Dell Inspiron One 2330 review: Dell's steady, mostly predictable all-in-one

Similar to the Toshiba LX835 I reviewed last week, the Dell's Inspiron One 2330 offers a mainstream entry point for PC buyers interested in Windows 8. Unlike the Toshiba system and its higher-end silicon, this Dell is almost entirely pedestrian in terms of its core features.

A handsome design and a collection of less common audio-video ports give this otherwise unremarkable PC some identity. A comparatively low $1,199 price tag puts the Inspiron One 2330 on the most accessible tier of 23-inch touch-screen all-in-ones. For those with light-duty performance needs interested in a basic Windows 8 desktop, the Dell fits the bill well enough, and with some potentially useful connectivity options.

The design of Dell's all-in-one systems is consistent across its XPS and Inspiron lines. It's a polished and beefy aesthetic, like that of a more expensive SUV. You will also notice that Dell has not embraced the push by Apple, Lenovo, and Vizio toward thinner all-in-one displays. This system, 30mm thick at the edge of its display, might look clunky next to all-in-ones like the new iMacs, which come in at just 5mm thick at the same point.

And while the Inspiron One 23 looks like a smaller version of the 27-inch XPS One 27, it has a key design difference. Where the XPS One has a double-hinged display stand that lets you tilt the screen 60 degrees and adjust its height, the Inspiron 2330 has only a single hinge that gives you about 40 degrees of tilt. It's not unreasonable for Dell to swap in a cheaper stand to help keep the price down, just be ready to prop the Inspiron 2330 up on a book or two if you aren't happy with the height of its screen.

The Inspiron's touch screen is responsive to 10-point input, but it also feels draggier than the XPS One 27. The feel is not unlike that of the Toshiba LX835, which is to say that the Inspiron 2330 has a serviceable touch screen, but your inputs won't feel as smooth as they do on the average smartphone or tablet.

	Dell Inspiron One 2330	Vizio CA24T-A4	Asus ET2300INTI
Price	$1,199	$1,249	$1,299
Display size/resolution	23-inch, 1,920x1,080 touch screen	24-inch, 1,920x1,080 touch screen	23-inch, 1,920x1,080 touch screen
CPU	2.5GHz Intel Core i5 3330S	2.5GHz Intel Core i5 3210M	3.0GHz Intel Core i5 3330
Memory	8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM	6GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM	8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
Graphics	32MB Intel HD Graphics 2500	32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000	1GB Nvidia GeForce GT630M
Hard drives	1TB, 7,200rpm	1TB, 5,400rpm	1TB, 7,200rpm
Optical drive	dual-layer DVD burner	None	dual-layer DVD burner
Networking	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless	Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless
Operating system	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)	Windows 8 (64-bit)

A side-by-side comparison with two other Windows PCs in its price range gives the Dell very little to set it apart. It looks like a better deal than the Vizio CA24T-A4, boasting more system memory and a full-speed, 7,200rpm hard drive instead of the Vizio's slower 5,400rpm drive, but the spec sheet offers nothing you'd call unique or remarkable. You can say that the Dell is a fairly priced midrange Windows 8 all-in-one, but that's about it.

Marginally more interesting are the Dell's audio video inputs. It has an HDMI input, expected in any $1,000-plus all-in-one. It also has a pair of old-school VGA jacks, one in, another out (handy for connecting old monitors, or using the Dell as a monitor with an older PC), as well as a full set of composite audio and video inputs, and separate digital audio outputs, one 3.5mm, the other an optical S/PDIF output. This is an uncommonly broad array of connectivity options for a PC in this price range, and it gives the Inspiron One 2330 some great flexibility in terms of how it might be used with other devices.