Dell Studio One 19 review

Whichever model you choose, gaming isn’t likely to be a priority. The top two Studio One 19 models feature Nvidia’s GeForce 9400 graphics, which limped to an only-just playable 24fps in our least demanding Crysis test (run at 1,024 x 768, with low settings). The lesser two models go one lower than that, with Geforce 9200 chips, which rule out any realistic chance of playing anything current.

But this isn’t a gaming system; it’s not even really meant as an entertainment system, despite its attempt at living room design. It shares more in common with cheaper kitchen devices such as Shuttle’s X5000TA, with an easy interface and touch functions making it best for quick lookups and getting the kids involved.

Unfortunately, our review model does so at a price far in excess of the Shuttle’s £465 exc VAT. It’s a similar situation to that of the excellent Dell XPS One 24: while the variety of models is welcome, only the cheapest really stands out as offering anything like good value.

For a much more palatable £510 exc VAT, the base Studio One 19 (D05SO01) offers a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo E5200, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard disk. None of these downgrades will have any notable impact on everyday performance, but they bring the price down to a level at which the Dell really appeals as a well-equipped touchscreen device. And with a huge power advantage over the Shuttle’s Atom, it remains a fine main budget PC as well.