Advent AIO100 all-in-one PC

The latest addition to the net-tops market is the AI0100 from Advent.

Net-tops are desktop PCs that use netbook hardware. For doing basic jobs such as email, web browsing and office work the AI0100 is really rather good, and may even spark a revival of the all-in-one PC.

The AIO100 ignores the normal all-in-one approach of building everything behind the TFT panel and instead has a small base unit holding the hardware, with a height-adjustable strut built into it, holding the 18.4in screen, though it does feel a little flimsy. It’s a good-looking compact design and ideal where desktop space is at a premium.

Five USB ports are built into the base unit, with two on the right-hand side of the base unit and three on the rear panel. A 4-in-1 Flash card reader and two speakers are built into the top of the unit; The speakers aren’t the worst, but they lack depth and volume.

Internally it’s standard netbook hardware with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, Intel i945GME Express chipset and 1GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory. It’s not fast, but its performance is adequate for its target market.

The 18.4in screen has a native resolution of 1,680x945 pixels and, although it does have a glossy finish, it doesn’t reflect office lighting too badly.

For storage there is a 160GB 5,400rpm Fujitsu hard disk and a built-in dual-layer DVD burner. There’s also 802.11b/g Wifi and Gigabit Ethernet.

The AIO100 comes with a mini keyboard and a slimline mouse. Besides pre-installed Windows XP Home SP3, Cyberlink’s DVD Suite and Microsoft Works SE9.0 are included, along with a year’s return to base warranty.