Reviewed on November 24, 2009Massive case notwithstanding, the affordable Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004 delivers a competitive feature set with the horsepower to back it up. We recommend this system for light media editors and anyone who can make use of its straightforward performance and multipurpose features.TAGS:ASUS, graphics chip, Intel, USB port, Ethernet, AMD, CPU, HP, games, PC
Reviewed on October 7, 2009The $799 ZT Affinity 7334Ma's stellar performance benchmarks, Blu-ray drive, and plenty of room for expansion give it a step up from the competition. ZT still needs help in the external design department, but this system certainly earns our recommendation as a workhorse do-it-all system.TAGS:HP Pavilion Elite, Blu-ray drive, HP Pavilion, Blu-ray, ATI Radeon, AMD, 64-bit, HP, ATI Technologies, PC
Reviewed on November 23, 2009The HP Pavilion P6230y yields decent scores, but we have a hard time recommending a system that comes at a higher cost and with a slower performance rating than competing systems. This system has a few uncommon features for its price, but nothing that makes up for its overall poor bang for the buck.TAGS:HP Pavilion, ASUS, graphics chip, quad-core, HP, Ethernet, CPU, AMD, Intel, PC
Reviewed on June 11, 2009We cringe at the idea of recommending such a slow PC when you can get significantly better performance for just a few more dollars. That said, it's hard to argue with the eMachines EL1300G-01w's low price, clean good looks, and relatively complete budget feature set. As long as you have no ambitions for this PC performing anything resembling serious work, it will make a fine second or third home system.TAGS:eMachines Inc., HP Pavilion SlimLine, Apple Intel Mac Mini, Dell Inspiron, AMD Athlon, 32-bit, Dell, Nvidia GeForce, AMD, NVidia, HP, Apple Macintosh, PC
Reviewed on December 10, 2007AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD, quad-core, Intel, PC
Reviewed on April 28, 2009ZT's smartly configured Affinity 7308Ma offers a Blu-ray drive and fast application performance, both rare for its $699 price tag. You won't show off this midtower PC off for its looks, but we recommend it to those who enjoy the satisfaction that comes with finding a hidden bargain.TAGS:Blu-ray drive, Blu-ray, graphics chip, Dell XPS, Dell Inspiron, quad-core, Dell, Gateway Inc., AMD, PC
Reviewed on December 10, 2007AMD's new Phenom quad-core CPU has little to recommend it over competing chips from Intel. The Phenom is marginally less-expensive, but not enough to make up for its subpar performance. Unless AMD drops prices more aggressively, it looks like Intel will maintain its grasp on the CPU market for the foreseeable future.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD, quad-core, Intel, dual-core, CPU, PC
Reviewed on July 16, 2009With more aggressive competition on retail shelves, the HP Pavilion p6130y isn't a particularly compelling desktop computer thanks to underwhelming features and poor performance. We only recommend this system if you truly need the hand-holding that comes with the support of a major U.S. PC vendor.TAGS:HP Pavilion, ASUS, Dell Inspiron, quad-core, digital audio, HP, Ethernet, FireWire, 64-bit, Gateway Inc., Dell, AMD, PC, games
Reviewed on November 1, 2006If you thought dual cores were over the top, get ready. Intel presents the Core 2 Extreme QX6700, a single CPU with four distinct processing cores. At $999, the first quad-core CPU will remain an enthusiast part for a while, but as a glimpse of the future, it's clear that clock speed is out and core counts are in.TAGS:Intel Core 2 Extreme, multi-core, quad-core, digital media, clock speed, dual-core, Intel, Intel Core 2 Duo, CPU, AMD, PC
Reviewed on February 12, 2009We expect anyone who purchases the Dell XPS 625 will be pleased with its robust midrange gaming components and the software that makes it easy to overclock them. We just wish Dell had been more aggressive with its pricing and that you didn't have to spend more money to make the most of this system's standout features.TAGS:Gateway Inc., Dell XPS, Dell, AMD, motherboard, chipset, 64-bit, Intel, PC
Reviewed on September 29, 2009Extra performance by way of a low-wattage AMD chip helps Averatec's D1133 All-In-One stand out from its dismal Nettop competition, but it remains a below-average deal in the grand scheme of budget desktops. We see the appeal of Netbooks, but the benefits of Nettops like this Averatec continue to elude us.TAGS:Averatec, Lenovo, graphics chip, touch screen, AMD Athlon, ATI Technologies, speakers, LCD, movie, CPU, AMD, PC
Reviewed on February 26, 2009Maingear's X-Cube small form factor game PC has received a cleverly redesigned case and boasts strong bang for the buck in its niche. We wouldn't necessarily pick this configuration, and you can find a better deal in a standard-size gaming desktop, but you still might be charmed by its unique looks and its decent value.TAGS:Maingear, Velocity Micro, ATI Radeon, AMD, ATI Technologies, motherboard, Intel, games, CPU, hard drive, PC
Reviewed on January 30, 2008The 3D graphics card market changes too rapidly for us to get bullish about a card with premature driver software. The ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 shows promise, even outscoring Nvidia on many PC games, but we would still wait until AMD works out the kinks before handing over your $450.TAGS:Call of Duty, Radeon, ATI Radeon, ATI Technologies, Nvidia GeForce, NVidia, AMD, Unreal Tournament, DirectX, games, card, video card, PC
Reviewed on July 20, 2006You'll want to give Shuttle's new AMD-based, small-form-factor gaming PC a week or two to see how the coming Athlon price drop will affect the price tag. Assuming that Shuttle continues its aggressive pricing, however, the XPC P2 2700 will deliver lots of bang for your buck.TAGS:Maingear, Intel Core 2 Duo, media card reader, AMD, pricing, Nvidia GeForce, Intel, AMD Athlon, games, video card, CPU, PC
March 14, 2007Even if consumers aren't ready, AMD is pushing ahead with branding campaign for devices designed to work with entertainment PCs.TAGS:AMD Live, Entertainment PC, AMD, set-top box, set-top, PC, TV