Desktops continue to evolve beyond the standard midtower. Virtually every vendor now offers a slim tower, a small form-factor case, or an all-in-one. Along with their changing appearance, memory prices have plummeted, and it's not uncommon to find 4GB in $500 PCs. We highly recommend that you compare specs carefully this holiday, and make sure you get the most for your PC dollar.
Editors' top pick
The bottom line: By virtue of its price, its desktop processor, and its Blu-ray drive, the Sony Vaio JS190J makes a case for itself as the new king of the all-in-ones. Its screen might be a bit smaller than some, but no other all-in-one, including Apple's iMac, can do as much, as fast, for the same price.
The bottom line: The Acer Aspire X1200-U1520A is a speedy, compact, low-end desktop that's powerful enough to serve as a light-duty home theater PC. Expansion is limited by an especially cramped interior (even for a small PC), but the total package is worthwhile for PC shoppers on a budget.
Price:
$379.97
The bottom line: Shuttle's KPC K-4500 has appeal as a prebuilt Linux PC for a tech-savvy owner to play around with or as a more or less accessible, basic computer to bestow upon a loved one (for whom you're willing to provide tech support). If you're aware of the potential pitfalls we recommend it, not least because it's so affordable.
Price:
$219.53 - $266.22
The bottom line: Dell's Inspiron 518 is the latest in a long line of utilitarian, midrange Windows PCs. We wish Dell offered a bit more flexibility with its configuration, as well as a 64-bit Windows option, but for a straightforward PC, this is one of the more powerful systems for the dollar.
Price:
$594.00
The bottom line: The Gateway GT5692 is a reliable PC that will easily get you around all the standard tasks of a budget desktop. This triple-core system also includes 64-bit Windows and enough RAM to make it a very strong photo-editing desktop for its price.
The bottom line: Apple's smaller-scale iMac remains our favorite all-in-one. And while its looks, its ease of use, and its performance are all selling points, Windows PCs are starting to catch up (at least with the latter). A few components could also stand an update, but in general you'll find the 20-inch iMac a remarkable computer for its price.
Price:
$1,149.00 - $1,220.97
The bottom line: Falcon Northwest's high-end, preconfigured FragBox 2 leans on a pair of top-of-the-line ATI 3D cards to achieve some of the fastest 3D scores we've seen. You might rightly wait for Intel's new CPUs to ship before making a pricey PC purchase, but if you buy this system now, you'll be treated to a superfast little desktop.
The bottom line: The Maingear Prelude has the best bang for the buck among midrange gaming PCs. It also has a certain stocky visual appeal. It's missing a few features, and you'll have to jump through a few hoops to make upgrades, but on balance, this system is a great deal.
The bottom line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z15 represents one of the best deal's we've seen this year in midrange gaming PCs. It has all the power necessary to play current games (even <i>Crysis</i>) at smooth frame rates, and its clean, spacious interior gives you plenty of upgrade room. We recommend this system to any PC gamer looking for a sub-$2,000 desktop.
Price:
$1,499.00
