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(More customer reviews)So this project started off because my wife wanted a wall-mounted computer in our newly remodeled kitchen. She wanted to look up recipes, check her mail, listen to music, and watch tv/movies (DVD, Netflix, and Hulu.
I've been using MSI components for years, so when I found out they made all-in-one systems and got decent reviews other places, I figured I'd give it a try. One bit of warning - Amazon and some other places say this is a wall mountable unit. It absolutely is - IF YOU BUY the wall mount adapter kit. The part number of the kit is 306-6502111-SN1 - it's only $15 but Amazon didn't have it in stock - took me 30 minutes to find somewhere that had it available. Even MSI's store was out of stock.
Next challenge was to put the wall mount kit on. The instructions for the kit were horrible. I couldn't figure out how to get the stand off, but finally found a forum posting. On the inside of the stand there are 4 small screws. Remove these screws and the shiny plastic piece will come off. With this out of the way, you can remove the stand and screw the wall mount kit in the same holes. NOTE: make sure you put the first piece of the wall mount kit on the AIO with the opening facing DOWN!
Once you have the kit, you can either use the kit to mount it straight to the wall, or you can use any VESA 100mm mounting system. I wanted to be able to tilt and move the unit, so I bought a Peerless arm from here on Amazon. The MSI Windtop says it weighs 24 lbs, but it feels heavier so I bought the Peerless PA740 which is rated at 80lbs. It cost a bit more, but with $1000 system on the wall, better safe than sorry! I also picked up a Peerless WSP700 base plate to bridge the gap between 2 studs, but didn't need it.
Once I finally got the Windtop on the wall and turned it on, it's been great. It took about 20 minutes to boot the first time because it needed me to make language choices and connect to the wireless. Note that the touch screen is not active yet during the set phase, so you do need the keyboard and mouse connected. Only pre-loaded software I felt like I wanted to get rid of so far is a 60 day trial of Norton Internet Security. Uninstalled it and got the free Microsoft Security Essentials - took all of 3 minutes.
My best friend was helping me mount it and he commented that the screen looked great. We activated the THX software and then goofed around with the demo songs and Pandora - the speakers have a nice, crisp sound to them. Not a lot of bass, but I wasn't expecting that since there is no room for a sub-woofer.
The multi-touch screen is very responsive in both Windows 7 and the included touch-screen apps (there is a Microsoft Touch Pack and a MSI Touch Pack pre-installed). We were painting with multiple fingers and it worked great. There is a finger gestures tutorial that I haven't finished yet - biggest thing is you can use 2 fingers to zoom in or out like on an iPhone.
When we fired up Windows Media Center, Netflix and some other apps were pre-installed. Logged in to Netflix and watched a bit of Serenity - again the picture and sound were both very good.
Now, today is only day 2, but I've been installing computers and servers for a living for 14 years. So far I am impressed with both the quality of the build and the time they put into making this an easy user experience. Nicely done MSI! If something changes I'll come back to update this review, but right now my wife is happy!
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MSI AE2280-008 21.5-Inch All-In-One Multi Touch Screen PC - BlackCore i5-650 3.2GHz, Multi Touch Screen, ATI Radeon HD 5730 1GB DDR3 VRAM, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 640G Hard Drive, Super Multi, 2 X 5W, Hi-Fi 5.1 channel, SRS Premium Sound, Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, 1.3 MP Webcam, HDMI-in, VGA-in, 6 x USB ports, E-SATA, SPDIF
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