Though laptops are convenient and portable, we believe that at times nothing can replace a desktop computer. However, we live in a decade of ‘everything-sleek-and-chic’, and you know how unhandy can a desktop PC be. Keeping that in mind, ASUS has launched an all-in-one PC ET2040INK, which is portable, elegant and decorous.
The ASUS ET2040INK sports a 19.5-inch LED backlit display with a pixel resolution of 1366x768. The AIO’s display is framed by a matte-finished black hard plastic, which spreads across the rear panel. The display panel is built strong and sturdy. On the front, the panel sports a 1MP webcam, accompanied by sensors to allow gesture control.
The display has very conveniently placed control buttons, with the left edge of the display sporting a volume and brightness rocker buttons, connectivity ports for HDMI, USB 3.0 (3 ports), RJ-45 and charging. Towards the back end of the edge, the unit features a 3-in-1 SD/SDHC/MMC card reader. On the right, three USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, audio-out jack and a Kensington lock are featured. The power button is placed on the top edge of the display monitor.
At the rear, a vent for the active cooler fans is placed along the panel’s upper edge, with two speakers sitting below the vent of the either sides. Towards the bottom sits a kickstand that pulls out allowing you to adjust the display at a convenient angle. The kickstand is pretty stout and robust, making a steady stand for the display monitor. Tiny rubber feet are placed at the bottom of the display, which further contribute to its steadiness.
Pre-installed with Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system, the ASUS AIO ET2040INK is powered by an Integrated Intel PQC J2900 processor with four cores clocked at 2.41 GHz, which is accompanied by an Intel HD graphics processor and 2GB of onboard RAM. A 500GB SATA 2.5-inch Toshiba hard drive has been implemented for storage. Additionally, the AIO is fuelled by a built-in rechargeable battery that helps in uninterrupted work. However, the runtime will vary from user to user and will depend on the type of usage, namely browsing, gaming, multimedia or alike.
The AIO is also bundled with a 65W power adapter, a wired keyboard and mouse, which as compared to the quality of the AIO PC are pretty basic in nature. The build quality of the keyboard (owing to the plasticky feel) and mouse (a conventional three-button optical mouse) are pretty average. We, however, felt that a wireless keyboard and mouse, would not only add to the convenience, but also to the elegance of the unit. Though users do have an option to pair the unit with a wireless keyboard and mouse, it would still be an additional cost to incur.
The ASUS ET2040INK offers a decent user experience, highly suitable for both office and home use. Though not particularly unfit for it, we do not recommend heavy software use on the PC, as it may slow down the machine and wreck the user experience. On the performance front, we ran the PCMark 8 benchmark test in two modes. The overall score of 1470 was obtained on the Home mode and 1450 on Work mode. According to the benchmarks, you could use the PC for casual gaming with an average framerate of 7.82fps.
As far as usability is concerned, we did not find any lags or nips while working on it. However, there could be a slowdown on the user experience if you keep adding heavy software and data. As far as the ergonomics is concerned, we have to say that the wired keyboard and mouse does cause a little hindrance. A touch-enabled display could have added to the ease of use. The bundled keyboard and mouse are not very comfortable either and we suggest you opt for a wireless pair to enhance the productivity. Taking it further, the control panel buttons and ports are very conveniently placed around the sides of the panel, making it easy to reach and use. Overall, apart from the wired input devices and the missing touch panel, the experience with the ASUS was bliss. If you are looking for additional features and better performances, you could opt for other AIO units available from ASUS.
The ASUS ET2040INK is a near-perfect unit, with a smart, sleek build, along with a battery-powered portable form factor. The AIO can be considered as a large Windows tablet disguised as a desktop PC—only if it had a touch panel. However, integrating a touch panel into the display would raise the price by quite a bit. Priced at a decent Rs 24,999 and considering its elegant looks, the ASUS ET2040INK all-in-one PC is highly recommended for home use. Essentially, the AIO unit is a perfect option for light daily tasks such as using the Microsoft office or viewing multimedia files.
