Shop for desktops

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 31 reviews

The Bottom Line: Gateway's SX2800-01 offers a strong combination of performance and features all wrapped up in a design that fully embraces the merits of a slim tower PC. We recommend this system to anyone looking for a fast, affordable desktop for the home office, the living room, or anywhere in between. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.2 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: Acer's Aspire Revo 1600 might be the first Nettop we don't actively dislike. We'd rather have an Xbox 360 in the living room, but the Aspire Revo 1600 would be suitable as a PC for young kids or as a low-profile cloud kiosk. Thanks to its $199 price tag, you won't feel too much remorse if it breaks or you outgrow it. Read review

Specs: Intel Atom N230 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA ION LE, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  2.5 stars Average

  Overall score: 5.7 (2.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 12 reviews

The Bottom Line: With 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. Read review

Specs: AMD Phenom X4 9750 (2.4 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 15 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Acer X1700-U3700A is slightly slower than the competition, but it gives you almost every component you need in either a basic desktop or a light-duty home theater PC. If you prefer functionality to performance, we recommend this model out of the three systems in the current lineup. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 (2.4 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce G100, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  2.5 stars Average

  Overall score: 5.2 (2.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: The HP Pavilion Slimline s5220y provides adequate performance for light-duty media editing and entertainment, but its slim tower case leaves little room for future upgrades, leading us to recommend the older Gateway SX2800-01 that offers more features and better components. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3100, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  2.5 stars Average

  Overall score: 5.5 (2.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: At first glance, the eMachines ET1161-07 seems like a decent setup, but a laundry list of subpar components running on 32-bit Windows Vista just can't keep up with other similarly priced systems that give you much faster performance and higher-quality components for just $100 more. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Asus Essentio is perhaps the best conceived of the recent round of living-room-friendly slim tower desktops. It's just powerful enough, and it comes with the right mix of features to allow it to do what living room PCs do best, without overreaching. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Manufacturer description: Unleash the multimedia power of the Gateway DX series, with robust features like powerful dual-core processing, hefty memory and a large hard drive. This potent has everything you need to ... Read more

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 805 (2.5 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 3200, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Media center

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: AMD Athlon 2650E (1.6 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB, Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1, 32-Bit

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.5 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: At 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. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Manufacturer description: The HP Pavilion p6200 desktop PC series delivers all round performance and impressive ease-of-use, all wrapped up in a classic, timeless design.

Specs: AMD Athlon II X4 620 (2.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9100, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 33 reviews

The Bottom Line: With new polish and a whole lot of bang for the buck, HP's new Pavilion Slimline s3020n leads the small PC field overall. The glossy black chassis, added expandability, and even a new keyboard make this system attractive both inside and out. Read review

Specs: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 3 reviews

Manufacturer description: Cutting-edge performance, uncompromised reliability, user-centric utilities, all these values encapsulated with a stunningly futuristic chassis of form and function. Meet the ASUS Essentio CG5270 desktop, designed to deliver your foes ... Read more

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 (2.5 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Manufacturer description: The HP Pavilion p6200 desktop PC series delivers all round performance and impressive ease-of-use, all wrapped up in a classic, timeless design.

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 810 (2.6 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4200, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: The 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. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Manufacturer description: The Gateway SX2800-03 desktop: so small you can fit it almost anywhere. So powerful, you can speed through the hottest digital media, content creation tasks and 3D gaming. You have ... Read more

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 22 reviews

The Bottom Line: 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. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300 (2.1 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, EPEAT Gold, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: Gateway's affordable One ZX4800-02 all-in-one isn't the most feature-rich desktop at this price, but it's fast and capable enough that it will handle most basic consumer tasks with aplomb. Don't get too excited about its touch screen, but there's enough to like about this system that we can recommend it as an everyday PC. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium T4300 (2.1 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

• CNET Editor rating:
  2.5 stars Average

  Overall score: 5.9 (2.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: With 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 in regards to both performance and features. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3100, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Manufacturer description: Everything you want and nothing you don't. The Inspiron 545s slim desktop gives you the power to personalize everything down to the chassis color.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3100, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.5 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: HP's Pavilion p6110y isn't necessarily an offensive system, and its case might even entice you to give it a second look. We just wish HP had taken a more substantive approach to help this desktop stand out. Its FireWire port might sway you, but otherwise you can find more interesting features from other PCs on the shelf. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3100, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 37 reviews

The Bottom Line: The 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. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews

Manufacturer description: Take control of your entertainment. The RZ54G is built to handle all of your digital entertainment needs. For the video collectors, transfer all your old videotapes to your hard-drive, pause, ... Read more

Specs: Intel Pentium 4 (3.2 GHz), 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 200 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, Media center

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 2 reviews

Manufacturer description: HP Compaq Presario CQ5200 desktop PC series is perfect for those in search of simplicity, reliability and value-for-money in a stylish-looking desktop PC.

Specs: AMD Athlon II X2 215 (2.7 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.1 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: Gateway's DX4300-03 is a game attempt at a digital media hub-style PC, but the value proposition just isn't here. Slow performance in particular drags this desktop down, and unless you particularly value a TV tuner, you'll find faster, more capable computers not much farther down the retail shelf. Read review

Specs: AMD Phenom X4 9750 (2.4 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4650, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer