All Desktops

The Bottom Line: The Asus Essentio CM5570-AP002 isn't an overly remarkable desktop, but it has a few extra features that help it stand out. Its Wi-Fi and HDMI video out port give it some unique capabilities, and the best part is that Asus still manages to keep the price down. It's hard not to like this system, even though we wish Asus had more comprehensive support.

The Bottom Line: 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.

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.

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

The Bottom Line: Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 is unique mostly for the fact that it's the smallest system we know of to offer multigraphics card support and Intel Core i7 CPUs. If its options sound gamer-friendly, its price and configuration quirks are decided turn-offs. Unless you demand this particular balance of size and power, we'd look elsewhere.

The Bottom Line: We cringe at the idea of recommending such a slow PC when you can get significantly better performance for just a few more dollars. That said, it's hard to argue with the eMachines EL1300G-01w's low price, clean good looks, and relatively complete budget feature set. As long as you have no ambitions for this PC performing anything resembling serious work, it will make a fine second or third home system.

Specs: AMD Athlon 2650e (1.6 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: The heart of Lenovo's IdeaCentre A600 is in the right place, offering a 21.5-inch LCD-based all-in-one for less than $800. But a faster competitor and a careless design turns us off from this particular A600 configuration. You might consider a different A600 build if you can live with the design, but we can't recommend the $749 version.

Specs: Intel Pentium T4200 (2 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Intel GMA 4500, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: HP's Pavilion Slimline S7310t is a great example of the strengths of the slimtower PC. Fast, loaded with features, and attractive enough to put almost anywhere, this SlimLine is a competent, economical alternative to the new crop of affordable all-in-one computers--especially if you already have a display in need of a PC to put it to work.

The Bottom Line: You can find more-cost-effective large-screen all-in-ones for general productivity, but Sony's Vaio LV250B is our favorite for home entertainment. Loaded with unique features geared toward digital media convenience, this system will meet the needs of anyone looking for a PC to use as an entertainment hub.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 (2.80 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM, 500 GB Portable, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, EPA Energy Star, RoHS, EPEAT Silver, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Media center

The Bottom Line: Instead of succumbing to the latest fads, Sony's Vaio's JS250J all-in-one PC stays the course pioneered by its models from last year, delivering capable performance and best-of-breed home entertainment features at a better price than its all-in-one competition. The Vaio JS250J will appeal to anyone in need of a multipurpose home PC.

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (2.5 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS, EPA Energy Star, RoHS, EPEAT Silver, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: 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 (2.80 GHz), 4 GB DDR II SDRAM