HP All-in-One 200-5020 Desktop Computer

Introduction, Specifications, Availability and Pricing

All-in-one computers are perfect for the person with an office or desk that is cramped. Many people buy this sort of computer to put into a kitchen or living room for the family to use because the AIO style machines are compact and take up less space than a traditional desktop.

The big benefit of an AIO compared to a notebook when in the same price range is that you get a much larger screen with the average AIO than you will find on a notebook. The typical AIO is also often more powerful than a notebook available in the same price range.

Today I am looking at a budget offering from HP called the HP AIO 200-5020. This machine has a nice size screen and decent hardware considering its price. If you are shopping in the under $800 range for a new all-in-one, the HP AIO 200-5020 may be just what you need.


Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The HP AIO 200-5020 I am looking at today is available directly from HP and can be purchased from Newegg and other sources as well. On Newegg the machine sells for $779.99. Check out the full specifications of the HP AIO 200-5020 by clicking on the image below.

The HP AIO 200-5020 Desktop Computer

The front of the HP AIO 200-5020 is very nice looking with a visually appealing black chassis that should fit in with any room decor. The big screen is glossy, measures 21.5-inches and has a webcam.

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The left side of the machine is where you find the memory card reader, two USB ports, and the headphone/mic jacks.

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The right side of the HP AIO 200-5020 has the optical drive, a drive activity light, and buttons for adjusting the screen brightness.



The back of the AIO has the power adapter port, Ethernet, five USB ports, and a jack for external speakers.



HP ships the HP AIO 200-5020 with a wireless mouse and keyboard.

Performance

Audio and Video Encoding Performance

Below you get a look at the main screen CPU-Z screenshot to give you a look at the actual specifications of the unit that we will be testing.



The HP AIO 200-5020 will be run through the standard AIO test regime here at TweakTown. This includes iTunes Encoding and Media Transcoding.

Please note that no 3DMark or game tests are included for our AIO reviews since they are not powerful enough to run the graphics intensive tests. All systems are tested "as is", which means operating systems and drivers can and do vary and some come pre-installed with applications that may or may not affect performance. Any anti-virus or security applications are disabled and uninstalled before any testing is started as they can affect test numbers.


For the iTunes encoding test I take Stone Temple Pilots - Core CD album in MP3 format and encode it to AAC format using iTunes and time the results with a stopwatch.

All tests are performed with the system in High Performance mode with minimum CPU set to 100%.



The HP AIO 200-5020 performed very well despite the fact that it uses the older Pentium processor tech. The AIO came in second to the Acer AZ5700-U2112 AIO I tested recently, but was well ahead in this test compared to the other AIOs that have been across my desk.


For the movie encoding test I take the Microsoft Magic of Flight VC-1 WMV video with six channel audio (1080p HD) and transcode it to XviD (1080p HD) with LAME MP3 two channel audio and a MP4 container using MediaCoder 0.7.3.4616 32-bit edition.

All tests are performed with the system in High Performance mode with minimum CPU set to 100%.



The HP AIO 200-5020 was again in second place overall in my movie encoding benchmark. The machine was a distant second but was able to encode the movie over a minute and a half faster than the third place AIO machine.

Hands on Use and Final Thoughts

Hands on Use



The HP AIO 200-5020 isn't as impressive looking as the Acer AZ5700-U2112 visually. That said, the HP AIO 200-5020 is around $300 cheaper than the Acer machine making it much more affordable as well. The 21.5-inch screen is glossy and has good color reproduction and decent black levels. Images online look crisp, sharp, and video is smooth and looks great.

Streaming of video from Hulu via WiFi was silky smooth and looked great in windowed and full screen modes. I noted no jerky or rough playback and the glossy screen has good color reproduction. The onboard sound system of the HP AIO 200-5020 is decent enough, although it does lack bass. The speaker output will have media fans connecting a new set of high-quality speakers for improved sound quality.

HP ships the AIO with a wireless mouse and keyboard. The mouse is comfortable in the hand and has about 800dpi resolution. It is accurate and has plenty of sensitivity for the 21.5-inch screen. The keyboard has full size keys and all the controls for media you will need. The keys have decent tactile feel and it is an average keyboard overall. The mouse and keyboard do require a USB dongle to be plugged in to operate which takes up one of the valuable USB ports on the rear of the machine. The good news about that is that HP provides a port that is well away from all of the other USB ports on the back of the HP AIO 200-5020 so the larger wireless dongle doesn't block any of the other four back side USB ports.

The HP AIO 200-5020 lacks the fancy features like a remote or touchscreen that my favorite AIO, the Acer AZ5700-U2112, offered. That said, the savings of nearly $300 will put the HP AIO 200-5020 within reach of more users. Honestly, 99% of AIO users can do without a touchscreen and be fine; they tend to get old after a while and the mouse and keyboard are typically faster for input.


Final Thoughts

At the end of the day the HP AIO 200-5020 isn't the best AIO desktop computer I have tried out, but it is one of the cheaper machines and is faster than all but one of the AIOs I have tested. Combine impressive performance with a budget price for an AIO machine and the HP AIO 200-5020 has a lot to like.

If you have a few hundred dollars more to spend you can get an AIO with a bigger screen and more performance, but the HP AIO 200-5020 offers little real world compromise compared to more expensive machines. This computer will be at home in any room of the home, office, or dorm and can do anything you throw at it short of high-end gaming. The HP AIO 200-5020 is one of the better buys on the AIO market.