Viewsonic VPC100

Intel's Atom processor has helped revolutionise the laptop market, powering netbooks that are smaller, lighter and cheaper than their predecessors. Since then, they've also been incorporated into more compact desktop computers, such as the Asus Eee Box. This PC from ViewSonic (a company more famous for its monitors than its computers) takes a slightly different approach, comprising a monitor and computer in one - ideal for locations in the home where space is at a premium.

Features
The main unit is a 19in screen that has a little more body at the bottom than you'd expect from a standard monitor. Look around the side and you'll notice it comes with four USB ports, a handy card reader (XD/SD/MMC/MS) and a side-mounted DVD-writer drive. Because of the lower-powered processor, it's only got Windows XP on it - to be the ultimate bedsit PC, it could have done with Media Center, though this would have added to the price. Don't consider buying this if you want a PC with Windows 7. For communication, there's a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam and it'll connect to your home network via Ethernet. The only other sockets on the device are for plugging in headphones and a microphone, though speakers and a monitor-mounted mike are already built-in.

Performance
Because the Atom processor was designed for low-power devices like netbooks, the VPC100 runs efficiently without giving off too much heat. Although there isn't a battery to save here, it has the secondary benefit of being very quiet, which makes it ideal for small rooms. However, you aren't going to get state-of-the art-performance from a machine with an Atom processor running Windows XP. That said, for web surfing and other internet-related activity, it's more than sufficient. Just don't try running resource-hungry games or using it for 
video editing.

Ease of use
Because the computer is built into the monitor, setting up the device is extraordinarily simple. Once you've got the keyboard and mouse hooked up (note these are PS/2 connections, not the more usual USB), it only remains to plug the single power lead into a socket and you're ready to go. Most people will be familiar with Windows XP now, so there's no surprises here.

Value for money
If you're familiar with netbook pricing, you may have noticed this is just a smidgen more expensive. This is because, unlike netbooks, portability is not an issue with the ViewSonic so it has a significantly bigger screen. There's also the full-size keyboard and mouse which, although hardly a big expense to add, make typing on the machine significantly easier than on your average netbook.