Dell XPS One 27 Review: The Premium All-in-One

New Inspirons and the Conclusion

I've mentioned briefly that in addition to the flagship Dell XPS One 27 being launched today, Dell is also launching two smaller Inspiron One systems, the One 23 and the One 20 (take a wild guess what the numbers after the "One" represent). These systems honestly just aren't quite as compelling as the massive 27" XPS One 2710, but they're also more affordable.

The Inspiron One 23 peaks at the same top-end CPU as the XPS One 27, but loses the 27" Quad HD display for a standard 1080p display. You also sacrifice the mSATA SSD, and the GPU takes a major hit, being able to top out at only AMD's Radeon HD 7650A with 1GB of DDR3, rendering it essentially unable to handle gaming at the system's native resolution. For these sacrifices, though, you do go down to a starting price of just $749, making it a more affordable option.

Dell's Inspiron One 20 is their ultra-affordable entry level model. CPUs are still Sandy Bridge generation and top out at the Intel Core i3-2120T, with a TDP of just 35W. No dedicated graphics options are available and worse, the only GPU on hand is Intel's horrendously crippled HD 2000, taking any casual gaming beyond Angry Birds completely out of the equation. The 20" screen is also specced at an anemic 1600x900. On the flipside, the Inspiron One 20 starts at only $529, but it's one of those situations where I'm incredibly disappointed to hear these words from a vendor: "We're committed to Intel." There's no reason to commit to anyone, and an entry level all-in-one like this one is the kind of place where AMD's Trinity would thrive.

So with the broader Dell all-in-one line in perspective, I'm of the unusual opinion that the end user should probably go big or go home. The Inspiron One 23 may offer a compelling enough price-performance ratio, but the One 20 is just too cut down. Meanwhile, the XPS One 27 is essentially the One to go for if you're in the market for a Dell all-in-one. Of course, I wish the situation were so cut and dry.

Big Buddha strike me dead for saying this, but the lack of touchscreen support is, in my opinion, a potentially serious liability. Windows 8 isn't that far away, so to not offer a touchscreen on a premium model like this one is extremely shortsighted in my opinion. I also feel like the 65W processors Dell outfits the XPS One with are just too much for the cooling system. Intel's 45W models may take a bigger hit in performance, but they're better suited to builds like this where thermal headroom is at a premium, and I'm not sure most people using an all-in-one really need much more CPU power than what the T-series offers. Then again, with a 27" display taking up plenty of space, it's difficult to believe there wasn't a better way to keep both CPU and GPU temperatures in check, even under load. Laptops have managed far more with even less space after all.

The good news is that Dell has largely fixed the aesthetic and connectivity from the previous generation, and the screen quality is excellent. If you're not going to push the system too hard the XPS One 27 is probably worth considering. Once again, though, thermals prove to be the Achilles' Heel of an all-in-one, and the lack of foresight demonstrated by the omission of a touchscreen should give you pause. This isn't a bad system, but as always, end users should be cognizant of what they're getting into.