MODEL
Rating
Performance
Features and Specificatons
Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4590 All-in-One Printer
$500
Very Good
- Text quality: Superior
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 12.6 ppm text/ 1.5 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet connectivity
- 330 sheets input, automatic duplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 1.6 cpp black; 6.8 cpp
four-color
Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4540 All-in-One Printer
$400
Very Good
- Text quality: Superior
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 12.4 ppm text/ 2.7 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- 580 sheets input, automatic duplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost:1.6 cpp black; 7.6 cpp
four-color
HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One Printer $300
Very Good
- Text quality: Very Good
- Graphics quality: Good
- Tested speed: 13.2 ppm text/ 2.8 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- 250-sheet input, automatic duplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 1.6 cpp black; 7.2 cpp
four-color
Kodak Office Hero 6.1 All-in-One Printer $200
Very Good
- Text quality: Very Good
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 5.1 ppm text/1.5 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- 200-sheet input, automatic duplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 2.2 cpp black; 7.1 cpp
four-color
PBj Canon Pixma MG5320 $150
Very Good
- Textquality: Good
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 7.7 ppm text/2.4 ppm graphics
- USB, wireless connectivity
- Two 150-sheet inputs, autoduplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 4.7 cpp black; 12.9 cpp
four-color
Canon Pixma MG8220
$300
Very Good
- Text quality: Very Good
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 7.9 ppm text/2.4 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- Two 150-sheet inputs, autoduplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 5.1 cpp black; 14.2 cpp
four-color
HP OfficeJet 6700 Premium
e-All-ln-One
$170
Very Good
- Textquality: Good
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 9.9 ppm text/ 1.9 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- 250-sheet input, automatic duplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 3.2 cpp black; 9.0 cpp
four-color
Epson WorkForce 845 $200
Very Good
- Text quality: Superior
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 11.5 ppm text/ 1.5 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- Two 250-sheet inputs, autoduplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 3.1 cpp black; 11.2 cpp
four-color
HP Photosmart 7520
e-All-in-One Printer
$200
Very Good
- Text quality: Superior
- Graphics quality: Very Good
- Tested speed: 9.5 ppm text/1.5 ppm graphics
- USB, wireless connectivity
- 125-sheet input1, autoduplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 4.2 cpp black; 11.4 cpp
four-color
Brother MFC-J825DW
$150
Very Good
- Text quality: Very Good
- Graphics quality: Good
- Tested speed: 8.9 ppm text/1.9 ppm graphics
- USB, ethernet, wireless connectivity
- 100-sheet input,1 autoduplexing
- Lowest vendor-specified ink cost: 4.2 cpp black; 11.7 cpp
four-color
A Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y580: Powerful Laptop
The lenovo ideapad y580 delivers serious
power for just $1099. However, it also weighs a hefty 6.2 pounds (not including
accessories).
But it's not too bulky, at 15.2 inches wide
by 10 inches deep by 1.5 inches thick. The high-definition, LED-backlit screen
is 15.6 inches (diagonal).
Lenovo’s
IdeaPad Y580
Its speedy Intel Core i7-3610QM processor
runs at a standard 2.3GHz, but Intel's Max Turbo Frequency technology can kick
it up to 3.3GHz. The Y580 scored a 108 test suite, or about 8 percent faster
than our baseline desktop system. You also get 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM.
The Y580 also delivered a strong
performance in our graphics/gaming benchmarks, thanks to an Nvidia GeForce
GTX660MGPU.
The wide, backlit keyboard is comfortable
to type on, and the touchpad is both smooth and easy to use.
The left side has ports for VGA, HDMI, and
gigabit eth-ernet, plus two USB 3.0 ports. On the right is a third USB 3.0
port, one USB 2.0, headphone and microphone ports, and a Blu-ray drive. Wireless
connectivity includes 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Intel’s WiDi technology
(for wireless streaming to, say, an HDTV).
A 64GB solid-state drive operates as a
cache for a higher-capacity (but much slower) 1TB, 5400-rpm mechanical drive.
