Dell Inspiron One 23-2330 Pro Reviews

Dell’s Inspiron 23 is a confused product. On the one hand it’s an Inspiron, and in the company’s brand mythology that means affordable. Yet on the other, this clearly isn’t an entry-level product. Pricing starts at $999, already more than most consumers want to spend, and stops just south of the bigger, more powerful Dell XPS One 27. Walking this tightrope between affordability and quality is difficult, and like so many others, the Inspiron 23 trips and tumbles off. The problem is value. At $1,399, our review unit is only $200 less than the Dell XPS One 27 and Lenovo IdeaCentre A730, a pair that offers better displays and, in the case of the XPS 27, even faster performance. We have a hard time seeing why a buyer shouldn’t spend the extra money for those bigger, better alternatives. The $999 model is priced more competitively with other 23-inch systems like the Lenovo A520, HP Pavilion 23 and Acer Aspire Z3. Yet this version is still at the high end of the category and, in the process of reaching the sub-$1,000 market, completely loses its performance advantage. This makes the Inspiron 23 yet another unremarkable mid-range computer. One fact saves this Dell from irrelevance: The mid-range AIO market is a bit of a mess. Most systems in the category suffer from poor performance and sub-par display quality, making them hard to recommend. Still, if you really must buy an AIO, and you can’t spend more than $1,000, give the Inspiron 23 a look.

Despite various efforts to reinvigorate the PC category, the Dell Inspiron One 2330 provides yet another data point indicating that commodity PCs will continue to make up a healthy portion of the market. There's nothing wrong with this fact. Sometimes all you need is a hammer, and all you ask is that that hammer comes at a reasonable price. This system is that hammer, and Dell has priced it accordingly. Even with Windows 8, this system won't change your computing life. But it will at least meet our basic expectations of a contemporary desktop.

If you have a need for composite AV in and VGA in on a touch screen all-in-one desktop, the Inspiron One 23 should be on the top of the list. If you don't need this admittedly specialized set of inputs, then there are other more attractive AIO PC choices out there for the same amount of money.

Dell’s entry-level all-in-one PC is good value compared to the Apple iMac. You’re locked into four pre-built setups when buying, though, and features like Blu-ray are restricted to the more expensive models.

Superb build, fine design and oodles of connectivity, but the average quality display proves a major disappointment