Media Centers that fit under the tree
November 14, 2005

Submitted by: Chuck, via e-mail
I'm looking to surprise my wife with a basic Media Center PC for the holidays so that she can record TV shows without a TiVo. But she'll kill me if I put a clunky computer in the middle of the living room. Can I stick it in the closet or hide it somewhere?

Dan Ackerman, senior associate editor
In theory, you could indeed stick a standard desktop in the closet and run A/V cables to your current home entertainment setup--that's sort of what you do with media servers, set 'em and forget 'em. But there may be a better solution that will keep your hardware both easy to access and aesthetically pleasing.

WinBook PowerSpec MCE 410It took the computer industry many years to move beyond plain beige cases, and even then the big jump was to black cases and cold-cathode lights. But today, we have a growing number of systems, from the low end to the high end, that look more like upscale DVD players than old-fashioned desktops.

Some of the nicer-looking systems out there, such as the Niveus Denali and the Sony VAIO XL1, are certainly easy on the eye, but they're not so easy on the wallet, clocking in at $6,300 and $2,300 respectively. Plus, while highly functional, they're just plain huge, thanks to the Denali's giant fanless case and the VAIO's included 200-disc DVD changer.

If you're looking for smaller footprints and price tags, we love the WinBook PowerSpec MCE 410 and HP's z500 Digital Entertainment Center series. Both look like slim, rack-style A/V components and will fit in with any medium-to-high-tech decor. Only a true Scrooge could turn up his or her nose at finding one of these systems in the stocking.

• Editors' top desktops
• Entertainment PC resource center

• New desktop reviews
• Desktops forum

• Back to countdown index

Got a holiday shopping question for our editors?

Send it to us!