Reviewed on May 1, 2008A 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.TAGS:Apple iMac, bus, Intel Core 2 Duo, Adobe PhotoShop, Apple Computer, Gateway Inc., 3D, CPU, video card, Intel, PC
Reviewed on January 27, 2009Maingear's Ephex is the fastest PC we've reviewed, and also the most expensive. You can find better service policies from other boutique PC vendors, but the Ephex's overall speed and build quality are enough for us to recommend it to those in the market for the best desktop they can find.TAGS:Maingear, Intel Core Microarchitecture, LightScribe, Blu-ray, 64-bit, PC, video card, games, Intel, hard drive
Reviewed on September 8, 2005The competitively priced OptiPlex GX620 is powerful enough for most business users, and its wide-ranging configuration options, including four case choices, mean it can fill a variety of office needs.TAGS:Dell Optiplex, Dell, Intel Pentium, video card, PCI, Intel, PC
Reviewed on February 13, 2009The affordable Gateway LX6810-01 scores high points for offering high-end components right off the shelf. We recommend this system for multimedia editors and light gamers who can make use of its hard-working Nvidia 3D card and full 8GB of RAM. However, if you're looking more at straightforward performance, Dell offers a system with a faster CPU and a similar feature set for about the same price.TAGS:Gateway Inc., optical drive, microphone, Serial ATA, networking, gamer, FireWire, video card, Dell
Reviewed on September 5, 2007HP's Blackbird 002 earns the highest rating this editor has ever given a desktop PC. Its design rivals the Apple Mac Pro, it takes risks that benefit your upgrade path, it's fast, and it's competitively priced. If you can afford it, and you want a high-end gaming PC, buy this one. End of story.TAGS:Voodoo, latch, media card reader, DNA, HP, video card, gamer, power supply, hard drive, games, Apple Macintosh, PC
Reviewed on November 26, 2008It may look like your standard Netbook, but the Asus N10J is unique because underneath it features discrete, switchable graphics. You'll pay a bit more for the privilege, but the end result works for gaming on the go, as long as you don't mind dialing down your game settings.TAGS:Netbook, ASUS, keyboard, Intel, key, CPU, Nvidia GeForce, video card, games, operating system, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed on June 23, 2009Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 is unique mostly for the fact that it's the smallest system we know of to offer multigraphics card support and Intel Core i7 CPUs. If its options sound gamer-friendly, its price and configuration quirks are decided turn-offs. Unless you demand this particular balance of size and power, we'd look elsewhere.TAGS:Maingear, price tag, 32-bit, video card, operating system
Reviewed on September 7, 2007HP's new digital-media-oriented Pavilion Elite m9040n is fast, loaded with features, and its new looks and newly integrated receivers improve its profile. Our main issue is the redundant bays for two of HP's proprietary external hard drives. If you can get past that, there's a solid desktop here.TAGS:HP Pavilion, quad-core, wireless networking, digital media, HP, Media Center PC, video card, TV, hard drive
Reviewed on March 19, 2009Apple's new eight-core Mac Pro demonstrates marked improvements over the older model in high-intensity digital media and multitasking scenarios. We also love the design tweaks that improve on Apple's already industry-leading sensibilities. Any Apple-bound design professional would welcome this new tool in his or her arsenal.TAGS:tray, Apple Macintosh, digital media, Apple Computer, CPU, motherboard, memory, card, NVidia, video card, hard drive, Microsoft Windows
Reviewed on November 21, 2007Despite the usual caveats of an ever-fluctuating 3D market, for the moment, at least, ATI's new Radeon HD 3850 graphics card delivers the best bang-for-the buck in PC graphics hardware. Until now we haven't had an acceptable sub-$200 option for PC gaming this year. Thanks to AMD, now we do.TAGS:Radeon, DirectX, ATI Technologies, card, Nvidia GeForce, video card, NVidia, motherboard, games, PC
Reviewed on February 21, 2009HP's Firebird 803 brings the influence of its Voodoo PC acquisition to the mainstream with a compelling design, admirable power efficiency, and strong bang-for-the-buck. What it lacks is any sort of graphics upgrade path. For some, the limited upgradeability kills the deal. For those still interested, this PC offers a complete gaming PC with conversation-piece design.TAGS:HP Firebird, Voodoo, design, HP, power supply, PC, games, video card