With all the gaming laptops and desktops we review, it's surprising that we don't see many all-in-one desktops (computers with built-in big-screen displays, such as Apple's iMac) geared toward PC game-playing. After all, you've got a built-in screen, and often a large 27-inch one at that, plus a space-saving design, adjustable kickstand or neck for optimal viewing angles, and a desktop-sized keyboard and mouse. In short, a gaming all-in-one could potentially combine the best qualities of a gaming laptop and a gaming desktop.
But, on closer examination, there are a few holes in our theory. As one of our colleagues put it, you're basically buying a gaming desktop that you can never upgrade. And, despite the hulking desktop footprint, most all-in-ones default to mobile parts for their processors, graphics cards, and storage. That's especially important for gaming, as there's a world of difference between the laptop version, say an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M, and the desktop version, the GTX 980 (without the "M") in terms of performance.View Full Gallery (20 Photos
This may explain why the MSI AG270 is the first gaming all-in-one we've tested in years. In one sense, this is essentially a high-end gaming laptop crammed behind a 27-inch monitor, with a laptop-level Nvidia 980M graphics card, at a premium price. But even taking the quirky mashup of categories into account, the AG270 comes off surprisingly well in our hands-on testing, acting as a kind of big-screen personal gaming station with more a bit more portability than lugging a desktop and monitor around.
Also working in the AG270's favor are a few features that are hard, if not impossible, to find paired together anywhere else. The 27-inch display here has a matte coating as opposed to the overly glossy screens on most all-in-ones, as well as a touchscreen, which is rare in any gaming system, and something we have yet to see in any laptop with the GeForce 980M graphics card.Vi
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But, these unique charms don't come cheap. The specific configuration we tested, the MSI AG270 2QE-037US, costs $2,699. This is a US-only version, although we've seen similar configurations in the UK for £1,849, and in Australia for AUS$3,399. Our high-end build included a 2TB hard drive, 256GB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray burner, all of which can drive up the price. You can also find more stripped-down configurations for about $2,000.
It's not for everyone, and impractical if you want a true upgradable desktop or a more portable laptop, but we found the MSI AG270 to be powerful, fun to use, very capable for gaming, and something just a bit different than other gaming PCs.
