The Vizio CA24T-A4 seems to have all the ingredients of an ideal Windows 8 PC. A touch screen, a wireless touch pad, and sleek, low-profile looks -- you might think it's an easy recommendation. The problem is that Vizio has focused too much on appearances, and not enough on build quality and overall value. Look into the Vizio CA24T-A4 if design is a primary concern, but for anyone focused on value and features-for-the-dollar, Asus and others offer more-compelling alternatives in the same price range.
The primary stories about the CA24T are that it's one of Vizio's first Windows 8-equipped all-in-ones, and also one of the first with a touch screen. Those features are both common enough now, but the fact that this system ships with a touch pad instead of a mouse gives the Vizio some added cachet. Like perhaps no other all-in-one out there, Vizio seems committed to touch-based input.
If you already use a touch pad on a PC, you may feel right at home with the Vizio. For those of us in the mouse-using majority, get ready to adapt to both a new input device and a new operating system.
Vizio doesn't deserve too much criticism for leaving out a mouse from its all-in-ones. You can remedy the problem cheaply, if not for free, and be on your way. The touch pad also seems to work better in Windows 8 than it did in Vizio's Windows 7-based CA27 ; it recognizes one- and two-finger input responsively enough, although it does not support the complete Windows 8 gesture language. For mouse users not yet acclimated to Windows 8, though, it means your first interactions with the CA24T will be awkward and uncertain while you try to master two changes to your computing comfort zone.
In addition to the touch pad, Vizio also lets you interact with Windows 8 via the CA24T's touch-screen display. The edge-to-edge glass ensures that you have full access to every interactive part of the screen, and the responsiveness is mostly satisfactory. I noticed some input lag and some drag while playing Air Hockey, but for general poking around, the screen is usable.
If the occasional unregistered input doesn't bother you, you may still wish that the screen could recline more. Windows 8 all-in-ones from Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and others give you 60 or 90 degrees of front-to-back adjustablity. The Vizio's range of motion is more like 35 degrees.
| Vizio CA24T-A4 | Asus ET2300INTI | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,249 | $1,299 |
| Display size/resolution | 24-inch, 1,920x1,080 | 23-inch, 1,920x1,080 |
| CPU | 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 3210M | 3.0GHz Intel Core i5 3330 |
| Memory | 6GB 1,333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM | 8GB 1,333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 32MB Intel HD Graphics 4000 | 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT630M |
| Hard drives | 1TB, 5,400rpm | 1TB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | None | Dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless |
| Operating system | Windows 8 (64-bit) | Windows 8 (64-bit) |
