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Desktops
Desktops come in all shapes and sizes these days, and you'll be surprised just how much computer you can get for less than $1,000, including decent gaming capability, or a Blu-ray drive. Spend a little more and treat yourself or someone you love to a fully equipped, expertly designed powerhouse that will handle whatever you want to throw at it. We've listed a few systems below that have impressed us recently.
Editors' top pick
The bottom line: A slight bump to the specifications for the same price in addition to a much appreciated option to upgrade the graphics means the 24-inch iMac keeps the Editors' Choice it earned last year when the brushed-aluminum-and-glass design was first introduced.
The bottom line: The eMachines T5254 costs less than similar systems from Dell and HP, and it outperforms them (in some cases), and uses less power while doing so. You can't configure it before making a purchase, but eMachines has chosen this system's specs wisely, and with a level of environmental consciousness that make it a very enticing deal.
The bottom line: PC vendors have very few tricks remaining to differentiate their systems from the competition, which makes the built-in Bluetooth in the Dell Inspiron 530 unique. There's little else that makes this system stand out, but if you need Bluetooth in your budget desktop, we can recommend no other.
The bottom line: Falcon Northwest's new, fixed-configuration FragBox 2 is an overclocked, reasonably priced gaming rig whose small size invites you to put it pretty much wherever you want. If you're after that kind of flexibility and have reasonable gaming expectations, you'll be very happy with this PC.
The bottom line: With its second full-fledged gaming PC, Dell shows that it understands the mainstream gaming desktop as well as the high-end. The Dell XPS 630 delivers everything a gamer would want in a sub-$2,000 PC, from its components, to its case, to its powerful software. We've seen no better system in this newly competitive category.
The bottom line: Maingear's Ephex combines aggressive overclocking and a refined sense of what gamers want in a high-end PC. <i>Crysis</i> remains a challenge for even a top-of-the-line PC like this one, but if you can get past that hitch (and the multi-thousand-dollar price tag), we'd recommend this system in a second.
The bottom line: It's outclassed as a computer by Apple's iMac, and as a home entertainment system by a recent HP, but in the weird niche of high-end, digital-media-friendly all-in-ones (of which we know of one other competitor) the Dell XPS One gets our nod. If you're not shopping in that narrow market, move on.
Thanks,
The CNET TV Team
