ASUS Zen AiO Pro Z240IC Review: 4K All-In-One With Guts And Glitz

Name: ASUS Zen AiO Pro All-In-One Desktop System
Brand: ASUS

by Joshua Gulick — Thursday, December 03, 2015, 12:26 PM EDT

Introducing The ASUS Zen AiO Pro

Page 1: Introducing The ASUS Zen AiO Pro

It’s been quite some time since we last looked at an all-in-one PC. Although there is clearly a niche market for AiOs, the product segment has always kept a consistent rythm in all facets of computing - consumer, enterprise and SMB. These types of systems appeal to style-conscious users and businesses that need computing utility with good looks, that blends in and stays out of the way. And though many are not powerhouses, a few do catch our enthusiast eye, and one of those few is the Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC, which Asus is billing as “The pinnacle of Windows all-in-one PCs.”

That may be a stretch and certainly a bold claim, but the Zen AiO Pro also looks pretty strong on its rap sheet, with a 4K display, discrete NVIDIA graphics and Intel's new Skylake 6th generation Core Series processors. So we brought one in to kick the tires.

Asus Zen AiO Pro Z240IC

Specifications & Features

Display type:	23.8” IPS
Display resolution:	Ultra HD 3840x2160 185 PPI
Touchscreen:	10-point capacitive touch
CPU:	Intel 6th Generation Core i7-6700T
CPU cores/threads:	4C/8T
CPU base/Turbo clocks:	2.8GHz/3.6GHz
CPU TDP:	35W
Chipset:	Intel H170
Memory:	16GB dual-channel DDR4-2133
Graphics:	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 2GB GDDR5
Storage:	512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 SSD + 1TB HDD
Wireless:	802.11ac Wi-Fi with 2T2R antenna and Intel WiDi support, Bluetooth 4.0
LAN:	10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Camera:	2MP Intel RealSense 3D 1080p
Microphone:	2 x digital array mic
Audio:	ASUS SonicMaster Premium
Speakers:	Dual-channel stereo with 2 x 4W woofers + 4 x 2W speakers
Connectors:	1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 4 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 2 x HDMI output , 1 x 3.5-mm microphone, 1 x 3.5-mm headphone, 1 x RJ45 LAN, 1 x power input, 1 x 2-in-1 SD/MMC card reader, 1 x Kensington lock slot
Dimensions:	23” x 17.1” x 7.5” / 585 x 434 x 190 mm
Weight:	16.1 lbs / 7.3kg
Power supply:	180W external
Keyboard + Mouse: Pricing:	Wireless Zen keyboard + mouse MSRP - $1899 As Tested

The Zen AiO Pro’s biggest draw is bound to be its gorgeous, 23.8-inch 4K display. Asus plans to offer multiple models of the Zen AiO Pro with different resolutions. It sent us the top-of-the-line system, which features an Ultra HD 3840x2160 IPS touchscreen display at 185 pixels per inch. Given that you can’t upgrade the display of an all-in-one, this is one of the Zen AiO Pro’s most important features and one we'd suggest potential consumers invest in.

A quad-core Intel Core i7-6700T CPU powers the Zen AiO Pro (it's a 35W Skylake-S variant) and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (a midrange mobile GPU) provides a serious boost over typical integrated graphics. The system also has 16GB of DDR4-2133 memory. Obviously, a desktop that is almost as slim as a laptop isn’t likely to be a gaming powerhouse, but with these specs the Zen AiO Pro should be able to hold its own.

On the storage side of things, the system has a 512GB PCIe SSD for its OS volume and a 1TB hard drive for bulk data storage. That’s robust even for a full-sized desktop and among AiO’s, the Zen AiO Pro’s storage subsystem is also very high end. Connectivity looks pretty solid, too, thanks to Gigabit Ethernet and up-to-date WiFi (802.11ac) support.

Like most AiOs the Zen AiO Pro includes a keyboard and mouse. Both connect to the system via a tiny USB wireless transceiver and feature metal-colored finished accents to match the Zen AiO Pro’s sleek look. Speaking of looks, let's dive in further on build quality and design.