Get a refurbished Gateway all-in-one system for $249.99

I've always had a (some would say strange) fondness for all-in-one PCs. Though they're sometimes underpowered and frequently difficult to repair or upgrade, they afford the luxuries of a desktop (big screen, roomy keyboard, and so on) without the space-hogging, wire-splaying hassles of a separate case.

Today only, and while supplies last, Geeks.com has the refurbished Gateway One ZX4250G-UW308 all-in-one desktop for $249.99 shipped. That's one of the lowest prices I've ever seen for an all-in-one; Fry's sells it new for literally twice the price.

Update: Rats. It's already sold out.

This is no benchmark-busting powerhouse, let's just be clear about that right up front. The One incorporates AMD's 1.6GHz Fusion E-350 processor, which, although dual-core, is about as entry-level as processors come. Don't plan on running any high-end software here.

That said, the rest of the system looks pretty decent, including 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and a 20-inch LED-backlit screen running at 1,600x900-pixel resolution. That's a hair shy of 1080p, which is what you'd typically see on a 22-inch LCD, but I think it's sufficient for this system's intended purpose.

It also has a built-in Webcam, Radeon HD 6310 graphics, four USB ports (all 2.0, alas), and Windows 8 64-bit. (See Gateway for full specs.) It's hard to tell for sure from the photos, but it looks pretty stylish to me.

So, where would you put a PC like this? I think it would work great in a kitchen. Or bedroom. Or as a shared family PC for the den. Anyplace that would benefit from a larger-than-laptop screen and keyboard but still demands a smallish footprint.

And did I mention this is $250 out the door? The only real hiccup to me is the 90-day warranty, though I think that's enough time to ferret out any existing problems. Still, if the hard drive quits or LCD breaks somewhere down the road, repairs might be difficult to impossible.

Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: Tablet Tuesday! DailySteals (via Ebay) has the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1-inch tablet for $199.99 shipped. Normally that wouldn't be such a huge deal, but this is: It's the Verizon 4G LTE model. (Service is optional, of course.) Other specs include 16GB of expandable storage, stereo speakers, dual cameras, Bluetooth, and Android 3.1 (which I believe can be updated to at least 4.0).

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