Dell Studio One 19 desktop computer (Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200, 500GB HDD, 4GB)
Manufacturer: Dell, Inc. Part number: DDCWSA2_4
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- We suspect lower-end configurations of the Dell Studio One 19 all-in-one desktop will draw consumers looking for a low-cost, "fast enough" PC. But even its multitouch interface can't save our expensive review unit from other vendors' similarly priced all-in-ones with better features for the dollar.
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CNET editors' review
Dell Studio One 19 desktop computer (Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200, 500GB HDD, 4GB) price range: $739.00
- Reviewed by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 04/27/2009
The good: Attractive, color-customizable fabric trim; screen has wide tilt range to accommodate touch input at multiple heights; simple, easy-to-use touch software; performance appropriate to its price.
The bad: High-end configuration outclassed by other all-in-ones with larger screens and better features for the same price.
The bottom line: We suspect lower-end configurations of the Dell Studio One 19 all-in-one desktop will draw consumers looking for a low-cost, "fast enough" PC. But even its multitouch interface can't save our expensive review unit from other vendors' similarly priced all-in-ones with better features for the dollar.
Dell's review strategy tends to lean toward sending us the more expensive configurations of its built-to-order desktops. We wish it had chosen a different course with its new all-in-one desktop, the Studio One 19, because we have a feeling the baseline $699 model ($869 with the multitouch input option) would offer a compelling counterpoint to the recent batch of low-cost, low-performance Nettops. Unfortunately, our $1,024 Studio One 19 review unit bumps up too close in price to Apple's 20-inch iMac and Sony's Vaio JS250J, which offer larger screens and better features for the same price. We suspect you can configure a price-competitive Studio One 19 with or without touch capability. We just can't recommend this one.
Before we dig into the touch input, the Studio One 19 chassis itself deserves some mention. Dell's philosophy behind this desktop was to offer a streamlined, stripped-down version of its larger, more expensive XPS One. Gone are that system's sharp, dramatic angles and touch-capacitive external lighting, replaced here by a gradually curved back panel and a fabric wrapper that provides a backdrop for the 18.5-inch wide-screen LCD. You can choose from four colors for the fabric: dark red, pink, dark blue, and charcoal. Ours came in dark blue, which we found attractive.
Similar to other all-in-ones, the Studio One 19 lets you adjust only the tilt of the screen. According to Dell, it designed the stand so you can adjust the screen to a touch-friendly angle when you're standing in front of it, and we were happy with the screen's range of motion. We hope someday for an all-in-one that can swivel. We'd also like to see Dell adopt wall-mounting options for its all-in-ones, as Sony has with its LV series.
Because of a relatively sparse software library, we consider touch-based input for desktops still in the experimental phase, even though HP's TouchSmart line has been on the market for more than two years. We're glad Dell makes touch input optional for this system, though, and for $100 opting in involves relatively little risk.
We've seen basic paint, photo, and music applications on other all-in-ones that support touch, all of which you'll find on the Studio One 19 with touch input. Some of the Dell's touch programs, like the drum set software and the DrumZone rhythm game are new to us, but we saw the same Webcam software and its cheesy special effects on the Asus Eee Top 1602.
Most of the programs are easy to use and range from harmless to fairly useful. We were especially glad to see that, as with HP's TouchSmarts, Dell used the context-aware software keyboard via Windows Vista's Tablet software. Touch a text box in a browser with your finger and an icon will pop up to call up the software keyboard. That context-awareness makes typing with your finger on screen much easier than with the Windows XP-based Asus Eee Top, which requires you to drag the keyboard over manually when you want to use it.
