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 a slower performance rating over 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, Ethernet LAN, HP, Ethernet, AMD, Intel, CPU, PC
Reviewed on November 20, 2009The Gateway DX-4822-01 makes a convincing pitch with the performance numbers and features to earn its place in your home, but if you're not tied to the midtower design, the older Gateway SX2800-01 offers faster speeds and the option to set it up as a media center PC.TAGS:Gateway Inc., graphics chip, clock speed, ASUS, Apple iTunes, Intel, PC, hard drive
Reviewed on November 19, 2009At a glance, the Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 offers adequate performance compared to other midtower budget desktops, but an older Gateway outshines Asus with faster performance and more versatility for a little more, leaving us unenthusiastic about this system.TAGS:graphics chip, ASUS, Gateway Inc., Gigabit Ethernet, 64-bit, Dell Inspiron, Ethernet, Intel, Intel Pentium, CPU, Dell
Reviewed on January 16, 2009Nvidia's GeForce GTX 295 is the single fastest 3D card on the market, and for a relatively aggressive price. Added bonuses like power efficiency and PhysX support sweeten the deal, but even without those extra benefits, we'd still recommend this card for its processing power and comparative value.TAGS:NVidia, Nvidia GeForce, power consumption, Radeon, graphics chip, ATI Technologies, DirectX, manufacturing, card, gamer, PC
Reviewed on August 19, 2009Despite its quirky case design, Acer's Aspire M3800-U3802A is an affordable, feature-competitive midtower that you might find appealing if you're in the market for a cost-effective desktop to use for upgrading. If you want the best PC for your dollar, you can spend just a bit more on another system and get much faster performance.TAGS:Acer Aspire, Acer Inc., graphics chip, Gateway Inc., tray, Intel, Intel Core 2 Duo, 64-bit, CPU
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, graphics chip, Blu-ray, Dell XPS, Dell Inspiron, quad-core, Dell, Gateway Inc., AMD, PC
Reviewed on November 6, 2009With similar results as its ancestors, the Dell Inspiron 545s-1476N registers decent benchmarks and offers respectable upgradability, but we hesitate to recommend it over the older Gateway SX2800-01 that leaves Dell in the dust regarding both performance and features.TAGS:HP Pavilion SlimLine, Dell Inspiron, Gateway Inc., graphics chip, Dell, Ethernet LAN, Ethernet, HP Pavilion, Intel, HP, PC
Reviewed on August 17, 2009If you must buy a Nettop, the eMachines EZ1601-01's large screen and category-competitive components make a decent argument for its value among other systems like it. One look at a true budget desktop, or even a Netbook, and the appeal of this system diminishes quickly.TAGS:eMachines Inc., ASUS, graphics chip, optical drive, display, 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, speakers, ATI Technologies, movie, CPU, LCD, AMD, PC