VIZIO CA27T-B1 Review and Ratings

It's been almost a year now since Vizio, a Southern California electronics firm far better known for its extensive line of HDTVs than computers, introduced its first 27-inch all-in-one PC, the CA27-A1. And while we had a few quibbles about it, considering that this was the company's first big-screen desktop, it wasn't a half-bad machine.

Still, with the imminent release of the first truly touchable version of Windows—Windows 8—only about a month away, we were a bit perplexed as to why the Vizio all-in-one (AIO) didn't include a touch screen. And the plasticky-feeling wireless keyboard and touch pad were less than impressive, too.

Mostly, though, last year's Vizio had a lot going for it—it performed well and it had a big, bright, and beautiful screen and better-than-average sound system, all in a pleasingly high-tech, elegant design. Overall, we called it a decent value, even after budgeting $50 for a wireless keyboard and mouse to replace the Vizio keyboard and touch pad.

Enter this year's $1,549-list Vizio CA27T-B1, the company's latest big-screen all-in-one desktop. This Vizio is, of course, a touch-screen PC, which gets it past our biggest concern about last year's model. It has the same stylish black-on-silver design that, despite an entire year having gone by, still looks high-tech and modern. And, thanks to its Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB of system RAM, it's a strong performer.

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