Windows' Tablet software also provides controls for "flick" and multitouch gestures to allow for more touch-friendly navigation. We found the flick navigation easy enough (slide your finger up, the page scrolls up), but the multitouch gestures only give you four custom controls, and they weren't as responsive as we wanted them to be.
| Dell Studio One 19 | Sony Vaio JS250J | |
| Price | $1,024 | $1,099 |
| Display size | 18.5-inches | 20.1-inches |
| CPU | 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 | 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 |
| Memory | 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM | 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics chip | 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9300 GS integrated graphics chip |
| Hard drives | 320GB, 7,200rpm | 320GB, 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | Dual-layer DVD burner | Blu-ray/dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g wireless | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth |
| Operating system | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) | Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) |
We're willing to forgive a few issues with the Studio One 19's touch interface because it only costs $100 to add touch input, and it really does open up a whole new way to use your computer. The ability to use your PC as a home entertainment/organizational kiosk in a kitchen or other high traffic area has a degree of usefulness and novelty we think many people will appreciate. Our disconnect comes with the lack of truly compelling touch software. We can justify touch input if the system is very cheap, like with the Asus Eee Top, or if touch is just one component of an otherwise rich feature-set. At $1,024, our Studio One 19 review unit doesn't fit into the cheap category, and its features fall flat compared with similarly priced all-in-ones desktops from other vendors.
Sony's Vaio JS250J is the biggest problem in our minds for the Dell Studio One 19. For just $75 more than our review model, the Sony gets you a larger 20.1-inch display, a Blu-ray drive, and 802.11n wireless networking. The Dell's 18.5-inch LCD is crisp enough, but it feels very small, especially because it has so much chassis framing it. And while Sony does not offer a touch input option, we'd trade a spot in the Dell touch experiment for the Sony's Blu-ray drive and its larger screen, which has less trouble entertaining a whole room of people. Drop the $100 touch option from the Dell and the price goes down to a more attractive $924. Add a Blu-ray drive to the Dell and the price goes up another $150, though, and you're still stuck with its smaller screen.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Rendering multiple CPUs | |
Rendering single CPU |
It's too bad that the Studio One 19 comes up short on features because its performance is exactly where it should be. All-in-ones are still slower than their desktop counterparts, but the core components of the Apple iMac, the Dell Studio One 19, and the Sony Vaio JS250J are nearly identical. Apple's performance edge on multitasking applications is well-established, but the Dell lives up to our expectations for Windows systems in this category.
The performance of this unit actually helps us make the case for lower-end configurations of the Studio One 19. You'll find the same 2.5GHz dual-core Intel chip in our review unit in the $699 version of this system. Even though you get only half the memory at that price, that's still a strong foundation, and it gives you an idea of what the $699 performance might look like compared with the much slower Intel Atom CPU-based Asus Eee Top and the forthcoming MSI Windtop.
The Atom-based systems we've tested are so slow it might be better to consider them appliances than computers. But considering that the Eee Top costs $600, the $699 Studio One 19 suddenly starts encroaching on the so-called Nettop market with a much better performance story. Yes, the $600 Asus has touch input, and you have to pay $869 for the lowest end touch-enabled Studio One 19, so it's not a perfect comparison. But with no other full-fledged all-in-one available at such a low price, we find the lower end Studio One 19 configurations much more compelling, at least on paper, than our high-end review unit.
Dell rounds out the Studio One 19 with the usual accoutrement of all-in-one computers. The slot-loading optical drive on the right edge is more or less a must in this category. Between the left side and the rear of the system, you also get six USB 2.0 ports, a networking input, a 7-in-1 media card reader, and headphone, microphone, and audio out jacks. Built into the frame you'll find a Webcam and a pair of surprisingly decent stereo speakers. Remove the rear panel and you can also access the hard drive and the memory slots to replace or upgrade those parts. A wireless mouse and keyboard set come standard, although compared with recent streamlined peripherals from Apple, Sony, and others, the standard wireless Dell keyboard feels massive, and would take up quite a bit of space on a countertop.
Among the six all-in-ones we've tested for power efficiency, the Dell Studio One 19 consumes the second highest amount of power, trailing only Sony's Vaio LV250B, a 24-inch system with a discrete graphics card. Particularly damning for Dell is that even Apple's 24-inch iMac is more efficient than this system, and faster almost across the board. The Studio One 19 still falls within the range of EnergyStar compliance, so it's not all bad, but it seems incongruous that of the six all-in-ones we've tested, the one with the smallest display needs the second highest amount of juice but provides relatively slow performance for all of that power draw.
 Juice box |
|||
| Dell Studio One 19 | |
| Off (watts) | 1.6 |
| Sleep (watts) | 2.77 |
| Idle (watts) | 45.6 |
| Load (watts) | 77.6 |
| Raw (annual kWh) | 182.7205 |
| EnergyStar compliant | Yes |
| Annual energy cost (@$0.1135/kWh) | $20.74 |
Dell's service and support for this system are in line with the rest of the industry. You get one year of parts-and-labor coverage standard, as well as a year of onsite service. Dell also maintains a 24-7 toll-free support line and a wealth of support resources on its Web site.
Find out more about how we test desktop systems.
System configurations:
Apple iMac
Apple OS X 10.5.6; 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 2GB 1,066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9400m integrated graphics chip; 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive.
Dell XPS 430-121B
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 ; 6GB DDR3 1066MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 120 Graphics card; 750GB, 7,200rpm hard drive.
Dell XPS One 19
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E5200; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9400m integrated graphics chip; 320GB, 7,200rpm hard drive.
Gateway LX6810-01
$2,499 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.3GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200; 8GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics card; 640GB, 7,200rpm hard drive.
$2,499 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E5200; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9300m integrated graphics chip; 320GB, 7,200rpm hard drive.
User reviews
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I must have gotten the lemon!
by jb833 on August 25, 2009
Pros: I really like the concept. I like the single cord idea and wireless everything else. Nice display. The cost is $500 less than HP.
Cons: System crashed randomly. No eject button for CD/DVDs. No TV tuner included.
Summary: I was so excited to get my new One Touch 19 system! I got it out of the box, turned it on and began to play! About an hour or ...
Summary: I was so excited to get my new One Touch 19 system! I got it out of the box, turned it on and began to play! About an hour or so later the system crashed. I couldn't move the curser. I powered down and back up only to have a repeat about 15 minutes later. On my first call to India I spend almost an entire Saturday on the phone watching the tech edit the software on the system. She eliminated loads of crap that was included in the factory package! She ran virus and malware checks and got rid of more stuff. It was interesting to watch. At the end she turned the system over to me and asked me to continue using it to see if that had solved the problem. Two hours later it failed again. On my next call to India the new tech checked much of the same things and made more edits but as he was about to turn it over to me it failed! He did more checks. While I was on hold I checked the error log and found some code that I gave the tech. They concluded that it was the hard drive that was the problem. They sent a new one and a Tech came to my office and replaced it. I continued to use the system only have it fail about 45 minutes later. Another call to India got me another software drill for about five hours! At the end it was decided that Vista was corrupted and needed to be replaced. They sent disks. The tech asked what disks I had and found that Vista had not been sent so another set of discks were sent. When they arrived I called and the tech wiped the drive and installed Vista. They turned it back to me. I had to install the other software. Part way through MS Office install it crashed again! Another call to India! This time they want to replace the mother board and memory. Frankly, if it fails again it will belong to Dell. It may have been better to spend $500 more even though I have not had good luck in the past with HP.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great product with a few downfalls!
by briarpatchkids5 on July 18, 2009
Pros: Facial recognition; mulit-touch; Microsoft Works 9 intergrades Microsoft Office 2007 into it?s task launcher so you don?t have to open both programs picking and choosing which programs you like best; DVD/CD Rom capabilities are good too.
Cons: Lack of programs; few games; clutersome having two browsers of the big E;
Summary: Facial recognition is a huge plus as it keeps your computer safe from unwanted use and your private date is safe. Not to mention with just a password your system ...
Summary: Facial recognition is a huge plus as it keeps your computer safe from unwanted use and your private date is safe. Not to mention with just a password your system can be hacked into. mutli-touch screen allows you greater movement than with just your keyboard or mouse. The down side is that you have two internet explorer?s one in 32-bit and one in 64-bit for those web pages that are either or. Making one browser to do both would be better (too much garbage on your computer); and of course they don?t offer much in programs for usability but I don?t use many of them anyway so for me it was no big deal. But for those who do much more than I on their system it?s not a good thing. Of course they could have added a more games instead of the select few they did slap on here but here again I don?t play them often only when I?m brainstorming for ideas for a certain homework assignment. Wireless Keyboard and mouse are an added plus because you really don't have to use them unless you want to. Oh, yea did I mention you don't have to have your eithernet cord connected to get online...wireless does great. A few other downfalls are the color and pixels of the icon's are blurry because of the size of the screen but since I upgraded my graphic driver their much better than what they were when I first turn it on. Other than that it's worth the price you pay.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great for my needs
by bentpilot on October 4, 2009
Pros: Crisp, clear display, low profile, wireless, touch screen
Cons: Waiting for Windows 7.
