Lenovo IdeaCentre A310 review

Elsewhere, there’s a reasonable selection of ports and connections too. On the left edge of the base are two USB 2 ports, a 3-in-1 card reader and 3.5mm microphone and headphone sockets (the latter doubling as a mini optical S/PDIF out). At the rear is a further pair of USB 2 sockets, accompanied by HDMI in and out, Gigabit Ethernet and an aerial connector for the integrated hybrid DVB-T/analogue tuner.

Inside, there’s single-band 802.11n and Bluetooth wireless on offer, plus a 500GB hard disk – large enough to store hundreds of hours of recorded TV and leave enough room for a sizeable music collection. Power is provided via a laptop-style adaptor.

It’s almost enough to make the Lenovo not only an attractive all-in-one desktop but also a complete media hub for a small bedroom or flat. But there are a few flies in the ointment. The first is the rather odd decision not to build in an optical drive. Instead, you get an external USB DVD writer in the box, which has the double disadvantage of looking clunky and occupying one of your four precious USB sockets.

Another irritant is the infrared receiver for the bundled media centre remote, an add-on occupying yet another USB socket, leaving just two free for peripherals of your own choosing. The wireless mouse and keyboard are a letdown, with the former feeling small, cramped and plasticky, and the latter rattling like a child’s toy when you type on it.

Finally, audio quality is poor: it doesn’t distort at any point, but output from the small stereo speakers mounted at the front edge of the base is far too quiet at maximum volume, and bass is entirely lacking.

What really kills the Lenovo A310 for us, however, is the price. At £764 exc VAT it’s poor value for money. Our current favourite budget all-in-one, the Acer Aspire Z5610 boasts a larger screen, a built-in optical drive, plus a similar level of specification and faster performance, for almost £60 exc VAT less.

So although we like the A310 in many ways we can’t bring ourselves to recommend it. It looks neat, with good performance and a decent array of features, but it doesn’t feel like a particularly well-thought-out package, and that price is just too high.

Author: Jonathan Bray