Desktop Reviews – HP TouchSmart 300-1020 Desktop

The HP TouchSmart 300-1020 looks standard glossy black but does not have a nice ergonomic look and feel to it. The 20 "touch-sensitive screen displays a reasonable amount of space and is quite responsive. It is also quite slim and one of the few touch-sensitive all-in-one personal computers we've seen to fit comfortably on the kitchen counter- top, just within reach for the chef or chefs of the house. It does have a wireless keyboard and mouse as well, but for the most part, you'll probably be selling more on the touch screen instead.

At 20 "the HP TouchSmart 300-1020's touch-sensitive screen is just a bit larger than a standard 19" that gives it a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels. The all-in-one is basically an AMD machine as it is powered by an AMD Athlon II X2 235e dual-core processor and integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics. The system is quite stable with 4GB of DDR3 memory and has plenty of storage capacity with a 500GB hard disk drive. It also comes equipped with a dual-layer DVD burner so you can watch DVD movies, listen to CDs or record your latest recipes. The HP TouchSmart 300-1020 has 802.11-n wireless connectivity so you can set it up minus any messy cables asides from the power cable. It also has a number of USB ports and audio line-ins along with a wall mount bracket so you can save even more space.

HP have definitely put in a lot of thought for the HP TouchSmart 300-1020's touch sensitive software with a specially robust recipe software that lets you easily take it off the Internet, make changes and bring it up with a few touches to the screen. Too bad there are not that many other applications, which stand out as much as the recipe application. While it can play multimedia files it is limited to 720p HD video which is stutter free as long as you do not multi-task that much. The system can handle office applications, Internet browsing and some very casual gaming but you'll probably find yourself drawn more to the aforementioned recipe program.

Overall, the HP TouchSmart 300-1020 is a slightly smaller all-in-one touch sensitive computer, which fits just right in the kitchen thanks to its easy to use recipe application and responsive controls. Unfortunately it does not do quite well as a multimedia computer due to the not-so-powerful components. This means that while you can enjoy a movie or listen to music while waiting for a pot roast to cook, it probably will not satisfy as much as a more multimedia oriented HTPC.