If you’re in the market for a new PC, there’s a bewildering array of choices stretching across the entire landscape of computers. From large-cased behemoths to tiny little boxes, there are myriad options, but most PCs are effectively just that – boxes. Maybe with a glass side panel chucked on so you can see what’s inside that PC case.
Not everyone wants some kind of chunky – more often than not – black box sitting in their home, maybe in the study, or indeed more prominently perhaps in, say, the lounge, because it looks ugly. And that’s before you equip that box with everything else necessary to actually use it – peripherals (mouse and keyboard at the minimum), plus a monitor screen for the display output. Add in all the snaking cables running between those, and you get an even less easy-on-the-eyes PC setup. Not to mention forking out more for those extras, of course.
This is where the all-in-one PC comes in as a great choice for those who want a more streamlined machine. All-in-one literally means what it says: that the entire PC is one unit with everything needed to work inside. And that basically means an all-in-one looks like a monitor, just with a somewhat thicker section behind the screen which houses all the components required for a PC (motherboard, processor, graphics, system memory and storage drive).
The great thing about an all-in-one is because it just looks like another display, it can fit pretty much anywhere in your house. Have just a tiny desk in the corner of the living room? It’ll perch there no problems. Maybe you want to stick it on a kitchen counter? Or in the glorified broom cupboard you’ve dubbed a home office? No problems. Limited space is simply not an issue, and the great thing is, much like a laptop, you can easily move an all-in-one around the house for various use cases and scenarios as and when is needed.
Think of an all-in-one as a seriously flexible PC, then, and if this is the kind of computer that floats your boat, where should you start looking for one? Well, we’re going to recommend a specific model next, mainly because it offers many strong suits that we’ll dive into and discuss in detail. Plus it also currently benefits from a price reduction at Currys, meaning you can not only have your computing cake and eat it, but at a cheaper price to boot.
Acer Aspire C24: all-in-one heaven
The model we’re highlighting here is the Acer Aspire C24 at Currys, which comes with a bundled mouse and keyboard supplied (they are wireless, so there’s no cable clutter from these, and you can have them wherever you want thanks to the lack of cords).
So, why is this such a great buy? For starters, it’s an all-in-one which is well-loved by Currys Experts, with the retailer literally awarding the Aspire C24 with an ‘Our Experts Love’ badge, the accolade pinned on favourite products which are very much tried-and-tested, and proven to be excellent. That’s got to give you a robust base level of confidence in the Acer PC.
Furthermore, the Acer Aspire C24 packs powerful hardware, yet remains extremely svelte, and looks plain great to be honest.
With the internal components, you get an Intel Core i5 processor (12th-generation with 10-cores and integrated Iris Xe Graphics), backed by 16GB of system RAM, which is plenty for your everyday daily computing needs (and maybe even a touch of light gaming). You also have 512GB of fast PCIe SSD storage on-hand here, too.
As for the display, that’s a 23.8-inch model with a Full HD resolution. It’s an IPS panel which means the colours are great, and don’t fade when you’re away off to the side of the screen (maybe viewing at an angle, which can happen especially when, for example, the family might be gathered around watching a film).
Speaking of streaming movies, or TV shows, whatever your favourite genre, the Aspire C24 won’t disappoint when it comes to presentation and image quality. For any more prolonged viewing sessions, the further good news is technology incorporated into the panel includes flickerless and Acer ComfyView to fend off eye strain. There’s also a blue light filter to keep you away from any of the negative effects associated with exposure to that (particularly late at night, for those students who like to stream into the early hours perhaps).
The actual PC looks great, too, with a slimline design and very thin bezels surrounding the display, meaning you’re essentially looking at an ‘all-screen’ device here. The Acer Aspire C24 won an iF Design Award for 2022, further underlining its credentials in the looks department (though you can see that for yourself in the accompanying images here).
Another worthwhile feature to note is there’s a high-quality 5-megapixel webcam to facilitate sharp images for your video calls to friends, or perhaps video conferencing for work. And naturally, those who you’re chatting with are going to look top-notch on the Aspire C24’s gorgeous screen. (Note: for more paranoid types not keen on webcams, and perhaps concerned about hackers, rest assured there’s a physical privacy shutter here – simply slide it across, and you can be sure no one’s watching anything via the camera).
Feeling tempted to buy the Acer Aspire C24 at this point? We don’t blame you, and this all-in-one has (at the time of writing) had its price cut as we mentioned earlier, making the PC even more of a bargain. Instead of retailing at £699, the C24 can now be had for £589, which is a seriously good value proposition. And for those who might prefer an all-in-one with a bigger screen, don’t forget there’s a 27-inch model also sold by Currys, which as you might guess is the Acer Aspire C27.
