HP TouchSmart 310-1125y

The HP TouchSmart 310-1125y ($699.99 list at Best Buy) all-in-one touch-screen desktop is the retail follow-up to last year's HP TouchSmart 310-1000z, that was only available on HP's website. Its touch-screen interface has long been a trailblazer; it's one of the few that does it right by combining an intelligent interface, attractive chassis, good internal components, and an enhanced touch experience. The 310-1125y is cheaper, easier to buy, and available now at big box stores near you. What's not to like?

Design and Features
Similar to previous HP TouchSmart desktops the 310-1125y has a nice tilting base, 16:9 aspect ratio screen, and a black, glossy plastic chassis. It's almost identical to the HP TouchSmart 310-1000z ($1,159 direct, 4 stars), at least externally. The desktop has a bright, 20-inch touch screen with a 1,600 by 900 resolution, which is a little less than true 1080p HD (1,920 by 1,080). That means you can't display all the pixels in a 1080p HD video, but it's close enough that you won't mind unless you're a stickler for true HD.

The chassis has six USB 2.0 ports, a card reader (SD and Memory Stick variants), audio ports, and Ethernet. A wireless USB dongle (which takes up one of the 6 USB ports), connects the desktop to the included wireless keyboard and mouse. There's a tray-loading DVD burner on the side panel, but it blends so well into the side of the desktop that you'd have to have it pointed out to you when closed.

The 310-1125y doesn't have USB 3.0, eSATA, or HDMI ports. If the desktop was more expensive, I'd lament the lack of HDMI, as it allows you to use the system's monitor with another PC or a cable TV box, but I wouldn't expect to see these three ports at this price point. Like other all-in-one desktops, the 310-1125y has no user-serviceable internal parts: You can replace the memory, but you'll have to essentially disassemble the back panel to get to the memory slots.

Specifications

Type

Value, All-in-one, Touchscreen All-In-One

Processor Family

AMD Athlon II X2

RAM

4 GB

Storage Capacity (as Tested)

750 GB

Graphics Card

ATI Radeon HD 4270

Primary Optical Drive

Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

The 310-1125y comes with a 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive. This should be enough for a family, particularly if you stream your videos rather than storing them on the desktop. The system's 4GB of system memory is enough for moderate multitasking (it's upgradeable to 8GB memory max, though you'll have to replace the 4GB already in the system to do so). The latest version of HP's TouchSmart interface is responsive, easy to use, and is pre-loaded with a bunch of entertainment apps including Hulu and Netflix. There are a few pieces of trialware and bloatware on the system, however, like eBay, HP Games, Snapfish, and a plethora of e-readers (with connected stores). I suppose all this bloatware is a necessary evil in this case, since the system is designed to be used by various members of the family; just make sure you keep your credit card number safe. You could find out in a coupe of weeks that your child has bought the entire online downloadable game library, for example.

Performance
The 310-1125y is certainly fast enough to do all the multimedia functions you would ask of a desktop in this price range. Its 4GB of memory and 2.9GHz AMD Athlon II X2 245e processor team up to give the desktop passable scores at the Handbrake (3 minutes 2 seconds) and Photoshop CS5 (6:17) tests, similar to HP 310-1000z's performance (2:56 Handbrake, 6:42 CS5). The Gateway One ZX4951-33e ($779.99 list, 3 stars) (2:23 Handbrake; 4:12 CS5) is faster, thanks to its Intel Core i3-550 processor.. The Dell Inspiron One IO2305-3114MSL ($849.99, 2.5 stars) was much slower, because of its low-powered AMD Athlon II X2 250u processor (5:36 Handbrake; 10:56 CS5). Every one of these all-in-one desktops was rubbish when playing high-end 3D games like. They all had slideshow-like sub-11fps scores on Crysis (DirectX 10), and none could run the DX11 test in Lost Planet 2.

So what's the verdict? Well as a touch screen PC, the HP TouchSmart 310-1125y is excellent. It has a responsive touch screen display, it's fast enough for the computer functions, and it has a great price. And while it's $140 more expensive than our current Editors' Choice for entry level all-in-one PCs, the HP Omni 100 ($559.99 list, 4.5 stars), the 310-1125y comes with wireless keyboard and mouse, faster performance, and the touch screen, making the price bump totally worth it. As such, the HP TouchSmart 310-1125y is the new Editors' Choice for both touch screen desktop PCs and entry-level all-in-one desktops.