Product Reviews:
Desktops
11/19/2009
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Price:
$1,199.00
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$1,199.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.66 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
The aluminum-and-glass look remains the same, but underneath Apple makes some small but meaningful updates to its all-in-one iMac.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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excellent
11/19/2009
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Price:
$999.00
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$999.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 2400XT, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
11/19/2009
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Price:
$549.00
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$549.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB Standard, Intel GMA 950, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
10/31/2009
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Price:
$595.49
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$595.49
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 (2.4 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Like other Windows-based all-in-ones, Averatec's All-in-One can't compete with the iMac for sheer power. The Averatec's larger screen and few features it has that Apple doesn't might be enough to sell you, but the iMac remains the all-in-one to beat.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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ok
10/30/2009
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Price:
$439.97
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$439.97
Specs:
AMD Phenom X4 9650 (2.3 GHz), 7 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
HP's Pavilion Elite m9402f continues to frustrate us in its core design. This off-the-shelf Best Buy system is also overpriced compared with faster, more feature-rich PCs from its competition. With little to recommend this desktop, we suggest you keep shopping.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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10/27/2009
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Price:
$444.27
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$599.99
Specs:
Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR II SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
The Bottom Line
The Averatec D1130's wimpy processor and paltry features give consumers little incentive to choose this Nettop over a faster budget PC or the mobility of a Netbook. If you're dead-set on a Nettop, the Lenovo C300 is a less terrible decision, but you can stretch your dollar much further with a budget slim tower system like the Gateway SX2800-01.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/27/2009
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Price:
$1,029.00
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$1,029.00
Specs:
Intel CORE I5 750 (2.66 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1000 GB Standard, nVidia GeForce GTX260 1792MB GDDR3, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
The Bottom Line
The Dell Studio XPS 8000 offers a strong combination of midrange performance parts that should satisfy anyone looking for a midtower desktop for general productivity, digital media editing, or gaming. It lacks a few performance-oriented extras, but it makes up for any deficiencies with its attractive looks.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Price:
$1,698.95
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$1,724.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4670, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Apple's new 27-inch iMac will charm plenty of you with its screen size alone. Fortunately, that won't lead you astray. Behind its expansive display, Apple has packed one of the fastest all-in-ones available, and added a few useful extras to sweeten the deal. This iMac isn't perfect, but its positives far outweigh its negatives. We can think of few users to whom we wouldn't recommend this system.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/20/2009
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Price:
$1,168.99
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$1,199.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Despite its good looks and a few useful new features, Apple's new iMac is all about business. You can find a larger screen for less, not to mention all kinds of digital entertainment features, but no other all-in-one at this price can boast similar performance. If you need a modestly priced all-in-one for getting work done, we'd recommend no other system.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/15/2009
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Price:
$499.99
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$519.99
Specs:
Intel Pentium E5300 (2.6 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
The Gateway DX-4822-01 makes a convincing pitch with the performance numbers and features to earn its place in your home, but if you're not tied to the midtower design, the older Gateway SX2800-01 offers faster speeds and the option to set it up as a media center PC.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
10/15/2009
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Price:
$199.99
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$208.69
Specs:
Intel Atom N230 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA ION LE, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Acer's Aspire Revo 1600 might be the first Nettop we don't actively dislike. We'd rather have an Xbox 360 in the living room, but the Aspire Revo 1600 would be suitable as a PC for young kids or as a low-profile cloud kiosk. Thanks to its $199 price tag, you won't feel too much remorse if it breaks or you outgrow it.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Price:
$1,049.99
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$1,199.99
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T7450 (2.13 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 750 GB Portable, NVIDIA GeForce GT 230, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Media center
The Bottom Line
If HP's TouchSmart 600 won't at least get you thinking about the idea of bringing a PC into your kitchen, the concept truly has no hope. With well-though-out touch apps, a wide, easy-to-use array of digital media features, and an attractive, flexible design, HP's new all-in-one is not the fastest new all-in-one, but it has the most comprehensive and compelling set of features of any all-in-one launching alongside Windows 7.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/8/2009
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Price:
$1,939.00
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$1,999.99
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400S (2.66 GHz), 6 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 240M, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Media center
The Bottom Line
Earlier this year Sony was the unquestioned king of all-in-ones designed for home entertainment. The new Vaio L117FX retains and improves on many of the features we liked about older models, but revamped all-in-ones from its competition make the new Vaio seem a touch overpriced.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/6/2009
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Price:
$1,349.99
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$1,399.99
Specs:
Intel Core i7 Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, RADEON HD 4670, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition
The Bottom Line
The Gateway One ZX6810-01 makes a strong first impression for Windows 7-based all-in-ones PCs, with fast performance and an attractive case design. Its touch input and accompanying applications fall flat, but there's enough respectable computer here that it's worth a look. Our only suggestion is that you wait to inspect the rest of the new Windows 7 crowd once they are released.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/2/2009
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Price:
$799.99
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$799.99
Specs:
AMD Phenom II X4 945 (3 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4200, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
The Bottom Line
The $799 ZT Affinity 7334Ma's stellar performance benchmarks, Blu-ray drive, and plenty of room for expansion give it a step up from the competition. ZT still needs help in the external design department, but this system certainly earns our recommendation as a workhorse do-it-all system.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Price:
$1,399.00
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$1,399.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo (2.8 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
9/18/2009
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Price:
$532.62
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$599.99
Specs:
Intel Atom 330 (1.6 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA ION, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium / Microsoft Windows 7 Upgrade Option, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Nvidia's Ion graphics chip gives the Asus Eee Top ET2002 better-than-average video performance for a Nettop, but that does little to spare this system from its weak overall performance and the variety of competitive, more well-rounded alternatives for low-cost video and gaming. Nettops might be competitive someday, but for now this category as a whole is a disappointment.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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ok
9/15/2009
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Price:
$449.99
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$559.28
Specs:
AMD Athlon X2 3250e (1.5 GHz), 2 GB DDR II SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
The Bottom Line
Extra performance by way of a low-wattage AMD chip helps Averatec's D1133 All-In-One stand out from its dismal Nettop competition, but it remains a below-average deal in the grand scheme of budget desktops. We see the appeal of Netbooks, but the benefits of Nettops like this Averatec continue to elude us.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
8/10/2009
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Price:
$1,479.00
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$1,479.00
Specs:
Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1000 GB Standard, nVidia GeForce GTX 260 1792MB, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
The Dell Studio XPS 435 successfully overcomes our bias against desktops that claim to be experts at everything through charming case design and a strong configuration at a relatively fair price. It misses greatness because of a handful of minor missteps, but if you need a do-it-all mainstream tower system, this Dell more or less covers all the bases.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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8/5/2009
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Price:
$389.00
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$453.99
Specs:
Intel Atom (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Intel GMA 950, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
The Averatec D1130's wimpy processor and paltry features give consumers little incentive to choose this Nettop over a faster budget PC or the mobility of a Netbook. If you're dead-set on a Nettop, the Lenovo C300 is a less terrible decision, but you can stretch your dollar much further with a budget slim tower system like the Gateway SX2800-01.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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