Find The Right Computer Systems

HP Pavilion Slimline s5310y

With poor system performance and a severe drought in features, we recommend leaving this clunker on the shelf and picking up the Gateway SX2840-01, a highly capable budget desktop with a faster processor chip, a bigger hard drive, and a larger variety of connectivity options inside and out.

Specs: AMD Athlon II X2 250 / 3 GHz, 4 GB / 4 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None., nVidia GeForce 6 series

Gateway SX2840-01

Gateway's SX2840-01 remains the budget PC to beat. Its combination of small size, fast performance, and living room competence makes it one of the most flexible desktops on the market. That it has room to upgrade makes the deal that much sweeter. We recommend this desktop to anyone looking for a powerful, versatile low-cost computer.

Specs: Intel Core i3 530 / 2.93 GHz, 6 GB / 8 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

HP Pavilion All-in-One MS225

Don't expect the world from HP's low-cost Pavilion All-in-One MS2255, but as a basic day-to-day PC for light-duty productivity or Web and media accessibility in the kitchen, it's a very good deal. You'd be wise to look here before considering an Atom-based Nettop.

Specs: AMD Athlon II X2 250 / 1.6 GHz, 4 GB / 4 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, LCD display - TFT active matrix

Apple Mac Mini (2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 160GB, Fall 2009)

The lower-cost Mac Mini offers respectable budget performance and Apple's usual compelling design, but a puny hard drive and a lack of HDMI hurt this system's value and overall potential. It's actually more versatile next to its budget-priced Windows competition than the higher-end Mac Mini, but this entry-level Mac is still best left to Apple loyalists.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz, 2 GB / 4 GB (max), Apple MacOS X 10.6, None. - TFT active matrix, nVidia GeForce 9 series, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

Dell Inspiron Zino HD

In the right configuration, Dell's Inspiron Zino HD will fit seamlessly into your living room as a PC-based video source. Due to its uneven handling of even standard-def video, this $468 build isn't quite up to the task. Fortunately, Dell offers the right upgrades to get you to the hallowed ground of PC-based video content--just be prepared to spend a little bit more to get there.

Specs: AMD Athlon 2650E / 1.6 GHz, 2 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1, 32-Bit

Gateway DX4300-11

We're fond of the Gateway DX4300-11's clever design, but halfhearted performance scores mar its overall worth. The TV tuner and 1TB hard drive may tempt you to stick it in your living room as a media center PC, but your money is better spent on the Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004.

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 805 / 2.5 GHz, 8 GB / 8 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None., ATi Radeon HD 3200 series

Asus Essentio CG5270-BP004

Massive 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.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 / 2.5 GHz, 8 GB / 16 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None.

HP Pavilion P6230y

The 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.

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 810 / 2.6 GHz, 8 GB / 16 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None., ATi Radeon HD 4200 series

Gateway One ZX4800-02

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.

Specs: Intel Pentium T4300 / 2.1 GHz, 4 GB / 4 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, LCD display - TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Gateway DX4822-01

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.

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 / 2.6 GHz, 6 GB / 8 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None.

Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003

At a glance, the Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 offers adequate performance compared with 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.

Specs: Intel Pentium E5300 / 2.6 GHz, 6 GB / 16 GB (max), Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None.

Averatec All-In-One D1130 (black)

The Averatec D1130's wimpy processor and paltry features give consumers little incentive to choose this Nettop over a faster budget PC or the mobility of a Netbook. If you're dead-set on a Nettop, the Lenovo C300 is a less terrible decision, but you can stretch your dollar much further with a budget slim tower system like the Gateway SX2800-01.

Specs: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz, 1 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, LCD display - TFT active matrix

Acer Aspire Revo AR1600-U910H

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.

Specs: Intel Atom N230 / 1.6 GHz, 1 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, None., nVidia Ion, EPA Energy Star

Averatec All-In-One D1130 (white)

The Averatec D1130's wimpy processor and paltry features give consumers little incentive to choose this Nettop over a faster budget PC or the mobility of a Netbook. If you're dead-set on a Nettop, the Lenovo C300 is a less terrible decision, but you can stretch your dollar much further with a budget slim tower system like the Gateway SX2800-01.

Specs: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz, 1 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, LCD display - TFT active matrix

Asus Eee Top ET2002

Nvidia's Ion graphics chip gives the Asus Eee Top ET2002 better-than-average video performance for a Nettop, but that does little to spare this system from its weak overall performance and the variety of competitive, more well-rounded alternatives for low-cost video and gaming. Nettops might be competitive someday, but for now this category as a whole is a disappointment.

Specs: Intel Atom 330 / 1.6 GHz, 2 GB, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium / Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Option, LCD display - TFT active matrix, nVidia Ion

Psystar Open(Q)

If you've heard of Psystar, chances are you know the risks involved with buying its systems. You might also have guessed, correctly, that in this OS X Snow Leopard-based Open(Q) system, Psystar once again shows up Apple in the price-performance department. There's little else to recommend this spare system, but if fast and cheap OS X is what you need, Psystar has you covered, at least for as long as it's still around.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 / 2.33 GHz, 4 GB / 8 GB (max), Apple MacOS X 10.6, nVidia GeForce 9 series

Averatec D1133 All-In-One

Extra 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.

Specs: AMD Athlon X2 3250e / 1.5 GHz, 2 GB / 4 GB (max), Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, LCD display - TFT active matrix

Acer Aspire M3800-U3802A

Despite 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.

Specs: Intel Pentium E5200 / 2.5 GHz, 4 GB / 8 GB (max), Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, None.

eMachines EZ1601-01

If 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.

Specs: Intel Atom N270 / 1.6 GHz, 1 GB, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, LCD display - TFT active matrix

HP Pavilion Elite e9120y

We've never loved HP's Pavilion Elite PCs, and this desktop offers the same scattershot configuration that has always put us off. That said, we suspect a dorm room might actually be an appropriate place for a midtower that offers acceptable speed on top of Blu-ray capability. Just know that faster, more specialized desktops are available for less.