Digital Bolt Storm confirms the PC is going small

One is an outlier. Two a coincidence. But three, as we know from News Media Statistics 101, is a crystal-clear trend.

And that’s just what we have with the Digital Storm Bolt, which follows on the heels of Alienware’s X51 and Falcon Northwest’s Tiki: proof that the PC is making an assault on the living room. Of course, the “assault on the living room” is our own private fantasy about the PC pushing the traditional game console overboard—Digital Storm just presents the box as a small PC (although we will note that the machine came with a wireless keyboard and game controller).

Note: This review first appeared in the January 2013 issue of the magazine.

No retreat, no surrender

We’ve long maintained that no all-in-one could ever satisfy a Maximum PC reader’s primary desktop computing needs because design limitations lead to compromises that impact gaming. To accommodate the space constraints and cooling concerns of these compact systems, AiO designers typically rely on mobile CPUs and GPUs that lack the horsepower needed for maximum performance in games.

Note: This review appeared in the Holiday 2012 issue of the magazine.

Exciting design; meh performance

Lenovo has introduced the most exciting all-in-one computer design since HP reinvigorated the market with its TouchSmart series in 2008. The IdeaCentre A720 is a pizza-box design, much like the original TouchSmart; but modern ingredients enabled Lenovo to produce a thin-crust form factor that HP could never have dreamed of.

Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A720 is one gorgeous piece of industrial design.