Find The Right Desktops

Maingear Shift

Maingear's Shift is the boutique vendor's new flagship gaming PC. It brings almost everything we expect to find in such a system, from expert craftsmanship to fast overclocking to a case that makes a statement. We found a few minor sticking points, but, on the whole, this PC sits comfortably alongside the top tier of luxury gaming boxes, and we recommend it if you have the means.

Specs: Intel Core i7 960 (3.86 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1500 GB Standard, 2x ATI Radeon HD 5870

Sony Vaio L117FX (Core 2 Quad Q8400s 2.66GHz, 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 7 Home Premium)

Earlier this year Sony was the unquestioned king of all-in-ones designed for home entertainment. The new Vaio L117FX retains and improves on many of the features we liked about older models, but revamped all-in-ones from its competition make the new Vaio seem a touch overpriced.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S (2.66 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Media center

Dell Studio XPS 8000

The Dell Studio XPS 8000 offers a strong combination of midrange performance parts that should satisfy anyone looking for a midtower desktop for general productivity, digital media editing, or gaming. It lacks a few performance-oriented extras, but it makes up for any deficiencies with its attractive looks.

Specs: Intel CORE I5 750 (2.66 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1000 GB Standard, nVidia GeForce GTX260 1792MB GDDR3, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English

ZT Affinity 7334Ma (Phenom 2 X4 945 3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Vista Home Premium 64-bit)

The $799 ZT Affinity 7334Ma's stellar performance benchmarks, Blu-ray drive, and plenty of room for expansion give it a step up from the competition. ZT still needs help in the external design department, but this system certainly earns our recommendation as a workhorse do-it-all system.

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 945 (3 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4200, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Gateway One ZX6810-01

The Gateway One ZX6810-01 makes a strong first impression for Windows 7-based all-in-ones PCs, with fast performance and an attractive case design. Its touch input and accompanying applications fall flat, but there's enough respectable computer here that it's worth a look. Our only suggestion is that you wait to inspect the rest of the new Windows 7 crowd once they are released.

Specs: Intel Core i7 Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, RADEON HD 4670, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition

Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7)

Velocity Micro's Edge Z30 is the best deal going right now for midlevel gaming PCs featuring Intel's new Core i7 chips. The overclocked Core i7 860, a fast Nvidia graphics card, and a solid selection of features all around make it easy for us to recommend this system to anyone looking for a capable gaming desktop.

Specs: Intel Core i7 860 (2.8 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

Dell Studio XPS 9000 (formerly XPS 435)

The Dell Studio XPS 435 successfully overcomes our bias against desktops that claim to be experts at everything through charming case design and a strong configuration at a relatively fair price. It misses greatness because of a handful of minor missteps, but if you need a do-it-all mainstream tower system, this Dell more or less covers all the bases.

Specs: Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1000 GB Standard, nVidia GeForce GTX 260 1792MB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, Personal computer

Asus Essentio CG5270-BP003

Don't let the overlarge case get you too excited, but Asus has put together a compelling budget gaming PC with the Essentio CG5270-BP003. With fast gaming and general application performance, as well as a competitive price, this desktop will satisfy any aspiring PC gamer looking to save a buck.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 (2.5 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 220, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

Gateway DX4300-03

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.

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

Digital Storm 950Si (Intel Core i7)

Digital Storm's 950Si has all the makings of a quality performance gaming system, but its value proposition comes up just a bit short. The stable-yet-aggressively overclocked CPU tells us that Digital Storm knows what it's doing, and with a more competitive price it would earn a more enthusiastic recommendation.

Specs: Intel Core i7 920 (3.79 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

ZT Affinity 7308Ma

ZT'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.

Specs: AMD Phenom II X4 920 (2.8 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM

Velocity Micro Edge Z-5 (Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 Overclocked)

By tweaking its internal components to achieve maximum 3D performance, Velocity Micro has made its $999 Edge Z5 one of the most impressive lower-end gaming desktops we've ever seen. As long as you don't mind sacrificing a bit of productivity speed to get it, we recommend this system to any PC gamer on a budget.

Specs: Intel Quad-Core Q9400 (2.66 GHz), 4 GB, 750 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

Maingear Ephex (Intel Core i7 965)

Maingear'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.

Specs: Intel Core i7 965 (3.925 GHz), 12 GB DDR3 SDRAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition

Velocity Micro Edge Z-55 (Intel Core i7-920)

Velocity Micro's Edge Z55 provides a powerful example of the leap ahead in performance afforded by Intel's new Core i7 CPUs. Velocity Micro's own overclocking efforts don't hurt either. Any PC gamer would love to make this upper midrange desktop their own.

HP Pavilion m8120n Media Center TV

The HP Pavilion Media Center m8120n boasts a quad-core Intel processor and outstanding overall performance, particularly for the price. Media consumers and creators alike will love its speed and AV connections but may rue the lack of a next-gen optical drive.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz), 3 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 7350 LE, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Media center

Velocity Micro CineMagix Grand Theater

Velocity Micro's first full-fledged home theater PC pulls very few punches in providing a complete digital media experience. It's big, it lacks a built-in audio receiver, and it invites PC gaming into the living room, which has never been the best fit. It's also the victim of a few Vista-related growing pains. On balance, though, Velocity Micro has as complete a home theater PC as we've seen.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad Core (2.4 GHz), 2 GB, 400 GB Standard, NVidia GeForce 8800GTS, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Velocity Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC

We have one major issue with the Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition (the price), and two minor ones (it's loud, for one), but those aside, this is one of the most feature-complete high-end desktops we've reviewed. Its performance is media-creation- and game-minded, and anyone buying it for those or almost any other purposes won't be disappointed.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (2.66 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 150 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Personal computer

Dell XPS 630 Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, 500GB HDD, 4GB)

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (3.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, 1024MB, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Bonus

Dell XPS 630 Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, 500GB HDD, 2GB)

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, 1024MB, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Bonus

iBuyPower Gamer Power 511 - Athlon II X2 240 2.8 GHz

Specs: AMD Athlon II X2 240 (2.8 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4650, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition / Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Option, Personal computer