MSI Pro AP272P PAP27214M602 2024, Core i7-14700, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Black

The MSI Pro AP272P packs a surprisingly powerful 20-core Core i7-14700 into a clean 27-inch all-in-one, but the integrated graphics kill any gaming ambitions. At around $1,330, it's a reasonable deal for a tidy home office or business desktop with a 1TB SSD and 16GB of DDR5. Just don't expect to play anything more demanding than solitaire.

Let's talk about that CPU first, because it's the star of the show. The Core i7-14700 has 20 cores, a 2.1GHz base clock, and Intel's hybrid architecture that mixes performance and efficiency cores. In our database, it ranks in the 82nd percentile among all-in-one CPUs, which puts it well above average and honestly a bit surprising for this form factor. For everyday productivity, multitasking with a dozen browser tabs, running Office apps, or even light photo editing, this chip will chew through it without breaking a sweat. You won't be waiting on the processor, that's for sure.

The rest of the specs are more modest. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is about average for this category, landing in the 48th percentile. It's enough for most office work, but if you're the type who keeps 40 Chrome tabs open while editing a video, you might feel the ceiling. The 1TB SSD is solid, sitting right around the middle of the pack, and it's an NVMe drive so boot times and app launches will feel snappy. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are the weak link, ranking in the 49th percentile, which is fine for desktop use but means any real gaming or GPU-heavy work is off the table. The 120W PSU tells the whole story: this machine sips power and stays quiet, but it's not built for heavy lifting.

Stacked against the HP OMEN GT22-3080, the MSI looks like a different species entirely. The OMEN is a gaming tower with dedicated graphics, built for frame rates and RGB lighting. The AP272P is a quiet, professional all-in-one that would rather do your taxes than run Cyberpunk. If you want to game, the OMEN is the obvious choice. If you want a tidy office machine with a surprisingly powerful CPU, the MSI makes more sense.

The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 is another gaming-focused competitor that trades blows with the OMEN. Again, it's a tower with a real GPU, so it's not a direct comparison. The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is in a completely different price bracket and performance class, aimed at creative professionals who need serious GPU compute. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is probably the closest philosophical match, a business-oriented desktop, but it's still a tower. What the MSI offers that none of these do is the all-in-one simplicity. No separate monitor, no cable mess, just one power cord and you're done. That's the trade-off: you give up GPU performance and upgradeability for a cleaner setup.

Pricing on this unit is a bit of a puzzle. We're seeing it listed around $1,330 to $1,349 in the US, and there's a Mexican listing at 39,990 MXN. For that money, you're getting a very strong CPU, a decent amount of RAM, and a big SSD in a tidy all-in-one package. Compared to building a small form factor PC with similar specs, you'd probably spend a similar amount once you factor in a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. So the value proposition is really about convenience and desk space, not raw performance per dollar.

The problem is that the competition is fierce. HP's OMEN GT22-3080 and Lenovo's Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 are both in our database as top competitors, and while they're traditional towers, they offer dramatically better graphics performance for similar or less money. If you don't need the all-in-one form factor, you can get a lot more GPU for your dollar elsewhere. But if a clean desk and simple setup are priorities, the AP272P's price is defensible, just not a screaming deal.

The MSI Pro AP272P is one of those machines that makes you do a double take. You see a 27-inch all-in-one with an Intel Core i7-14700, 16GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD, and you think, okay, this is a serious productivity rig. Then you notice the integrated Iris Xe graphics and a 120W power supply, and you realize MSI built a business desktop with the heart of a gaming CPU but none of the gaming muscle. It's a weird mix, but for the right person, it's actually pretty compelling.

This thing is aimed squarely at home office users and small business folks who want a clean desk setup without a tower taking up space. The 27-inch IPS panel at 1080p isn't going to win any resolution contests, but it's fine for spreadsheets, email, video calls, and the occasional YouTube break. The adjustable stand is a nice touch, and MSI throws in a keyboard and mouse so you're ready to go out of the box.

What makes it interesting is the processor. The Core i7-14700 is a 20-core hybrid chip that sits in the 82nd percentile for CPUs in our database. That's a lot of compute power for an all-in-one, especially one that's clearly not meant for gaming. You're getting near-flagship CPU performance in a form factor that usually gets saddled with low-power mobile chips. The trade-off is that everything else is pretty middle of the road, and the gaming score of 12 out of 100 tells you exactly where this machine falls short.

Anyone who wants to play games should skip this machine without a second thought. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are simply not up to the task, and the 12/100 gaming score in our database is one of the lowest we've seen for a system with this caliber of CPU. You'd be paying for a great processor that's held back by the graphics, which is a frustrating mismatch. Look at the HP OMEN GT22-3080 or Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 instead if gaming is on your list.

Creative professionals should also steer clear. Video editors, 3D artists, and anyone working with GPU-accelerated applications will find the Iris Xe graphics to be a serious bottleneck. The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is a much better fit for that kind of work, though it costs significantly more. And if you're the type who likes to tinker and upgrade components over time, the all-in-one form factor will frustrate you. A traditional tower gives you room to grow, while this MSI is pretty much a fixed configuration from day one.

If you're setting up a home office or a small business front desk and you want something that looks professional, takes up minimal space, and handles everyday productivity with ease, the MSI Pro AP272P is a solid pick. The Core i7-14700 gives you more CPU horsepower than most all-in-ones in this price range, and the 1TB SSD means you won't be juggling storage for a while. The 27-inch IPS screen is pleasant for document work and video calls, even if it's not the sharpest panel out there.

But if you have any aspirations of gaming, video editing, 3D modeling, or anything that touches a GPU, look elsewhere. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are a hard stop for those use cases, and the 12/100 gaming score is not a typo. You'd be much better served by a tower like the HP OMEN or Lenovo Legion, even if it means sacrificing the all-in-one form factor. This is a machine for spreadsheets and Slack, not Steam.