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Vizio CA24T-A4 review: Pretty face, lacks substance

Vizio adds a touch screen and Windows 8 to its 24-inch CA24T-A4 all-in-one PC, but you can find more computer for the same price elsewhere.

Rich Brown Former Senior Editorial Director - Home and Wellness
Rich was the editorial lead for CNET's Home and Wellness sections, based in Louisville, Kentucky. Before moving to Louisville in 2013, Rich ran CNET's desktop computer review section for 10 years in New York City. He has worked as a tech journalist since 1994, covering everything from 3D printing to Z-Wave smart locks.
Expertise Smart home, Windows PCs, cooking (sometimes), woodworking tools (getting there...)
Rich Brown
6 min read

The Vizio CA24T-A4 seems to have all the ingredients of an ideal Windows 8 PC. A touch screen, a wireless touch pad, and sleek, low-profile looks -- you might think it's an easy recommendation. The problem is that Vizio has focused too much on appearances, and not enough on build quality and overall value. Look into the Vizio CA24T-A4 if design is a primary concern, but for anyone focused on value and features-for-the-dollar, Asus and others offer more-compelling alternatives in the same price range.

6.0

Vizio CA24T-A4

The Good

The <b>Vizio CA24T-A4</b> has a low-profile appearance and some useful connectivity options.

The Bad

Not every all-in-one looks as clean as this Vizio, but others offer better features for a similar price.

The Bottom Line

A touch screen and Windows 8 can't defuse the impression that the Vizio CA24T-A4 all-in-one was designed primarily for retail shelf appeal.

The primary stories about the CA24T are that it's one of Vizio's first Windows 8-equipped all-in-ones, and also one of the first with a touch screen. Those features are both common enough now, but the fact that this system ships with a touch pad instead of a mouse gives the Vizio some added cachet. Like perhaps no other all-in-one out there, Vizio seems committed to touch-based input.

If you already use a touch pad on a PC, you may feel right at home with the Vizio. For those of us in the mouse-using majority, get ready to adapt to both a new input device and a new operating system.

Vizio doesn't deserve too much criticism for leaving out a mouse from its all-in-ones. You can remedy the problem cheaply, if not for free, and be on your way. The touch pad also seems to work better in Windows 8 than it did in Vizio's Windows 7-based CA27; it recognizes one- and two-finger input responsively enough, although it does not support the complete Windows 8 gesture language. For mouse users not yet acclimated to Windows 8, though, it means your first interactions with the CA24T will be awkward and uncertain while you try to master two changes to your computing comfort zone.

In addition to the touch pad, Vizio also lets you interact with Windows 8 via the CA24T's touch-screen display. The edge-to-edge glass ensures that you have full access to every interactive part of the screen, and the responsiveness is mostly satisfactory. I noticed some input lag and some drag while playing Air Hockey, but for general poking around, the screen is usable.

If the occasional unregistered input doesn't bother you, you may still wish that the screen could recline more. Windows 8 all-in-ones from Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and others give you 60 or 90 degrees of front-to-back adjustablity. The Vizio's range of motion is more like 35 degrees.

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

My larger complaint about the Vizio CA24T comes down to its price, and the sacrifices Vizio made for the slim design.

Compare the Vizio with the Asus above and you'll see that the Asus system has better components in almost every aspect. Vizio has the edge in screen size by an inch, but otherwise, from CPU speed to hard-disk rotational speed, to system memory and graphics chip capability, the Asus is simply a better computer for only $50 more. Not depicted on this list, the Asus system also has integrated Intel wireless display support, as well as two Thunderbolt ports. You can also drop down the Asus' touch screen so that it lies completely flat.

Ultimately, the Vizio's problems and advantages come down to its laptop motherboard and chipset. It's that smaller scale, lower-power circuitry that allows the Vizio such a small base unit. It also accounts for the slower components and the higher price. The Asus system and its desktop chipset produce just the opposite kind of all-in-one: faster, with more power and cooling needs (which leads to the larger base), and a more affordable price relative to its capabilities.

Your preference will, of course, depend on your taste, but for overall computer for the dollar, the Asus is the clear winner between these two desktops.

Adobe Photoshop CS5 image-processing test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Multimedia multitasking (iTunes and QuickTime; in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Multimedia multitasking (iTunes and Handbrake; in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Vizio CA24T-A4 (2.5GHz Core i5, November 2012)
401 

Cinebench
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Rendering multiple CPUs  
Rendering single CPU  
Vizio CA24T-A4 (2.5GHz Core i5, November 2012)
2.87 
1.28 

This is not to say that the Vizio is a terrible PC. In terms of raw performance, it handles itself admirably in most cases, posting competitive times on our iTunes and Photoshop tests. It falters, though, on our more-demanding multitasking tests, as well as on Cinebench, which provides a good measure of CPU horsepower. For day-to-day use, the Vizio will be acceptable to average consumers. Just don't feel surprised if it starts to drag on processor-intensive workloads.

For its peripherals, the keyboard, touch pad, and remote control all feel like average hardware. The remote control isn't as consistently responsive as I'd like. The keyboard also feels unnecessarily cramped, another sacrifice to form. The subwoofer/power brick combo device is the only real oddball.

Offloading the power supply to the sub provides Vizio with yet another way trim down the base unit. It does no real harm design-wise, adding only a little clutter that you can hide behind the system easily enough. Just don't trust the subwoofer to help the audio output much. As noted in the review of the CA27, the subwoofer's main contribution to sound quality seems to be rattling around when you put the volume up beyond the halfway point. You'd be better off connecting your own set of speakers via the analog audio output.

Although it does not have Thunderbolt ports like the Asus system, the Vizio does have a commendable assortment of connectivity options. The highlight is a pair of HDMI inputs, allowing you to connect multiple video components directly to the Vizio's display. The trio of USB 3.0 ports and a single eSATA jack are also a nice touch, as is the SD card slot.

Conclusion
As with the 27-inch model, my overall impression of the CA24T-A4 is that Vizio has designed this system for maximum retail shelf appeal. It looks nice, and it has just enough features to make its price tag seem reasonable. Further scrutiny reveals the cracks in this approach if you're shopping on strength of features for the dollar. From Asus in particular, you can buy more computer for basically the same price.

Performance testing conducted by Joseph Kaminski. Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations

Vizio CA24T-A4
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

Asus ET2300INTI
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit); 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 3330; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

HP Omni 27 Quad
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (SP1); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2400S; 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 64MB Intel HD Graphics 1000 (embedded); 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

Vizio CA27
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (SP1); 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-3210M; 4GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 640M LE graphics card; 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive

6.0

Vizio CA24T-A4

Score Breakdown

Design 7Features 5Performance 6Support 7