HP Pavilion 24 AIO : A Gaming PC in Disguise?

The Intruder in the Gaming Room: A Brutally Honest Review of the HP Pavilion All-in-One
An elegant, minimalist HP All-in-One computer sits on a desk typically dominated by RGB-lit towers and aggressive designs. It looks like a diplomat who’s accidentally wandered into a mosh pit. It’s clean, it’s quiet, and it feels profoundly out of place. The immediate instinct for any seasoned PC gamer is to dismiss it. All-in-Ones, we’ve been taught, are for reception desks, for school libraries, for your parents to check email on. They are not for us.

But what if we’re wrong? In an era where living spaces are shrinking and aesthetics matter more than ever, does this sleek intruder present a clever solution rather than a compromise? Is the HP Pavilion 24-xa0032 a beautiful trap for an unsuspecting gamer, or is it a capable, stealthy gaming rig hiding in plain sight? I cleared my desk, plugged in a single power cord, and set out to answer that question.

First Impressions: It’s Dangerously Good-Looking

Let’s get this out of the way: the Pavilion 24 is gorgeous. Its design is a masterclass in subtlety. The micro-edge bezel surrounding the 23.8-inch Full HD screen draws you in, making the display feel larger than it is. The display itself is an IPS panel, which, in simple terms, means the colors are vibrant and accurate, and you don’t have to sit directly in front of it to get a good picture. For the types of visually rich indie games this machine might excel at, that color fidelity is a significant plus.

Below the screen sits a fabric-covered soundbar tuned by Bang & Olufsen. My inner audiophile snob was prepared to scoff, but I was genuinely surprised. Using Digital Signal Processing (DSP), the speakers create a “soundstage” far wider than their physical size suggests. You can actually perceive depth and separation in the audio. While it will never replace a good gaming headset for competitive play, for kicking back with a narrative game or watching YouTube, it’s leagues better than the tinny speakers found in most laptops.

This is a machine designed to eliminate clutter. The pop-up webcam is a brilliant touch, tucking away for guaranteed privacy when not in use. But this seamless design comes at a cost, and it’s here the first gamer-centric doubts begin to creep in. There are only three user-accessible USB ports on the back. Plug in the included (and very basic) wired keyboard and mouse, and you’re left with a single port for your headset, controller, or external drive. A USB hub isn’t a suggestion here; it’s a necessity.

The Heart of the Matter: A Tale of Two Intels

Beneath the polished exterior lies the real story: a combination of a surprisingly capable processor and a deeply compromised graphics solution.

First, the brains of the operation: a six-core Intel Core i5-9400T. This is a genuinely good CPU for a machine like this. Those six cores mean it’s a fantastic multitasker. You can have Discord open on one side of the screen, a guide for Stardew Valley in a browser, and the game itself running without the system breaking a sweat. However, the “T” in its name is crucial. It signifies a power-optimized chip with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of just 35 watts, compared to the 65 watts of its standard desktop counterpart. This is a genius move for keeping a slim AIO cool and quiet, but it means the processor can’t maintain its highest turbo speeds for extended periods. For most light gaming, this is fine, but for CPU-intensive strategy games or long rendering tasks, you’re trading peak performance for thermal efficiency.

Now, for the Achilles’ heel, the elephant in the room: the integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630. Let’s be brutally honest—this is not a gaming GPU. It doesn’t have its own dedicated video memory (VRAM); instead, it carves out a slice of your main system RAM to use. This is where the machine’s 12 GB of RAM becomes a critical talking point. Most likely configured as an 8 GB stick and a 4 GB stick, it runs in what’s called “asymmetrical dual-channel” mode. This is better than a single stick (single-channel), but it’s a significant performance bottleneck compared to a proper 16 GB (2x8 GB) dual-channel setup, which iGPUs crave. Every frame this GPU renders is limited by the speed at which it can access that shared system memory.

The Litmus Test: What Can You Actually Play?

So, with a decent brain and a hobbled athletic ability, what kind of performance can you expect? I scoured benchmarks and ran some tests to set realistic expectations.

The Esports Playground: This is where the Pavilion 24 finds its footing. For titles that prioritize high frame rates over graphical fidelity, the UHD 630 is surprisingly serviceable. * Valorant: At 1080p with all settings on low, you can expect to hover around 60-70 FPS. It’s playable, though you’ll experience dips in heavy firefights. * League of Legends: This runs like a dream. At 1080p on medium settings, you’ll easily maintain over 100 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. * Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: An older but still relevant title, it runs comfortably above 60 FPS at 1080p low, making it perfectly viable for casual matches.

The Indie Darling Showcase: This is the machine’s true paradise. The combination of a beautiful IPS display and the ability to run less demanding games makes it perfect for the explosion of incredible indie titles. * Hades, Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, and Among Us all run flawlessly at 1080p with high frame rates. The vibrant colors of these games truly pop on the Pavilion’s screen.

The “Don’t Even Bother” List: It’s important to know the limits. Do not buy this machine expecting to play the latest AAA blockbusters. * Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3: You will not get a playable experience on these games, not even at 720p with the lowest possible settings. The integrated GPU simply doesn’t have the raw power or the VRAM.

The Verdict: Who Should Welcome This Intruder?

After spending time with the HP Pavilion 24, I’ve realized it’s not a failed gaming PC. It’s a different kind of gaming PC, designed for a specific type of user. So, who should buy this?

1. The College Student: This is arguably the ultimate dorm room PC. It has a tiny footprint, handles all academic work with ease, is a fantastic media consumption device, and can reliably play the most popular esports titles for blowing off steam with friends.
2. The Aesthete Gamer: If your primary concern is maintaining a clean, modern, and wireless-looking setup, the Pavilion is a triumph. It’s for the person who shudders at the sight of cable clutter and values design as much as performance.
3. The Cloud Gaming Enthusiast: The Pavilion 24’s weakness—its local GPU—becomes irrelevant when you introduce cloud gaming. With a solid internet connection, this machine transforms into a high-end gaming rig via services like NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming, streaming AAA titles to its beautiful 1080p screen.
4. The Family’s “Second Rig”: Placed in a living room or common area, it’s the perfect compromise. It serves as the family computer for homework and browsing, but it’s also a capable machine for casual family-friendly gaming.
   

Final Thoughts: Redefining “Gaming PC”

The HP Pavilion 24-xa0032 is not trying to replace your custom-built gaming tower. It’s not for the hardcore enthusiast chasing every last frame. Instead, it poses a different proposition: what if your gaming hardware could seamlessly blend into your life, rather than dominate your desk?

This All-in-One is an exercise in intelligent compromise. It sacrifices the raw graphical power you’d get from a traditional desktop or gaming laptop for a superior aesthetic, a smaller footprint, and a quiet, elegant user experience. It won’t win any benchmark wars, but it might just win a place in your home. If you’re a gamer who fits one of the profiles above, don’t dismiss this intruder. It might be the smartest guest you ever invite into your room.