All-In-One Desktop PCs for Education & 10 Best Budget to Mid-range Options

An all-in-one (AIO) desktop PC is a computer that combines all the components of a desktop computer into one enclosed unit. Instead of using a separate tower or base unit and monitor for the desktop, it puts the base unit behind the display.

You choose an AIO if you are seeking a compact and intuitive desktop. One that takes up least space on the desk and is accessible. You don’t need to crawl under the desk or turn your base unit around to access the port. It is designed to be user-friendly and approachable. It looks great too, much more stylish than your conventional beige box and screen.

You will have content will the separate standard keyboard and mouse, wired or wireless but these do come in the same style, colour and design as the AIO unit. Together, they make a statement, that they not only mean business but look great too. Plus, they keep clutter on the desk to a minimum given that there is only the AIO unit (screen and gubbins in one) and the input devices.

Typically, All-In-One PCs come pre-installed with Microsoft’s Windows operating system. If you are accustomed to the use of Microsoft’s Windows and windows applications you will have no problem using an AIO machine.

The 8 Benefits of Owning an All-in-One PC

1. An all-in-one PC is the best shot for an average consumer because it is easy to use and comes with a user-friendly interface. Everything is accessible be it buttons or ports either behind or on the sides of the display.
2. You don’t have to worry about buying a display monitor, mouse or keyboard separately. An all-in-one PC is beautifully designed and packaged. Different manufacturers offer different designs and styles making them unique. On some level, it can be compared to a laptop.
3. All-in-one computer is a better solution to the traditional tower computer because it is compact and takes little space on the desk. It doesn’t take up any more room under the table or anywhere else.
4. All-in-one PC is stylishly designed, making them pleasant to the eyes. If a school wishes to make an impression on the learners and parents, a bank of AIOs will do the job. Not only are they fit for purpose but look professional, sleek and means business.
5. You can take an all-in-one PC anywhere. They may not be as portable as laptops but is still portable and is great for IT support. Technicians need not worry about extra cabling and power. They weigh as little as 12lbs and can be moved and replaced easily.
6. Ease of maintenance: as the all-in-one PC sits on the desk all the time, it doesn’t hoover up dust like a tower desktop would do on the floor. Technicians will not face the same headache they have when maintaining a traditional desktops. Dust can choke up a system, causing heat to accumulate inside the base unit leading to component failure.
7. An all-in-one PC is energy efficient. It makes make little to no noise at all during operation and do not emit a lot of heat compared to the traditional desktops. A small AIO consumes up to 45 watt, bigger units goes up to 65W, these are more than the standard laptop.
8. Lastly, an all-in-one PC is more reliable, more so than a laptop or traditional PC. A laptop has a vulnerable display, pop-out keys on the keyboard, difficult to replace components and mechanical hinges and moving parts that are prone to fail. They are also too portable for their own good, easily stolen, dropped and damaged.

Top 10 Best All-In-One PCs

If you are in the market for an All-in-One PC, we have compiled a list with some of the best All-In-Ones in the market right now. We understand that education establishments especially the public sector have to work within a budget. These AIOs are from the budget to the mid-range segments to help schools stretch their finances. Prices are set based on the processor in use. AIOs with Intel Pentium and Core i3 processors are cheaper than compared to the faster Intel Core i5. Manufacturers tend to cater for all price segments by swapping the processor in the AIO. Here are the AIOs based on the categories we set:

Budget All-in-One Desktop PCs

1. HP 22 All-In-One PC 21.5-inch FHD (Intel Core i3 )
2. Dell Inspiron 22 3000 All-in-One PC 21.5 inch (Intel Core i3)
3. LENOVO IdeaCentre A340 All-In-One PC 21.5-INCH (Intel Pentium or Core i3)
4. HP 24 All-In-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i3)
5. ACER Aspire C24 All-in-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i3)

Mid-range All-in-One Desktop PCs

1. HP 22 All-In-One PC 21.5-inch FHD (Intel Core i5)
2. Dell Inspiron 22 3000 All-in-One PC 21.5 inch (Intel Core i5)
3. LENOVO IdeaCentre A340 All-In-One PC 21.5-INCH (Intel Core i5)
4. HP 24 All-In-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i5)
5. ACER Aspire C24 All-in-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i5)

1. HP 22 All-In-One PC 21.5-inch FHD (Intel Core i3 or i5)

Ready to use, user-friendly and very reliable, the HP 22 AIO is one of the best AIOs in the market. If you need an all-in-one PC to stream music or video, surf the Internet, tackle your research work, write your report or finish your assignment, this will be the machine for the job. It operates on a Windows 10, making it easier for you to get things done. Intel Optane makes boot-up and app launching zippy. The wired keyboard and mouse looks and feels a bit clunky in comparison.

