CPU: Apple M1 (2.06 to 3.4GHz, 8C); Graphics: Apple M1; RAM: 8GB; Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD; Dimensions: 547 x 461 x 147mm (WDH); Weight: 4.48kg

Check price at John Lewis


3. Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 (27in AMD): Best AIO for games

Price when reviewed: £1,700 | Check price at Argos  If you want an all in one for entertainment and gaming, the Lenovo Yoga AIO 7 is the best of the more affordable options. Lenovo has updated the spec since we reviewed it so now, as well as an octa-core Ryzen 7 processor, it comes with 16GB of RAM and a discrete AMD RX 6600M graphics chip.

This combo will happily run the most demanding games at 1080p resolutions, although you will have to take a hit on the graphics settings to use the screen’s 4K native resolution or, where it’s supported, make use of AMD’s FSR upscaling tech.

Outside games, this is still a fantastic all in one, with good all-round performance, a smart design and the impressive 4K screen. There’s no height or tilt adjustment but you can pivot it through 90 degrees. The bundled 1080p webcam slots into a connector at the top of the screen, and Lenovo hasn’t stinted on connectivity or on a good wireless mouse and keyboard. It doesn’t come cheap, but this is an excellent all in one.

Key specs Display size: 27in; Resolution: 3840 x 2160; Type: IPS; CPU: Ryzen 7 5800H (3.2 to 4.4GHz, 8C/16T); Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6600M 8GB; RAM: 16GB; Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD; Dimensions: 614 x 460 x 108mm (WDH); Weight: 11.64kg


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