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Review: Asus ET2321INTH

by Parm Mann on 12 March 2014, 12:00

Tags: ASUSTeK (TPE:2357), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qacbtj

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Conclusion

The ET2321 is a lovely-looking bit of kit and, unlike PCs that are best kept hidden out of view, Asus's stylish chassis will only add to the aesthetic appeal of a home office.

The advancement of micro PCs, spearheaded by the Intel NUC, has changed the way we in which we look at all-in-one solutions. It wasn't long ago that a PC tucked into the back of a monitor seemed the logical step forward, but now there are an increasing number of ultra-compact PCs that offer similar levels of performance, minimal clutter and the flexibility of connecting to a TV/monitor of your choice.

Choosing the right form factor has become more complicated now that PCs are available in a wider array of shapes and sizes, yet we come away from our time with Asus's ET2321 feeling as though the all-in-one proposition is geared first and foremost to those consumers who want to make a fashion statement.

The ET2321 is a lovely-looking bit of kit and, unlike PCs that are best kept hidden out of view, Asus's stylish chassis will only add to the aesthetic appeal of a home office. Latest-generation WiFi, built-in Blu-ray, a competent integrated audio system and a wireless keyboard and mouse means that cable clutter is kept to an absolute minimum, and there are enough connectivity options to ensure that a full tower is never missed.

We come away with the feeling that Asus's ET2321 is almost the real deal. A better discrete GPU - the system is crying out for mobile Maxwell - and solid-state storage, at the same £1,200 price, would elevate this all-in-one from good to excellent.

The Good

Capable everyday performance
Sleek, attractive chassis
Good connectivity options
Minimises cable clutter
Excellent viewing angles
Integrated Blu-ray drive
Enjoyable audio system

The Bad

Glossy display is extremely reflective
GT 740M brings little to the table
Lacks height adjustment
No SSD as standard

HEXUS.awards


Asus ET2321INTH

HEXUS.where2buy

The Asus ET2321INTH all-in-one PC is available to purchase from Ebuyer.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.


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HEXUS Forums :: 8 Comments

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Posted by Roobubba - Wed 12 Mar 2014 12:40
How can you give this an ‘Approved’ award?

It's £1200 for a woeful CPU, a woeful GPU, only 8GB of RAM and NO SSD (!!!!).

I don't care how good the design is, at some point down the sliding scale of hardware power, there comes a point where the tradeoff between cost and performance tips far too far away from performance. This system can't even see that line, it's gone so far past it. £1200 for a PC with no SSD in is, quite frankly, beyond laughable.
Posted by jnutt - Wed 12 Mar 2014 12:53
Roobubba
How can you give this an ‘Approved’ award?

It's £1200 for a woeful CPU, a woeful GPU, only 8GB of RAM and NO SSD (!!!!).

I don't care how good the design is, at some point down the sliding scale of hardware power, there comes a point where the tradeoff between cost and performance tips far too far away from performance. This system can't even see that line, it's gone so far past it. £1200 for a PC with no SSD in is, quite frankly, beyond laughable.
Agree way too expensive for what you get
Posted by herulach - Wed 12 Mar 2014 13:13
jnutt
Agree way too expensive for what you get

For a standalone PC, yes, for an iMac competitor? Absolutely not. Compare the nearest priced iMac with discrete graphics then your 1299 gets you a smaller screen (21.5“ vs. 23”) slightly worse (although probably not hugely) i5 3470 a 1TB 5.4k diskand no external speakers.
Posted by Tarinder - Wed 12 Mar 2014 14:35
I think herulach has hit the nail on the head. It has to be reviewed in context, not in the I-can-build-a-PC-for-less viewpoint.

It's a stunning bit of kit that would grace any creative office. Sure, we delve deeper and make suggestions as to how it can be improved, but as a premium all-in-one, yes, I approve of it.
Posted by DotFreelance - Wed 12 Mar 2014 18:02
herulach
jnutt
Agree way too expensive for what you get

For a standalone PC, yes, for an iMac competitor? Absolutely not. Compare the nearest priced iMac with discrete graphics then your 1299 gets you a smaller screen (21.5“ vs. 23”) slightly worse (although probably not hugely) i5 3470 a 1TB 5.4k diskand no external speakers.

The i5 in the £1299 iMac absolutely trounces the one found in this Asus machine. Go to Passmark's benchmarking website for an example. The QUAD CORE i5-4570S in the base level, 21.5" iMac is almost double the speed of Asus' DUAL CORE with hyper threading i7-4500U. This isn’t a misunderstanding or an anomaly. The processor Asus chose is a low power processor meant for ultrabooks. The processor Apple chose is a much more powerful desktop class processor. Above and beyond the clock frequency and the number of cores, there’s a difference in architecture ( as well as the number of units of each necessary type and level 2 cache ) that allow the desktop CPU to far exceed the mobile CPU Asus chose.

Not to mention the iMac includes the GT750M which is worlds faster than the GT740M. There’s a good chance the GT750M is over clocked, too, as it’s probably the same chip used in the Macbook Pros, which are over clocked to the speed of a GTX 660M/760M. I use this chip, it’s more than capable of gaming at 1920x1080. The GT740M is not.

Tarinder
I think herulach has hit the nail on the head. It has to be reviewed in context, not in the I-can-build-a-PC-for-less viewpoint.

It's a stunning bit of kit that would grace any creative office. Sure, we delve deeper and make suggestions as to how it can be improved, but as a premium all-in-one, yes, I approve of it.

It’s true, he has. There’s still something to it, though, and there’s the trade off. The Asus machine is far less powerful, but it offers a touch screen and some extra peripherals. It really depends what you’re looking for, but unless you’re doing extremely low power work at home where you want to basically browse media, the iMac is the WAY better deal.

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