Why You Can Trust CNET Dell Inspiron One 2330 review: Dell's steady, mostly predictable all-in-one
Dell's Inspiron One 2330 all-in-one doesn't take any great innovative leaps, but sometimes all you need is a basic computer. This is that PC.
Similar to the
Dell Inspiron One 2330
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
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
And while the Inspiron One 23 looks like a smaller version of the
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.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 | Rendering Multiple CPUs | | Rendering Single CPU |
On our performance tests, the Dell lands exactly where I expected, coming in at or near the middle of a pack of similar, but generally more expensive competitors. None of the systems in this chart are suitable for serious, performance-oriented computing, but all of them will do for day-to-day Web browsing, nongaming media consumption, and other standard consumer-level PC tasks. The weak Intel HD Graphics 2500 3D core prevents the Inspiron One 2330 from playing all but the most forgiving games, but it should be able to handle most if not all of the titles you'll find on the Windows 8 App Store.
Dell has built a few other useful features into the Inspiron One 2330. Like the XPS One 27, a small dial on the top of the display lets you adjust the angle of the built-in Webcam. The display also has a set of buttons that lets you cycle through the active video signal via an intuitive onscreen menu.
The only real complaint I have about the system is that it sounds like there's a sock jammed in the speakers. Audio output comes out feeling muffled and underpowered, even after you tweak the various software effects.
Conclusion
Despite various efforts to reinvigorate the PC category, the Dell Inspiron One 2330 provides yet another data point indicating that commodity PCs will continue to make up a healthy portion of the market. There's nothing wrong with this fact. Sometimes all you need is a hammer, and all you ask is that that hammer comes at a reasonable price. This system is that hammer, and Dell has priced it accordingly. Even with Windows 8, this system won't change your computing life. But it will at least meet our basic expectations of a contemporary desktop.
Performance testing conducted by Joseph Kaminski. Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations
Apple OS X Mountain Lion 10.8; 2.7GHz Intel Core i5-3330S; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 512MB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics card; 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 3GHz Intel Core i5-3330; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive
Dell Inspiron One 2330
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3330S; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 32MB Intel HD Graphics 2500 (embedded); 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-3630QM; 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card; 2TB 5,400rpm hard drive
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3210M; 6GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000 (embedded); 1TB 5,400rpm hard drive