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Features and Details

• 21.5” diagonal widescreen FHD IPS WLED-backlit display (1920 x 1080)
• 1TB/2TB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive, ultra slim-tray super multi DVD burner
• Intel® Core™ i3-8130U / Intel Core i5 8250U processor
• 4GB / 8GB RAM memory with 16GB Intel Optane

PROS

• Stylish design
• Powerful integrated audio
• Fast 8th generation Intel Core processors
• Very responsive with memory with Intel Optane

CONS

• Wired standard mouse and keyboard
• Core i5 model can be a little pricey but still good value with faster processor, double memory and storage

2. Dell Inspiron 22 3000 All-in-One PC 21.5 inch (Intel Pentium, Core i3 or i5)

The Dell Inspiron 22 is a fast and reliable system. Built for multitasking with new 8th generation Core i3 or i5 processors combined with 8GB RAM memory and 1TB storage, it will take anything you throw at it.  It is also very sleeky in a sort of industrial black kinda way. The side and top bezels are one of the narrowest owing to the pop-up web cam and front firing speakers below the display. We love that the Full HD display is capable of producing brilliant colors thanks to the IPS technology. What it lacks, the Intel Optane memory in the HP system, it makes up for with faster processors.

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Features and Details

• 21.5” diagonal widescreen IPS WLED-backlit display (1920 x 1080p)
• Intel Core  i3-8145U / Intel Core i5-8265U processor
• 8 GB DDR4 RAM Memory
• iTB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive

PROS

• Amazing processor performance clocking up to 3.9GHz
• Brilliant display with Touch screen option included in the Core i5 model
• Sleek all black design with narrow bezel
• Pop-up web cam for ultimate privacy

CONS

• What’s with the wired mouse and keyboard
• It does not have a dedicated GPU
• Could benefit from Intel Optane or SSD storage

3. LENOVO IdeaCentre A340 All-In-One PC 21.5-INCH (Intel Pentium, Core i3 or i5)

It is lovely, affordable and comes with a minimalistic design. Even the stand is made from a bent iron rod. There is literally little to no side bezel to speak off, only 9.5mm thin. The top bezel is just big enough to house the web cam and the bottom bezel is not much bigger keeping your focus on the display alone. Our choice would be the Intel Core™ i3-8145U Processor model. But if you are strap for cash, an Pentium system is also available at a much lower price. However, if you are after a small and powerful AIO, the IdeaCenter A340 21.5-inch is available with 8th generation Intel Core i5-8400T with discrete graphics option. The little bracket on the stand is a convenient cable management system but who needs it when you can upgrade to wireless keyboard and mouse.

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Features and Details

• 21.5” Full HD IPS WLED-backlit display (1920 x 1080)
• Intel® Pentium™ J5005 Processor / Intel® Core™ i3-8145U Processor processor
• 4GB DDR4 RAM memory upgradable to 8GB
• 1TB 5400rpm HDD / 2 TB HDD

PROS

• A wonderful processor performance.
• Near zero bezel display
• Simplistic and minimalist design

CONS

• Wired mouse
• A bit soft in the sound department
• Intel Pentium model can be slow
• Memory on the small side

4. HP 24 All-In-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i3 or i5)

This all-in-one PC is well crafted and designed and may look a little familiar. In fact, it looks like a bigger version of the HP 22 seen in the beginning of our list. It doesn’t stop there, it even shares the same components; the CPU, memory and hard disk configuration. It also enjoys Intel Optane storage acceleration, all 16GB of it for faster and more responsive computing experience. The only difference is the bigger 23.8-inch Full HD display. If you like the HP 22, you are going to like the HP 24 even more.

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Features and Details

• 23.8” Full HD IPS wled-backlit display (1920 x 1080)
• 1TB HDD / 2 TB 7200rpm HDD storage, ultra slim-tray super multi DVD burner
• Intel® Core™ i3-8130U Processor or Intel® Core™ i5 8250U Processor
• 4GB / 8GB DDR Memory with 16GB Intel Optane

PROS

• A wonderful processor performance.
• Higher storage capacity
• Bigger Full HD display with ultra thin bezel

CONS

• Still with the wired keyboard and mouse, wireless option available separately.
• Would be nice if wireless input devices were included
• Can be a little noisy at times with noise from the cooling fan

5. ACER Aspire C24 All-in-One PC 23.8-inch (Intel Core i3 or i5)

From a design perspective the Acer Aspire C24 is perfect in every way. The borderless display with its ultra narrow bezel works well in presenting the all-in-one as nothing more than just a monitor. In fact, if you look at how thin the unit is, you might mistake it for a conventional monitor. Specification wise, it is the same as those found in the HP machines except it left out the much needed storage accelerator. The things it got right are the wireless mouse and keyboard but given that the AIO has a silver housing, they could at least colour match this and make it smaller. It also comes with a detachable webcam. And, since a lot of effort has been put in to make it super compact, the sound quality has been compromised.

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Features and Details

• 23.8” Full HD IPS WLED-backlit display (1920 x 1080) widescreen Edge to Edge LED-backlit display
• 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8130U / Intel Core i5-8250U Processor
• 8GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory
• 1TB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet Lan & Bluetooth 4.2 LE

PROS

• Beautifully designed and ultra compact, no bigger than your standard monitor
• Snappy performance
• Magnificent and sharp display
• Near zero bezel achieving a high 90% screen to body ratio

CONS

• The hard drive can sometimes lag with no Intel Optane to speed things up
• Bulky but wireless keyboard
• In your face web cam housing, could be smaller. Luckily, it is detachable.
• Difficulty finding the dongle for the wireless mouse. This is stored inside the mouse battery component.
• Sounds tinny