Product Reviews:
Desktops
good
3/18/2009
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Price:
$1,009.00
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$1,019.99
Specs:
Intel Pentium T4200 (2 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, Intel GMA 4500, RoHS, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, 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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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excellent
3/3/2009
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Price:
$3,074.00
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$3,299.00
Specs:
Intel Quad-Core Xeon (2.26 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Apple's new eight-core Mac Pro demonstrates marked improvements over the older model in high-intensity digital media and multitasking scenarios. We also love the design tweaks that improve on Apple's already industry-leading sensibilities. Any Apple-bound design professional would welcome this new tool in his or her arsenal.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
2/25/2009
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Price:
$669.97
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$669.97
Specs:
AMD Phenom X4 9850 (2.5 GHz), 8 GB DDR II SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, NVidia GeForce 9600GS, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP 1
The Bottom Line
The HP Pavilion Elite m9515y is not an elegant PC, but it has enough features where it counts to set it apart. If performance or seamless living room integration are your goals, look elsewhere, but anyone after digital media functionality will find this HP more capable than its competition.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
2/16/2009
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Price:
$499.00
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$499.00
Specs:
Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Intel GMA 950, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Thanks to its price, size, touch screen, and semiportability, the Asus Eee Top ET1602 presents a lot of usage options. Put it in the kitchen, den, or even a hallway, and it can serve as an easy information hub for your family. Just don't put it on a desk, where a desktop or a laptop will be much better suited for serious work.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
2/9/2009
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Price:
$941.00
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$999.99
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
Instead of succumbing to the latest fads, the Sony Vaio 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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
2/3/2009
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Price:
$569.99
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$589.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 8 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
The affordable Gateway LX6810-01 scores high points for offering high-end components right off the shelf. We recommend this system for multimedia editors and light gamers who can make use of its hard-working Nvidia 3D card and full 8GB of RAM. However, if you're looking more at straightforward performance, Dell offers a system with a faster CPU and a similar feature set for about the same price.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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2/3/2009
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Price:
$459.97
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$459.97
Specs:
AMD Phenom X4 9100e (1.8 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 3200, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
While the Gateway might appeal to users who value storage over speed, you can find more features in PCs that cost just a little less, and more performance for just a little more. That leaves this Gateway with little to recommend it.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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ok
11/13/2008
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Price:
$399.96
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$599.99
Specs:
Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
Averatec's 18.4-inch All-in-One PC is a good-looking little Nettop, but you must make huge sacrifices in performance. Most users would be better off buying a cheap laptop or low-end desktop, depending on one's needs.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Price:
$1,699.00
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$1,699.00
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
10/11/2008
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Price:
$1,199.95
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$2,080.00
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 750 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
The Bottom Line
No other all-in-one PC can offer touch-based input or an LCD screen as large as that of the HP TouchSmart IQ816. It's hard to deny that those features make this a compelling desktop for families with a place to put it. Weak performance hinders its suitability for work, and it's not the best digital entertainment center, but we recommend this system to anyone looking to get in early on the touch-computing experiment.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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good
7/28/2008
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Price:
$499.00
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$499.00
Specs:
Intel Pentium Dual Core T4300 (2.1 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic Service Pack 1, Personal computer
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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very good
6/13/2008
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Price:
$799.97
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$999.99
Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 (2.16 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS, EPEAT Silver, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer
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.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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ok
10/20/2005
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Price:
$1,999.99
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$1,999.99
Specs:
Intel Pentium D 820 (2.8 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 200 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6200, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, Media center
The Bottom Line
The Sony VAIO XL1 DLS breaks some new ground for the living-room PC, but the wonky 200-disc changer hurts its overall appeal.© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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