Summary: My sister-in-law downloaded something onto my 1993 Gateway that caused bad things to happen to my boat anchor of an old computer. I figured we were lucky to get the ...
Summary: My sister-in-law downloaded something onto my 1993 Gateway that caused bad things to happen to my boat anchor of an old computer. I figured we were lucky to get the six years out of that machine, so I went shopping and found this Dell at Costco for $799 with Office 2007 pre-loaded.
I use E-mail, Word and PowerPoint alot, no gaming.
I initially thought the touch screen was more of a gimmick, however, now that we have the touchscreen, I find that we really like the interface. That's why we are looking forward to Windows 7 and the reported increase in interface capabilities for a touchscreen.
Honestly, I like the touchscreen interface so much, that I would not purchase another computer without the feature. It's that good!
Thanks Costco and Dell!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice All-in-One design from Dell
by dSTeVek on August 3, 2009
Pros: Nice design - looks very neat on the desk
Fast, compact, and quiet
Touch screenCons: could use Bluetooth option
no built in DTV Tuner optionSummary: I bought it as a 'public' computer for all family and friends to use in my family room as a web surfer adn email checker. It works great for this ...
Summary: I bought it as a 'public' computer for all family and friends to use in my family room as a web surfer adn email checker. It works great for this function.
I bought it loaded and have been very please with it.
I have been running Windows 7 RC and have been very pleased with it.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very nice!
by BlueX273 on June 19, 2009
Pros: -small in size
-not a lot of wires
-awesome multi-touch capabilities
-very nice interface
-not very heavy; easy to move
-doesn't take up too much space
-rivals the "oh so good" macintosh PCsCons: -very hard to service the parts
-could have been better with windows 7Summary: It's a very nice multi-touch screen computer which doesn't take up a lot of space, not very costly, and rivals the Macintosh PCs.
Updated on Jun 19, 2009...Summary: It's a very nice multi-touch screen computer which doesn't take up a lot of space, not very costly, and rivals the Macintosh PCs.
I for one actually owns one and I like it a lot!!!
Updated on Jun 19, 20091 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Hard drive replaced X 2, can't install Windows 7
by toby-juan on November 11, 2009
Pros: All in one, large screen
Cons: Daily software problems related to touch screen, Windows 7 upgrade brought down the computer -- will require a 2nd hard drive relpacement. Wait times are sometimes up to 45 minutes to talk with a studio person and they usually can't help.
Summary: It might be a good computer someday, but not today. If you want to use Windows 7 it won't happen on this computer. It was not compatable with the ...
Summary: It might be a good computer someday, but not today. If you want to use Windows 7 it won't happen on this computer. It was not compatable with the finger taps or touch screen programs and kept sending the screen to a white-out. Dell wanted $230 to trouble shoot my software when it was their problem that Windows 7 distroyed my computer. Tech support is good about 10% of the time and waits to get a studio 19 person are VERY long. I have had this computer for about 6 weeks and I am sorry that I bought it. I have never posted a bad review online, but the public needs to be warned about this computer.
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Dell studio one 19 is a lemon
by tanya5330 on January 14, 2010
Pros: None it does no go
Cons: Everything .Good concept buy the most frustrating computer I have ever used
Summary: I have had this product for about 2 weeks it will not hook up to the internet wirelessly I have to use a belkin plug in or the ethernet cable. ...
