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• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: This off-the-shelf version of the Dell Studio Desktop reminds us of a classic Dell computer. This system is faster and better equipped than its competition, and at a better price. You can certainly get away with a cheaper everyday PC, but this one is a bargain among lower midrange desktops. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 2.33 GHz, 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: The Gateway DX4720-03 performs admirably and actually holds its own against triple-core computers thanks to its impressive list of features. It also has plenty of room for internal expansion, so we recommend this budget system if you need the speed but don't crave a ton of CPU power. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (2.5 GHz), 2.5 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 33 reviews

The Bottom Line: A slight bump to the specifications for the same price in addition to a much appreciated option to upgrade the graphics means the 24-inch iMac keeps the Editors' Choice it earned last year when the brushed-aluminum-and-glass design was first introduced. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.8 GHz), 2.8 GHz, EPA Energy Star, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: The Asus Essentio is perhaps the best conceived of the recent round of living-room-friendly slim tower desktops. It's just powerful enough, and it comes with the right mix of features to allow it to do what living room PCs do best, without overreaching. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: By virtue of its price, its desktop processor, and its Blu-ray drive, the Sony Vaio JS190J makes a case for itself as the new king of the all-in-ones. Its screen might be a bit smaller than some, but no other all-in-one, including Apple's iMac, can do as much, as fast, for the same price. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3 GHz), 3 GHz, RoHS, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: 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. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 2 reviews

The Bottom Line: As much as Acer's Aspire X3200 surpasses other pricier PCs with its wide array of useful inputs and outputs, you'll have a hard time choosing between it and its otherwise identical dual-core Acer linemate of the same price. If you're a multitasker on a budget, you'll likely prefer this model's triple-core CPU. Read review

Specs: AMD Phenom X3 8400 (2.1 GHz), 2.1 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 3 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's Inspiron 518 is the latest in a long line of utilitarian, midrange Windows PCs. We wish Dell offered a bit more flexibility with its configuration, as well as a 64-bit Windows option, but for a straightforward PC, this is one of the more powerful systems for the dollar. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz), 2.4 GHz, 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 8 reviews

The Bottom Line: HP's new-and-improved TouchSmart all-in-one PC refines the touch-based concept it introduced last year. Faster all-in-ones, and Apple's iPhone, make the TouchSmart seem a bit behind the times, but the convenient software and its kitchen-friendly design offer functionality that's unavailable elsewhere. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 (2.16 GHz), 2.16 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 19 reviews

The Bottom Line: PC vendors have very few tricks remaining to differentiate their systems from the competition, which makes the built-in Bluetooth in the Dell Inspiron 530 unique. There's little else that makes this system stand out, but if you need Bluetooth in your budget desktop, we can recommend no other. Read review

Specs: Intel Core Duo E2160 (1.8 GHz), 1.8 GHz, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 15 reviews

The Bottom Line: If you're considering all of the computers in the $700 to $1,000 price range, the Dell Studio Hybrid is not very compelling. However, if you limit yourself to the very specific niche of small PCs, you'll appreciate this system's clever design and its relatively powerful hardware. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1 GHz), 2.1 GHz, EPA Energy Star, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 22 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's new XPS 420 offers almost all of the latest in PC-based digital-video capability, as well as a few unique features you won't find elsewhere. The default configuration fares poorly against the other new PCs, but if you're willing to spend money on upgrades, you can turn this system into a powerful digital-media nerve center. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4 GHz), 2.4 GHz, 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: Dell's updated flagship gaming desktop incorporates the latest hardware from Intel, Nvidia, and AMD into a system that delivers some very impressive gaming scores. We'd give it a higher recommendation if it wasn't so expensive compared with systems from the competition. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 (3.8 GHz), 3.8 GHz, 2 GB, 160 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z15 represents one of the best deal's we've seen this year in midrange gaming PCs. It has all the power necessary to play current games (even Crysis) at smooth frame rates, and its clean, spacious interior gives you plenty of upgrade room. We recommend this system to any PC gamer looking for a sub-$2,000 desktop. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66 GHz), 2.66 GHz, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 6 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Acer Aspire X1200-U1520A is a speedy, compact, low-end desktop that's powerful enough to serve as a light-duty home theater PC. Expansion is limited by an especially cramped interior (even for a small PC), but the total package is worthwhile for PC shoppers on a budget. Read review

Specs: AMD Athlon X2 5000+ (2.6 GHz), 2.6 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: The HP Pavilion a6620f makes a decent case for its budget price. We like the design and the built-in digital-audio ports, and if you're on an unbreakable budget, the a6620f will get you through a variety of processes, but we recommend saving up for a system that will give you a more powerful set of components for a negligible price difference. Read review

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (2.5 GHz), 2.5 GHz, 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 21 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its second full-fledged gaming PC, Dell shows that it understands the mainstream gaming desktop as well as the high-end. The Dell XPS 630 delivers everything a gamer would want in a sub-$2,000 PC, from its components, to its case, to its powerful software. We've seen no better system in this newly competitive category. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.6 GHz), 2.6 GHz, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 100 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its super-elegant new design and a strong configuration, Apple's new iMac competes with the PC desktop market better than perhaps any previous Mac to date. Unless you're a gamer or an upgrade enthusiast, we can think of very few reasons not to make an iMac your next desktop. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4 GHz), 2.4 GHz, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 27 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Mac Mini remains unique as the smallest mainstream desktop, but competition from Dell and HP has narrowed the gap in features while also offering room for expansion, and at a better price. If your goal is saving space, the Mac Mini is a winner. If you'd rather get the best deal, there are better options. Read review

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 2 GHz, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB Standard, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 6 reviews

The Bottom Line: Apple's smaller-scale iMac remains our favorite all-in-one. And while its looks, its ease of use, and its performance are all selling points, Windows PCs are starting to catch up (at least with the latter). A few components could also stand an update, but in general you'll find the 20-inch iMac a remarkable computer for its price. Read review