All-in-one PC vs desktop PC

I've had 3 different PCs with this same monitor. PC technology comes and goes. Monitors (at least until we all swap out for 3D) seem to last a while.

If you later decide you want to game then the desktop lets you swap in a video card. The all-in-one you are stuck with whatever video you have.

When something goes wrong with HW on a desktop it's much easier to fix.

If you later decide to add in an SSD in addition to your current disk drive, you can't do that in an all-in-one (unless you put it in an external enclosure.

IF you are considering an all-in-one then also take a look at laptops. Neither can be upgraded, the laptop is easier to bring to a friends house, etc.

All-in-one is good for set & forget. If you are throwing everything out if the PC doens't boot then might as well go for the all-in-one

Plus all-in-ones usually contain laptop hardware. So its better off spending on the laptop to get the portability. All-in-ones will never have the same performance as a desktop.

I completely agree.

All-in-ones are here to stay, but once something goes wrong it can be a hassle. If you are a non-gamer I'd recommend something like an ASUS laptop with a quad-core APU and buy a separate desktop monitor.

You don't need to use the laptop monitor but you could use just the laptop screen, the desktop screen or BOTH.

Non-gaming desktop computers on the other hand contain a lot of empty space, nor do you get the potential portability of the laptop or even its battery in case of power failure.

The advantage of the desktop is that you can repair it easier and add more hard drives than laptops. However you can buy USB hard drives and laptops aren't that prone to failure anymore.

you may wish to print this off. It can get confusing at first.

Laptop and external hardware:

1) MONITOR: I strongly recommend (if possible) a monitor that can take in an HDMI cable and output the audio to 3.5mm. So you would send the Audio and Video via the HDMI cable to the monitor and it would display the video and output the audio.

No big deal really. Your other solutions are to use the headphone jack output for desktop speakers or use the HDMI solution for monitors with built-in speakers but I don't like monitor speakers. They suck. (get AV30 M-Audio speakers)

2) Keyboard/Mouse:
Get a Logitech combo that has a Micro-USB receiver so you don't need to remove it if you move the laptop in a case.

*HDMI output:
- if the monitor has no HDMI input, use an HDMI->DVI cable (monoprice.com). there will be no audio (use the headphone output then)

- if the monitor DOES have HDMI input it probably uses the HDTV standard which is different from normal PC standard. In that case you'd set your video card to 1080pNTSC_60.

**I know it seems confusing. Most people just use the HDMI->DVI and headphone jack for audio.

AUDIO toggling:
- if you use the headphone jack then it simply disables the laptop's onboard speakers
- if you use HDMI for audio, you have to toggle it on first. (audio icon in lower-right-> audio devices -> HDMI output-> set as DEFAULT)

Thank you all for your input. I think i am going to go the the desktop as we have a laptop that we take out onto the jobs. then the main info can remain safe at the office. I do use an external back up device to keep everything on. one for pict & junk the other for business. so that if the computer goes down I dont loose everything else.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+20%22+Omni+All-In-One+...

The above seems to be a fairly good all-in-one.