Summary: I have had this product for about 2 weeks it will not hook up to the internet wirelessly I have to use a belkin plug in or the ethernet cable. The system constantly crashes and freezes and will not install applications.How many hours have I spent on the phone to DELL/HELL?hours of wasted time of do this do that, set it back to factory settings and then watch them do it all again with remote access to my computer to not be able to do anything but say we will ring me back tommorrow after we have researched the problem as we think it might be a hardware problem. Well they will not give me a RA number to get it fixed so I rang the dealer where I purchased it and I am taking it back tommorrow and will not be excanging it for another DELL I will go for something that is not a DELL/HELL I have had a good run with HP might go back to them
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Umm its broken after ONE DAY!
by phunk1 on November 16, 2009
Pros: I like the all in one concept and nice vibrant LCD.
Cons: Built to Last? I don't think so.
Summary: After one day of exploring the software and transferring my entire life to this computer from my laptop, the LCD display died. That's right, I started up the system ...
Summary: After one day of exploring the software and transferring my entire life to this computer from my laptop, the LCD display died. That's right, I started up the system the next morning and had a black screen. Very disappointed.
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I HATE DELL INDIA
by PGKKEV on October 27, 2009
Pros: Nice looking unit
Cons: DELL INDIA and whats with the date changing every day to 2075?
Summary: And DELL India told me take I was the "ONLY ONE" with this problem. Did you also get the date to change to 2075? That really screws things up. I ...
Summary: And DELL India told me take I was the "ONLY ONE" with this problem. Did you also get the date to change to 2075? That really screws things up. I bought mine in June and had problems from July 1 on (I got it June 26th) Dell India wanted "ME" to change the mother board, I said NO. They wanted to replace it with a REFERBED unit. I said NO. I said Take the unit back. I have been working with Dell Financial (some where in the world) to take the unit back. Yesterday I called and they told me it was approved to send it back and they would give me my $$$ back. They transfered me to Customer I Don't Care India. They siad NO WAY. I then called Dell Financial back and said what happened? They said they never said it. My wife was on the phone and heard them approve it. I will NEVER buy a DELL again. I'm looking into what I can do about my problem. If you go to their web site people are having problems with this unit.
DON"T BUY DELL0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Almost Perfect.
Pros: 1. Great keyboard and mouse - good controls
2. Touch Screen easy and fun
3. Dell Support!
4. Speedy processor, excellent software
5. Overall Ergonomy excellent.Cons: 1. Screen needs to be 24 inches for price.
2. Needs a video tutorial built in.Summary: This is a winner. I have owned three iMac including my present 24" with core 2 duo. The touch screen makes Studio one MORE FRIENDLY than iMac; The S1 I ...
Summary: This is a winner. I have owned three iMac including my present 24" with core 2 duo. The touch screen makes Studio one MORE FRIENDLY than iMac; The S1 I bought was for my kids and their mom; she is not good with puters but fell in love in 15 minutes. Kids are experts and were doing advanced things in 10!
I think this machine is nearly ideal; the only things it needs is a 24 inch touch screen.0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Dell, Inc.
- Part number: DDCWSA2_4
- Bottom Line: We suspect lower-end configurations of the Dell Studio One 19 all-in-one desktop will draw consumers looking for a low-cost, "fast enough" PC. But even its multitouch interface can't save our expensive review unit from other vendors' similarly priced all-in-ones with better features for the dollar.
Processor
- Type Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 / 2.6 GHz
- Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
- Installed Qty 1
- Max Supported Qty 1
- Upgradability Upgradable
RAM
- Installed Size 2 GB / 8 GB (max)
- Technology DDR2 SDRAM
Storage
- Hard Drive 1 x 500 GB - Standard - S-ATA - 7200 rpm
Optical Storage
- Type DVD±RW
- CD / DVD read speed 8X
Monitor
- Diagonal Size 18.5
Graphics Controller
- Graphics Processor / Vendor nVidia GeForce 9200 Integrated Graphics
Networking
- Networking - Internal
- Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data Link Protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32Bit
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 Yr Warranty
Sustainability
- Greenpeace policy rating (Dec 2009) 3.9
Manufacturer info
- Dell, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Dell, Inc. products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.dell.com/
- Address:
One Dell Way, Round Rock, TX 78682 - Phone: (800) 274-3355
- Email: LB_Order_Questions@dell.com
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