Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 Review: Low-Cost, Low-Resolution AIO Has Limits

Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430

Pros

• Nice-looking design
• 5-watt speakers deliver full sound
• Crisp 1440p webcam

Cons

• Fuzzy text and images on 1080p display
• Cooling fan constantly spins
• Two-legged design is restrictive

The Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 costs hundreds less than the cheapest iMac, but its design and build quality are also miles away from what you get with Apple's all-in-one. With its simple look in a welcoming white color, Dell's budget all-in-one isn't unattractive and won't look out of place in a family room or home office. Its plastic enclosure, however, can't match the sleek style and aluminum thinness of the M4 iMac. 

While its display is the same size as the iMac's at 24 inches, the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 forces you to make do with a much lower-resolution panel. The Dell's 1080p display is sharp enough for watching shows and movies, but text looks a bit fuzzy so this isn't the best all-in-one for sitting in front of and working all day. The iMac is worth the added cost for its higher-resolution display alone, leaving the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 only as an option for budget-minded shoppers looking for an Internet-connected entertainment device with a screen larger than a laptop's at a price smaller than that of most laptops.

Dell sells both Intel- and AMD-based versions of the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430. Our test model is a midrange Intel model. It features an Intel Core 5 120U CPU, 16GB of RAM, integrated Intel graphics and a 512GB SSD for $950, but it has been consistently discounted to $800 during this review. The 23.8-inch IPS display has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution and touch support. 

The line starts at $650 for a config with a Core 3-100U, 8GB of RAM and a non-touch display. There's also a model with a Core 7-150U and a low-end 2GB Nvidia GeForce MX570A GPU for $1,200. Unfortunately, there's no option to upgrade to a higher-res display. The ability to bump up to, say, a 1440p display would extend Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 greater utility as a productivity machine in addition to its entertainment aptitude. But, alas, the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 is a pure budget machine with a fuzzy 1080p display.

The Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 starts at £569 in the UK and AU$999 in Australia.

Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 performance

The Intel Core 5 120U is a mobile processor geared toward efficiency, with two performance cores and eight efficiency cores. Paired with 16GB of RAM, it offers enough performance for general tasks, including multitasking with dozens of open Chrome tabs and streaming HD video. Its scores on our benchmarks were in line with those of the Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 27, which is another budget all-in-one but with an AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor. Both the Dell and Lenovo all-in-ones were well off the pace set by pricier models in the Apple iMac M4 and an HP OmniStudio X 31.5 based on an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.

Even with an efficient laptop CPU, the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 requires a constantly spinning cooling fan. It's not that loud, but it never stops, which limits its appeal as a living-room PC. 

Matt Elliott/CNET

Clean, simple design but on two feet

The Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430 isn't a bad-looking all-in-one. It has a clean, simple design made primarily of white plastic surfaces. A speaker bar runs along the bottom of the display with narrow bezels -- skinnier than the iMac's -- on the other three sides. It's about as compact as a 24-inch all-in-one gets, but your placement options are restricted by the two feet on which it rests. Most all-in-ones sit on a centered base, which lets you place the system in the corner of your desk or table, but the Inspiron 24 needs more space for its widely spaced feet and can't be squished into a corner. Nobody puts Baby in a corner or, as it turns out, the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430.

All but one of the system's ports are located in a neat row on the back panel, which I should note is in the old iMac style of being gently bowed instead of completely flat and very thin. I wish the extra interior space afforded by the bowed shape meant the fan wouldn't need to spin all the time, but sadly, that's not the case. But back to the ports: they are a bit outdated. 

Matt Elliott/CNET

You get four USB Type-A ports on the back and a single USB-C port on the right side. I don't need four USB-A ports and would gladly swap one for a second USB-C port. And the lone Type-C port is of the slower USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 variety and not Thunderbolt 4. There are both HDMI-out and -in ports, but they are the older 1.4b version and not the current HDMI 2.1 or even previous-gen HDMI 2.0. (Still, being able to connect a second monitor or use it as a display for a game console is nice to see.) There's also an SD card slot, but given the limited graphics performance of the Inspiron 24 All-in-One 5430, I'm unsure of its necessity. 

Last thing on the ports: the headphone jack is located in the back instead of on the side where it would be much more convenient to connect to and use.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Low-res but bright-enough display

The display's resolution is lacking for the size of the display. Text and the edges of images look fuzzy; you can clearly see individual pixels and the dreaded screen-door effect with the Inspiron 24 All-in-One. It's fine for kicking back and watching Netflix and YouTube, but if you are buying an all-in-one for work and your job requires you to read and work on documents and spreadsheets most days, you'll want a higher-resolution display. After staring at this 1080p panel, the jump to the iMac's 4,480x2,520-pixel Retina display is shocking. 

The low resolution is the biggest issue with this display because it offers ample brightness for most environments. It's rated for a peak brightness of 300 nits, and it tested a bit higher than that. In my tests with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, it reached a max of 328 nits. That's considerably brighter than a typical 250-nit budget display. Plus, the screen has a matte coating, so it doesn't pick up glare and reflections. 

Color accuracy was pretty good too. It covered 100% of the sRGB gamut and did acceptably well on the larger color spaces, with 83% of P3 and 77% of AdobeRGB. 

Matt Elliott/CNET

In addition to a larger screen, you also get bigger sound with the Inspiron 24 All-in-One compared with a laptop. Most laptops feature a pair of 2-watt speakers, while the Inspiron 24 All-in-One serves up a 5-watt pair. They produce a much fuller sound that allows for separation between highs and mid-tones while also delivering a hint of bass. Their sound isn't going to rattle your windows, but they more than suffice for watching movies and shows.

The webcam hides behind the display in a little pop-up panel, which allows you to protect your privacy when it's not in use. When it's in use, you'll be delighted with its crisp, well-balanced 1440p picture. Given the Inspiron 24 All-in-One's low price, I expected to get a 1080p camera at best, so the 1440p was a pleasant surprise. It also has an IR sensor for easy, secure biometric logins. 

Matt Elliott/CNET

A wireless keyboard and mouse set come bundled with the system. They are generic peripherals, but at least they are wireless, not a wired pair that is sometimes included with budget all-in-ones. And they match the Inspiron 24 All-in-One's white color scheme.

Should I buy the Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One?

Yes, but only as a secondary system for casual use. I'd argue that the M4 iMac provides more value even though it costs hundreds more. The iMac boasts a superior design, display and performance, making it worth the added cost. If your budget has you shopping for an all-in-one for less than $1,000 -- and the design fits in your space -- then the Inspiron 24 All-in-One offers enough to serve as an inexpensive entertainment or home office device that offers a bigger screen and bigger sound than a laptop.