Desktops

HP Pavilion Elite m9300t
At its heart, the HP Pavilion Elite m9300t is a fast, competitive midtower desktop with lots of flexibility in its configuration. You just have to wade through some clunky design and a few components you might not want in order to find it.
Specs: Intel Q6600 (2.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, 800 MHz, 512 MB

eMachines W3653 with Monitor
The eMachines W3653 is a budget desktop computer that also includes an LCD. Because of the bundled display, this system ends up with an inflated price tag. We'd highly recommend you shop for a standalone low-end system instead.
Specs: Intel Celeron Dual Core E1200 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, 17 in, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Tower, 667 MHz, Celeron Dual Core, 1 year warranty, Personal computer

Apple iMac (20-inch, 2.4GHz)
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.
Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, 20 in, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.5, All-in-one, 800 MHz, Core 2 Duo, 1 year warranty, Personal computer, 128 MB

Gateway DX4200-UB001A
We can forgive Gateway for cramming the DX4200 with more memory than it needs simply because its specs and overall performance are the best in its price class. Of the various do-it-all lower midrange PCs out there, this one gets our nod.
Specs: AMD Phenom X4 9550 (2.2 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Tower, 667 MHz, Phenom X4, 1 year warranty, Personal computer, 256 MB

Gateway GT5692
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.
Specs: AMD Phenom X3 8450 (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Tower, 667 MHz, Phenom X3, 1 year warranty, Personal computer

Asus Eee Box (white)
Despite a few useful features, the Asus Eee Box is a novelty at best. It can't come close to the same performance and robustness of even the most basic standard budget PC, and a low-end laptop can do everything it can do and more. The appeal of Asus' Eee PC does not carry over to the Eee Box.

Asus Eee Box (black)
Despite a few useful features, the Asus Eee Box is a novelty at best. It can't come close to the same performance and robustness of even the most basic standard budget PC, and a low-end laptop can do everything it can do and more. The appeal of Asus' Eee PC does not carry over to the Eee Box.

Dell Inspiron 518
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.
Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, 667 MHz, Core 2 Quad, 256 MB

Dell Studio Hybrid
If you're considering all of the computers in the $700 to $1,000 price range, the Dell Studio Hybrid is not very compelling. However, if you limit yourself to the very specific niche of small PCs, you'll appreciate this system's clever design and its relatively powerful hardware.
Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.1 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, 667 MHz, Core 2 Duo

Gateway FX4710
The Gateway FX4710 provides enough performance to get you through most of today's games and multimedia software, but the ahead-of-its time memory is wasted on current applications. You can make your PC dollar go further today on a desktop with a more balanced configuration.
Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 (2.5 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Tower, 667 MHz, Core 2 Quad, 1 year warranty, Personal computer, Max 2 x 2 GB module, 512 MB