The 10 Best Desktops

Desktops have come a long way from the boring, beige boxes of old. Now, you can get something as sleek as an all-in-one desktop or as flashy as a boutique gaming box and even a compact (and cheap!) nettop. The price for desktops these days start as low as $250 and as high as, well, $5,000 and maybe more, but a powerful desktop can be had for about $800. The editors of PCMag.com test hundreds of systems each year to help you find the best desktop. In this story, we help you narrow your choices by collecting the top 10 desktops on the market today.

HP TouchSmart 310-1125y
The HP TouchSmart 310-1125y's great touch-screen interface and sub-$750 price tag combine to give us a great entry-level all-in-one touch screen desktop PC.

Dell XPS x8300-5215NBK
The Dell XPS x8300-5215NBK desktop PC brings the power user champion belt back to Round Rock.

Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU
The Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU has the power to keep your family computing speedily for the next 5 to 7 years. 

 
Asus All-in-One PC ET2400IGTS-B008E

Is the Asus All-in-One PC ET2400IGTS-B008E the all-in-one desktop to best the Apple iMac 21-inch? It doesn't approach Apple's totally integrated ecosystem, but it's one of the best-equipped and powerful Windows 7 touch screen PCs out there. 

Digital Storm Black Ops Enix Edition

The Digital Storm Black Ops Enix Edition's price tag indicates that is among the high-end category of gaming desktops, but is it hard-core enough to be the best? All signs point to yes.   

 
Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC

The Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC entry-level desktop is fast, expandable, and has great bang for the buck, with the right mix of features and value. 

 
Lenovo ThinkStation C20

The Lenovo ThinkStation C20 should be at the top of your list if you're looking for an ISV-certified Windows 7-based workstation. It costs a pretty penny, but if you're working on multi-million dollar projects, the system's speed and serviceability make it a great choice. 

 
HP Pavilion p6727c-b

HP Pavilion p6727c-b is one of the best bang for the buck desktop PCs; just be sure to budget an afternoon to uninstall all the extra bloatware. 

 
HP Compaq 4000 Pro

Though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of one of those Sandy Bridge desktops, the HP Compaq 4000 Pro desktop has just about all the things your small to medium-sized business needs, at a fair price. 

 
Maingear F131 Super Stock

The Maingear F131 Super Stock is an overclocked beast for the game grid. It has stratospheric performance, but better yet it doesn't have a stratospheric price tag.