Best Desktop Computers

Best budget desktops under $800

Although lots of buyers and reviewers have been smitten with all-in-one desktops -- which combine the computer and monitor in one case -- traditional desktops offer more bang for your buck. They might not be as compact as all-in-one computers, but traditional desktops are less expensive and easier to upgrade down the road. Compact desktop computers, which have streamlined towers that are smaller and sleeker than full-size models, are also becoming increasingly popular. Keep in mind, however, that their small cases make upgrades more of a challenge (because there's less physical room inside the case to maneuver). Note than none of the PCs discussed in this section include a monitor, although all ship with a keyboard and mouse.

Among traditional desktop computers, the HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1060 (*Est. $770) earns the best reviews in its price range. As you might have deduced from the name, the Slimline s5-1060 comes with a sleek, slim tower. Mark Kyrnin at About.com rates the system highly, giving it a 4 out of 5 star rating, and it lands on various top 10 lists at CNET and PC World despite garnering only average review scores at the sites.

The Slimline s5-1060 costs more than any of the other traditional desktops in this report. That extra cash brings you extra features that you won't find in many budget PCs, including a step up to a beefier quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6450 graphics card with 512 MB of onboard memory, a Blu-ray drive, built-in Wi-Fi, an infrared media remote control and an HDTV tuner card. In addition, it boasts 6 GB of RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, a multi-card reader, 7.1 channel onboard audio and HDMI and DVI outputs. Critics say the PC's thin form limits users' ability to expand the system; for example, although there are two open PCIe x1 slots, they are hidden behind the computer's fans, and while About.com's Kyrnin appreciates the fact that there are four memory slots for RAM expansion, he dislikes that HP placed them in a hard-to-reach place underneath the optical drive. At this price, reviewers miss the lack of advanced connections, such as Bluetooth or Firewire, eSATA or USB 3.0 ports, especially given the limited upgrade capabilities.

The HP Pavilion Slimline S5-1060 achieves a respectable 47.4 frames per second in PC World's "Unreal Tournament 3" benchmarks, whereas many other budget PCs aren't even capable of playing a game at more than a 5 to 10 FPS clip. Critics say the graphics card's limited 512 MB of memory keeps the card from playing top-shelf games like Metro 2033, and the case's cramped spaces combined with the 270-watt power supply makes it impossible to install a high-end graphics card in the desktop. The Slimline S5-1060 plays back Blu-ray movies and HD video files like a champ, however, and the Core i5 processor teamed with the 6 GB of RAM handles everyday tasks -- including data intensive tasks like media creation -- smoothly. "If you're looking for a basic home and entertainment machine, this machine packs a decent punch for a pretty good price," Sarah Jacobsson Purewal writes at PC World -- a comment echoed by the other reviewers.

Two Best Buy-exclusive desktops also earn high marks. The Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU (*Est. $580) earns an Editors' Choice award from PCMag.com, and high praise from BestBuy.com users." If you need to replace that six-year-old PC with something new, put the K330-11691AU at the top of your shopping list. It's all that and a bag of chips," Joel Santo Domingo writes at PCMag.com, which gives the computer a 4 out of 5 star rating. Considering its budget-friendly price, the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU has a good selection of components, including 8 GB of memory, a large 1 TB hard drive and a dual-core Intel "Sandy Bridge" 3.1 GHz Core i3 processor with Intel's Hyper-Threading technology, "so it performs like a true quad-core processor with only two real cores," according to Santo Domingo. A DVD burner, HDMI port, media card reader and Windows 7 Home Premium come standard.

Unlike compact desktops like the HP Pavilion Slimline s5-1060, the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU includes plenty of open space for upgrades and expansion, including an open optical bay, an open hard drive slot, three PCIe x1 slots, a PCIe x16 slot, and blue highlights to show you where upgrades go. Performance is very good for a desktop PC in this price range, at least as far as basic tasks go. The computer handily beat PCMag.com's former Editors' Choice for best mid-range desktop in Photoshop and Handbrake benchmark tests, and it can stream HD video smoothly. It's not all roses, though; the computer's integrated graphics struggled when PCMag.com tried to play "Crysis," chugging along at a paltry -- and unplayable -- 12 frames per second.

Santo Domingo says those results top the 3D performance of other budget desktops, however. A dedicated graphics card would boost the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU's gaming capabilities, but while the PC has plenty of room for expansion, its 280-watt power supply can only handle the addition of the most basic graphics cards. If you want to install a high-end graphics option, you'll need to install a more potent power supply at the same time. One BestBuy.com user did exactly that and reports that the reconfigured machine is "great for PC gaming." Like most budget desktops, the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU lacks high-speed ports such as eSATA, Firewire or USB 3.0, but there is plenty of room on the interior to add anything you need, and it also lacks any of the bloatware (unwanted applications that come preinstalled) that plagues many PCs. The limited availability of the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU – again, it's a Best Buy exclusive – may turn off some would-be purchasers.

If your budget is tight, the Dell Inspiron i620-228NBK (*Est. $480), another Best Buy exclusive, is about as cheap as you can get without making major performance sacrifices or moving into nettop territory. It earns an Editors' Choice award from PCMag.com, where Joel Santo Domingo says it's the best entry-level desktop available, and lands on a list of the top desktops at another online reviewer.

Although Santo Domingo admits the Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU sports more RAM and a larger hard drive, he says the Inspiron i620-228NBK's low price and included Wi-Fi make it more compelling for value shoppers on tight budgets. It comes with a 1 TB hard drive, 4 GB of memory, and the same Intel Core i3 processor as the IdeaCentre K330-11691AU, along with eight USB ports, HDMI and VGA outputs and an optical drive. A spacious tower means expansion is also possible, and the 300-watt power supply provides slightly more oomph than the HP Pavilion p7-1030's 250-watt model.

Though serious gaming is pretty much out of the question, tests at PCMag.com and elsewhere show that the Dell Inspiron i620-228NBK performs very well in most other respects, with plenty of performance for surfing the web or composing documents. There are a few quibbles, though; for example, critics and users alike say the Inspiron i620-228NBK runs a bit loud.