The good: The HP Pavilion 23's giant, 23-inch display is uncommon in all-in-one PCs under $700.
The bad: The low price means slow performance and few extras. The lack of an HDMI input hurts the most.
The bottom line: HP has made an aggressive move in the budget PC space with this big-screen all-in-one that will serve as an affordable, generally capable home computer.
Hewlett-Packard's Pavilion 23 is one of the first 23-inch all-in-one PCs to hit the sub-$700 mark for its starting price. The core specs aren't that remarkable, and HP again proves stingy with HDMI inputs, but you can chalk all of that up to this PC's $699 price tag. I expect that low-cost, 23-inch all-in-ones like this one will be a new battleground among mainstream PC makers. Right now, this HP has the lead, and it's easy to recommend to anyone looking for a basic desktop.
The design of the Pavilion 23 is neither particularly impressive nor offensive. It's a close replica of the 27-inch HP Omni 27 Quad I reviewed earlier this year, only without the keyboard tray underneath the screen. The black-with-gray-accents design will fit unobtrusively in with any decor. If you're in the "anti" camp of the Great Glossy Screen Wars, you'll be glad to know that while the bezel surrounding the display has a sheen to it, the screen itself is reflection-free. You can also tilt the display back and forth along a modest range of motion via the kickstand on the back.
Unsurprisingly for its price, the Pavilion 23 does not have a touch screen. That's not really an issue for Windows 7, the operating system it ships with, but if you have a Windows 8 upgrade in mind, this system does not provide you with a great way to experience the touch interface in Microsoft's new OS. Your best solution will be an after-market device. Microsoft's Touch Mouse will receive an update to the Windows 8 gesture scheme when the operating system itself ships. You can also look into Logitech's Touch Mouse M600 or its Wireless Touchpad, although Logitech has not yet confirmed whether both devices will also receive Windows 8 gesture updates.