Battery life in our tests was a little less
than 4.5 hours, significantly shorter than that of other notebooks we’ve tested
recently; $1099; Lenovo; go.pcworld.com/ideapadY580
Dell Inspiran 15R 5520: Solidly Budget-Friendly
In a world of $1000-plus Ultrabooks, here’s
a solid, allpurpose $600 laptop.
The Inspiron 15R 5520 has a
third-generation Intel Core ¡5-3210M processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard
drive. The 15R also features built-in Bluetooth 4.0,802.11n Wi-Fi, and a DVD-RW
optical drive. It runs 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium; unsurprisingly, it lacks
a discrete graphics card.
Dell
Inspiran 15R 5520
In PCWorld's WorldBench 7 tests, the 15R
5520 earned a score of 82—18 percent slower than our baseline model.
The Inspiron 15R performed competently in
individual tests, including storage performance and content creation, but it
started up slowly (43.1 seconds).
Battery life was about average, at 5 hours,
2 minutes.
The full-size keyboard’s island-style keys
allow comfortable, accurate typing. The bezel around the glossy, 15.6-inch
screen houses a webcam and a microphone. The touchpad performs multitouch
gestures smoothly. The 15R has four USB 3.0 ports. The left side houses
HDMI-and VGA-out ports, and headphone and microphone jacks. On the right is a
lock slot and a gigabit ethernet port. As well, a multiformat card reader is on
the front.
Aside from looking a little low-res, the
15R’s screen isn’t bad. The speakers are excellent. In short, the 15R is a
great choice forshoppers on a budget.; $600; Dell; go.pcworld.com/delll5R5520
Vizio’s 27-Inch CA27-A1 All-in-One Shines
Vizio’s first desktop PC entry, the Vizio
CA27-A1 all-in-one, shines brightly.
Priced at $1250, the Vizio CA27-A1 comes
stocked with an Intel Core ¡5-3210M processor that runs at a standard 2.5GHz;
it also has 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 RAM.
The screen is a beautiful 27-inch display
with a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and a slight tilt for better
viewing. But it's not a touchscreen.
The
CA27-Al’s ports (including three of its four USB 3.0 ports) are predominantly
on the rear of its base
The system scored 122 on our strenuous
WorldBench 7 benchmark suite, making it 22 percent faster than our baseline
system.
One goal for most all-in-one desktop PCs is
to be as thin as possible. This often means sacrificing some bulkier
components. Vizio squeezed in a discrete GPU, albeit a mobile one: Nvidia's
GeForce GT 640M LE graphics card with 1GB of memory. But the CA27-A1 still
struggled a bit on our graphics/games tests.
We ran Dirt 3 and Crysis 2 at the highest
graphics setting and at a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. The system
managed 35.7 frames per second on DiRT 3 and 16 fps on Crysis 2. This won’t
make for an enjoyable gaming experience. When the graphics are set to low and
the resolution lowered, the results are better.
The ports are all on the base of the unit,
mostly in the rear, which can be a pain to access regularly. Also, a lip on the
base extends about an inch, which makes the ports impossible to find without
some serious maneuvering.
The ports include one for eSATA, two for
HDMI for multiple devices (such as a videogame console and a cable box), and
four for USB 3.0.
The CA27-A1 offers all the connectivity an
all-in-one needs, including 802.11n wireless, a gigabit ethernet port, and
Bluetooth.
The accessories are a bit of a mixed bag.
Its wireless keyboard, to begin with, doesn't impress. It's thin and light, but
the keys lack texture and are flat. And instead of a mouse, Vizio offers a
large wireless touchpad. It works well, but some users may miss the mouse.
Vizio also includes a 2.1 surround-sound subwoofer to provide strong audio out
of small speakers. A front-facing, 1.3-megapixel, 720p webcam and an integrated
microphone are also present. Finally, you get a small remote for media
functionality. However, the CA27-A1 has no optical drive, which seems limiting.
At $1250, the CA27-A1 is priced just below
similar products from major competitors without giving up performance. Overall,
the CA27-A1 is a great entry into the affordable all-in-one market. You get
plenty of performance bang for your buck. The unit isn't without shortcomings,
but it's great for students on a budget or families that needs a digital media
player in an extra room.; $1250; Vizio; go.pcworld.com/vizioCA27Al
