Best Desktops

The 18.5-inch MS214 delivers a decent mix of features, performance, and price--so long as you can do without a touchscreen and slow networking.

The Bottom Line

This PC is a robust and swooping with silver metal stand which makes this system portable and footprint of this model is very small. The graphics in this system is fine. *

The screen looks good at a variety of viewing angles. *

The screen is nice and bright, and evenly lit, offering very good viewing angles, contrast levels and colour saturation. *

Even simple tasks such as importing photos from a memory card are easier. *

The bottom line: 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.

In spite of a lapse in connection options and limited upgradability, the SX2840-01 is a speedy little monster with a budget price.

We were unable to run our 3DMark Vantage test—as was the case with the SX2800-01, the test consistently crashed before completion. The bundled USB mouse is very light and basic, sporting two buttons and a scroll wheel, but it works well. *

Mar 5 2010 - Gateway's SX2840-01 is certainly a bargain for those looking into a small desktop system with solid performance at a reasonable price. The Core i3 dual-core processor provides some outstanding performance that tops just about every one slim desktop on the market right now and for just $560. The large hard drive is also useful for those needing to store lots of data. There is still room for improvement though with the SX2840-01 as it still uses integrated graphics and does not f...

The bottom line:
I like the new Gateway . It’s tough to find anything about it that’s particularly noteworthy, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s not an unattractive machine, and the small size of the case would fit well in the corner of the dining room, or in a dorm room. The best part about it is the price: the MSRP of $559 makes it a reasonable purchase for anyone who needs a computer that will cover the basics. The tough part is deciding if you’d be happier with a netbook or inexpensive ...

The Studio XPS 8100 is a solid all-around performer with good connectivity and a bundled 120Hz Samsung LCD and nVidia 3D glasses. Just don't count on making upgrades.

Feb 4 2010 - Dell's Studio XPS 8100 is a step between their more general purpose Studio desktop and they gaming oriented XPS 9000. It offers a strong level of performance thanks to the new less expensive H57 chipset and Core i7 processor. Dell also offers a high level of customization for users to get more or less of memory, hard drive, optical drives and video cards. The downside is that the case doesn't have the fit and finish of the 9000 model and it lacks the features to really make it ...

It's nice to see Dell put the audio jacks on top of the machine; most consumers these days tend to put the computer tower either on the floor or on a shelf below their working surfaces, and having the two USB ports plus the audio jacks positioned here makes them much easier to access from above. There are two free traditionally-fixed drive bays left open - one 5.25-inch, perfect for a Blu-ray unit or second DVD burner and one 3.5-inch suitable for more storage space. *

The entire memory slots are full as well. *

Lenovo's ThinkCentre A70z is designed primarily for business users, but it's also good value for students and home users who want something inexpensive that will be quick and won't take up much space. It performed well in our tests and will be suitable for running office applications, image editing and video apps. We just wish it had a built-in Wi-Fi adapter and an SD card reader.

The brightness and contrast are good enough to view photos; there is some colour shift when viewing the screen from the sides, but whatever is being displayed is still clearly visible. Nice screen. *

The hard drive capacity is 320 GB which is more than adequate for the performance level of the machine. The screen comes with two brightness buttons allowing the user to set brightness for whatever conditions are present. *

All in one monitor is just 2.4 inches in thickness so its sure is slim and compact and occupies less desk space and also you are free to keep it where ever you want, you can mount it on a wall keep it over your desk or anywhere you need and also it comes with a hieght adjustable stand. *

The DX4300 is pretty capable as is. *

You will be able to enjoy the power of the AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core Processor. *

The right side of the box is solid, as that's the side of the computer on which the motherboard can be found, taking up all of that side. The rest of the computer's face is sleek and understated; the optical drive bays are covered with more plastic to match the rest of the facade, but it manages to look nice without ending up too tacky. *

The rest of the computer's face is sleek and understated; the optical drive bays are covered with more plastic to match the rest of the facade, but it manages to look nice without ending up too tacky. The right side of the box is solid, as that's the side of the computer on which the motherboard can be found, taking up all of that side. Resolution Minimum framerate Maximum framerate Average framerate
1440x900 23 fps 60 fps 40.394 fps
1680x1050 20 fps 45 fps 32.225 fps
1920*... *