Best Deal Today
With the exception of Apple’s 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display, All-in-Ones are mundane and functional PCs bought for value and convenience rather than performance or style. We’ve previously reviewed Windows All-in-Ones, including Acer’s Aspire C27 and HP’s 27-CB0052, which are perfectly workaday machines but devoid of any design flourishes. They offer nothing in terms of gaming performance, low-resolution displays, and speakers: typical call center tech, nothing more.
The HP 27-inch All-in-One (officially called the HP 27-cr0012) is a cut above the Acer and previous HP AIO models. While it’s still not up to iMac levels in terms of screen quality and performance, it looks and performs like something you might buy for your home office rather than have to endure because the IT department got a good deal from the manufacturer.
A “good deal” is in fact what I call HP’s pricing on this 27-inch All-in-One PC, especially if you find it on sale. Once again, the HP 27-cr0012 may not match the iMac for looks and performance (it doesn’t have to because it is much cheaper); it doesn’t have any gaming chops up its sleeves like all other competitors, but it’s still a solid value for anyone looking for a capable home-office PC or looking to deploy a lot of units for business.
HP 27-cr0012 Specs
- Display: 27-inch 1080p (1920 x 1080) IPS
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
- Memory: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Webcam: 720p with privacy Shutter
- Extras: Wireless keyboard, Mouse
- Dimensions: 24.11 x 7.33 x 117.36 inches
- Weight: 14.2 pounds
Design & Features
The HP 27 All-in-One sports an understated design, set in all-white and a textured stand. If you look closely at the body, you’ll notice the flecked finish, unlike the plain styling you’ll find on most budget desktop PCs. It’s a basic look, not many accents on the body, but we like it.
The display is supported by a slim base, featuring tilt, no-height, and swivel adjustments. For video conferencing and online chat, there’s a pop-up webcam and a quad-array digital microphone that pops up from the top edge when you need to use it.
Like most all-in-one systems, the HP 27-cr0012 has most of its ports around the back. There are two USB-A ports, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and one USB Type-C port, along with a Gigabit Ethernet jack, an HDMI-out port for connecting to a secondary display, and an HDMI-in port that can be used to connect a cable box or game console to the HP screen.
HP’s 27-inch All-in-One is an excellent choice if you want a simple, attractive, versatile desktop for basic tasks.
Display
The 27-inch FHD screen provides wide viewing angles and great contrast. It is easy to make out pixels if you just look at the edges of letters, as is typical of screens this size and resolution, but the visual detail is generally sharp, and brightness is great.
For colors, they aren’t top-of-the-range, but they look rich and well-saturated. The 1920 x 1080 resolution paired with integrated AMD Radeon graphics provides a good combination for productivity tasks. Microsoft’s Surface Studio 2 provides a higher 4500 x 3000 pixels resolution and uses a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card, while the Apple iMac 27 rocks a 5120 x 2880 resolution Retina 5K display.
Productivity Performance
The HP 27-cr0012 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and AMD Radeon graphics, which is similar to what you’ll find on most midrange laptops. While this won’t satisfy your search for one of the best gaming AIOs or top picks for video editing or graphic design, the HP 27-inch All-in-One is well-suited for the general tasks you expect from your desktop PC. Plus, the 1TB SSD storage capacity should be more than adequate for storing all your files, and it’s faster than traditional hard drives.
This HP All-in-One is designed for the modern office, student, or family. It’s stylish, quick to start, easy to navigate, and runs all modern computing tasks without a hitch. Whether you’re looking for a machine that can help with daily tasks like multitasking on email, web browsing, and word processing, or you’re looking to stream video, music, and do some light photo editing and gaming too, the HP 27-cr0012 won’t disappoint.
As with most entry-level AIO systems, gaming performance isn’t optimized due to a lack of a strong graphics processor. Thus, 3D gaming here comes out as a slideshow, and can’t be boosted in any way. You’ll be all right if you stick to everyday and video tasks, and avoid any temptation to run 3D games.
HP 27-cr0012 Review: Bottom line
The HP 27-cr0012 is a fine choice if you want a simple, attractive, versatile desktop for basic tasks. It will look great in both a home office and a living room, it isn’t overly large, and it runs quietly. There’s plenty of connectivity for both wired and wireless peripherals and even HDMI-out for connecting to an external monitor.
The HP 27-inch All-in-One’s performance has limits, though. This isn’t your dream PC for content creation at any level of experience. It’s also a terrible choice for PC gaming. The 1080p screen also fails to impress, which in turn can make video streaming a little dull and soft, especially when compared to a 4K TV or monitor.
These are common to the HP 27’s competitors, however, including the Acer C-Series. Entry-level all-in-ones are, as a category, not designed for demanding tasks or gaming. These are practical PCs for people looking for a great, out-of-the-box experience with minimal fuss. That’s what the HP 27-cr0012 delivers, and it does so in class-leading style at a competitive price, especially if you can find it on sale.
Price Comparison
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