Sony Vaio RT2SY

We've looked at all-in-one computers before, particularly the iMac range from Apple, but Sony's Vaio RT2 is one of the most impressive so far.

It's not cheap, though – it costs nearly £2,500 but for that you get a top-of-the-range computer along with, effectively, a 26in television screen.

As it's an all-in-one, the screen section includes the processing unit so it's good for those who want to make the best use of space in a home. It's actually not much thicker than a standard 26in screen and there's a stand to allow it to tilt back and forth.

The screen has two speakers to either side, making it a little wider than the standard widescreen. As with most widescreen computer displays, this one has an aspect ratio of 16:10, which is different to a widescreen television's aspect ratio of 16:9. What this means is that, if you are watching a film or television programme in widescreen it may be stretched a little.

It comes with the Windows Vista Ultimate operating system, which includes the excellent Windows Media Center software that can be used to watch television. There are two tuners inside the Vaio RT2, meaning you can record two programmes at once, and a remote control.

The keyboard and mouse are also wireless, and while both look very good, the keyboard is very shallow and so was unpleasant to type on. A 26in screen is not too big to be used on a desk so it's conceivable that people will be buying this computer for more than just watching video, so we would have preferred a more usable keyboard and mouse.

Anyone buying this computer just to watch video would be wasting a lot of money – while it's certainly excellent for that, it's as powerful as any computer we've seen recently. The processor is a top-end Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor and it comes with 4GB of memory. Graphics are provided by an Nvidia 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB of memory, more than enough for modern games.

There's a one-terabyte (1,000GB) hard disk for storage and there's a Blu-ray disc drive that can be used for reading and creating all CDs, DVDs and new Blu-ray discs (including movie discs). It can connect to wired and wireless networks and has HDMI input so you can use it as a screen for, say, a games console. There's also HDMI output if you have an even bigger screen and want to extend your computer display onto that, along with three USB ports, eSata connection, Firewire, Expresscard slot and a memory card reader.

This is a lot of computer, but you could just as well pick up the Cyberpower Gamer Infinity Yang for £550 and add an even bigger screen yourself, and still have change from £1,000. While the Sony Vaio RT2 looks great, it’s very expensive for what it does.