Editors' note: Despite multiple different attempts and methodologies, we were unable to install the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on this desktop. We are thus unable to report on our experience with the track pad in Windows 8.
Vizio CA27
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Vizio's first attempt at a desktop PC is a consumer-friendly effort that succeeds almost in spite of itself. You'll admire the CA27-A1's large, thin display, its clean Windows installation, and a generally tidy take on the PC as home entertainment device. An imprecise touch pad and a few nagging design issues are the main complaints, but it's hard to argue against the overall value of this $1,149 desktop, one of the most affordable with a 27-inch screen. Wait a few weeks to see what other PCs emerge in the run-up to Windows 8, but Vizio has a respectable claim thus far to making an affordable, big-screen all-in-one that we can recommend.
From first glance it's apparent that Vizio has put significant effort into the shelf appeal of its new PCs. The thin 27-inch screen, port-obscuring base unit, and sleek, all-wireless input devices collectively give this PC an anti-computer vibe. Yes, this is a standard Intel-based Windows PC, it seems to say, but only because it has to be. Forget all that, try out the touch pad, then use the remote to access your non-PC content via one of the two HDMI inputs. You did connect your cable box to the system, didn't you?
Vizio's approach dovetails nicely with that of Microsoft with Windows 8. Both companies want to compel even desktop users to embrace a touch-driven future. However you feel about that particular shift, you will want an input device other than Vizio's laggy touch pad. Even a coming software update, slated to include Windows 8-specific gestures, won't likely redeem the touch pad due to the mechanical mushiness of its click functions.
You can solve the input problem easily enough with a $20 mouse, but it hints at an overall sense of corner-cutting about this PC. Both the screen and the base unit are remarkably thin, but you get the impression that it's because Vizio has scrimped on certain features. When you tilt the display, for example, it wobbles. On the one hand, so what, a little jitter never hurt anyone. On the other, it's hard to imagine an iMac or a premium Dell or HP all-in-one going out with such a wimpy monitor support joint.
Vizio has also played a bit of a shell game with the internal components. The base unit is thin because Vizio has stripped out the PC power supply and bundled it in with the external subwoofer. Depending on your tolerance for peripheral hardware, that design decision is either genius or maddening. Either way, and unlike with the Asus ET2700I and its standalone sub, you must keep the Vizio's subwoofer connected to the PC, since it's required to plug the system into the wall.
Despite those generally minor issues, the Vizio CA27-A1 is still the most affordable all-in-one PC with a 27-inch screen, and for that alone it deserves some attention.