Toshiba is best known for its laptops, but after entering the U.S. desktop market in 2011, the company has put out straightforward, attractive all-in-one PCs at a steady cadence. The $1,399 LX835-D3380 is no exception, offering a safe, fast, and slightly more expensive entry point to Windows 8.
The difficulty for Toshiba, and for every all-in-one in this price range, is the Dell XPS One 27, the $1,399 version of which has slower components than the Toshiba and no touch capability, but comes with a 27-inch, 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution display. The Toshiba's 23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel screen can't compete. That makes the LX835-D3380 most appropriate for those who value speed and who are interested in the Windows 8 touch-screen experience.
The Toshiba's plastic case won't win any manufacturing awards, but there's something to be said for the way its curvy gunmetal bezel hugs the lower corners of the display and swoops around the bottom edge. Unlike other Windows 8 all-in-ones, the LX835-D3380 doesn't have extended screen-reclining capabilities, but you should find brief touch interactions, while either sitting or standing, comfortable enough.
For the touch screen itself, the LX835 doesn't really stand out. It has reasonably sensitive, 10-point touch input, but as with its competition, you still get some tactile resistance that can make for a jittery experience when you're playing games or engaging with other apps that require extended input. The cost of making a large desktop touch screen as smooth as that found on a good smartphone or tablet might be prohibitive, but until that happens, PC-based touch will always feel a bit subpar.
23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel touch screen24-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel touch screen23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel touch screenGigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wirelessGigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wirelessGigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless
Pricing for Windows 8 PCs has been higher than for their Windows 7 equivalents, so you're right to feel some sticker shock at the figures for each of these systems, most of which would have landed at around $1,000 or so with the equivalent components last year. The Toshiba comes in higher than the Vizio and Asus systems here, largely due to its Core i7 CPU and its dedicated GeForce GT 630M graphics chip with 2GB of video memory. Toshiba was also more ambitious with its hard-drive capacity and the speed of its system memory. If the Toshiba seems expensive even compared with the rest of the Windows 8 field, its higher-end components help justify its price.
If you're not interested in a touch screen, I'll point you toward HP's configurable Envy 23xt line of all-in-ones. I configured a nontouch version that was otherwise identical to the Toshiba system. Toshiba itself offers a Windows 7 version of this PC, the LX835-D3250, which has a slightly slower Core i7 chip than the D3380, but twice the system memory for the same $1,399 price.