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Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 Review: Our First Table PC

Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 Review: Our First Table PC
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The latest all-in-ones look a lot like huge tablets, right? An internal battery adds portability to Lenovo's 27” IdeaCentre Horizon, but is this cool concept still functional as a desktop, or does the push toward mobility sacrifice too much performance?

The rapid uptake of touch-based interfaces is leading to so many new form factors. We're seeing smartphone screens grow, Ultrabooks turn into convertibles (to give them that tablet-like feel), and all-in-one desktops struggle to find their place in the world. After all, who really wants to reach up and touch their monitor when a keyboard and mouse does the job just fine?

Realizing this, Lenovo set out to do something a little different with its IdeaCentre Horizon, building an all-in-one with a 27" 1080p display and calling it a Table PC. Naturally, this thing's too big to be considered a tablet, and at close to 20 pounds, it's not something you'd want to haul around with you. Nevertheless, Lenovo arms two of its four Horizon SKUs with a built-in battery and carrying bag. The extent to which we see ourselves moving a machine this large around would probably be from the kitchen to the backyard, or maybe from a bedroom to the living room for family-night gaming. It probably wouldn't leave through the front door, despite its modest weight and impressive 1.3-inch thickness. But that seems to be the point; you get a nice big surface you can relocate at will, for any number of reasons.

Before we dig further into Lenovo’s vision of the ultimate all-in-one desktop, let's have a look at the machine's specifications in comparison to Dell's previously-tested XPS One 27 Touch.

  Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 57315058 Dell XPS One Touch 27" (2710)
PlatformIntel BGA 1023, HM76 Express, Embedded PCIe GraphicsIntel LGA 1155, H77 Express, Embedded PCIe Graphics
CPUIntel Core i5-3337U (Ivy Bridge, 1.8-2.7 GHz, 3 MB Shared L3 Cache, 17 W Max TDP)Intel Core i7-3770S (Ivy Bridge, 3.1-3.9 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, 65 W Max TDP)
RAM2 x Ramaxel RMT3160ED58E9W1600 (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL112x Nanya NT8GC64B8HB0NS-DI (2 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 SO-DIMM, CL11
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GT 620M: 625 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-3600Nvidia GeForce GT 640M: 645 MHz, 2 GB GDDR5-4000
Display10-Point Multi-Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 1920x1080Capacitive Touch 27" LED Backlit Glossy LCD, 2560x1440
Webcam720p (0.9 Megapixel) w/dual array microphone2.0 Megapixel w/dual microphone and sliding cover
AudioRealtek Integrated HD Audio with Dolby Home Theatre V4Realtek Integrated HD Audio with WAVES MAXXAudio 4
SecurityKensington Security SlotKensington Security Slot
Storage
Hard DriveSamsung Spinpoint ST1000LM024: 1 TB 5400 RPM 8 MB Cache, SATA 3Gb/sSeagate Barracuda ST2000DM001: 2 TB 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache, SATA 6Gb/s
Samsung MZMPC032HBCD-00000 32 GB MLC Cache Drive, mSATA 6Gb/s
Optical DriveNoneHL-DS 8x Slot-Loading DVD Burner/BDR Combo HL-DT-ST DVDRWBD CT40N
Media Drive6-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS flash media interface8-in-1 SDXC/MMC/MS/xD flash media interface
Networking
Wireless LANRealtek RTL8188CD 802.11n PCIeIntel Advanced-N 6235 802.11n PCIe
Wireless PANIntegrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo CardIntegrated Bluetooth Transceiver on Wireless Combo Card
Gigabit NetworkNoneAtheros AR8161 PCIe 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
IEEE-1394NoneNone
TelephonyNoneNone
Peripheral Interfaces
USB2 x USB 3.06 x USB 3.0 (4-rear, 2-side)
Expansion CardNone1 x empty Mini PCIe (for optional TV tuner)
External HDDUSB-onlyUSB-only
AudioHeadphone, MicrophoneHeadphone, Microphone, Rear Out, S/PDIF
VideoHDMI In (Display-Only)HDMI Out, HDMI In (Display-Only)
General Stats
WeightPC 18.4 lbs, peripherals 2.8 lbs, Total 21.2 poundsPC 34.4 lbs, peripherals 1.6 lbs, Total 36 pounds
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows 8 64-bit, OEMMicrosoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit Edition, OEM
WarrantyOne-year parts non-transferableOne-year parts/Labor w/In-Home Service

The pricey Dell unit employs more performance-oriented parts, including a 2560x1440 screen, to justify its higher price. Alternatively, Lenovo counters Dell with portability in the form of lower weight and an integrated battery, adding to the attractiveness of saving several hundred pounds. Still, these two all-in-ones are the most closely-matched from a component perspective of any we’ve tested.

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