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January 6, 2010
Home » Computers & Internet » Desktops » Desktop Computer Reviews

Desktop Computer Reviews

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What to Expect: Cheap Desktop Computers Performance

An inexpensive desktop computer may not boast the same high-performance ability as expensive desktops with the latest and greatest hardware, but buyers of cheap desktop computers still expect good performance. For the most part, users of lower-cost desktop systems report their expectations have been met, particularly if they bought a system with Windows 7.

Although budget PCs may not be ideal for games or other software that places heavy demands on PC hardware, cheap desktops are quite capable of handling common PC tasks with ease, and many users are impressed with how well their new inexpensive systems operate.

Cheap Desktops General Performance.

Most people who buy an inexpensive PC use that system for the basics: web surfing, emailing, photo and video editing, listening to music, watching YouTube videos, and so on. Based on comments posted online by buyers and expert reviewers alike, it's clear that most budget PCs are up to these tasks.

We found many examples in which users praise the performance of their low-cost PCs. For example, desktop reviews on Office Depot's site say users were "blown away" by the speed of the Compaq Presario CQ5210F, and PC Magazine heaps praise on this budget desktop, saying it's the one to buy if your budget tops out at $400. Gateway's DX48220-01 system also garners strong support in budget desktop reviews on Amazon, where one user commends its smooth operation even when running a memory-intensive music studio program; Best Buy customers, meanwhile, praise its speed and enormous hard drive. The HP s5220f Pavilion Slimline proved to be a good system for editing video, according to one desktop PCs review on Amazon, and another at the same site states this model neatly handles basic tasks, such as web surfing. Desktop PC reviews by consumers posting on Best Buy and experts at CNET extol the ample memory and storage capacity of the Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003, particularly given its budget price.

Not surprisingly, some users and expert reviewers willingly share less-than-stellar comments about some cheap PCs. HP's p6110y receives a "good" rating from CNET, but the site's budget desktops review says the system's performance is only middling compared to others in the same price range. Best Buy shoppers cite occasional freezing with the Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 and a few report reliability issues within weeks of purchase. Although the Acer Aspire AX3200 earns praise for its performance in reviews of cheap PCs on the Circuit City site, several commentators note that the power button has a disconcerting habit of breaking; on Newegg.com, some low-cost desktops reviews say the AX3200 speakers are useless and others say the computer didn't work from the get-go. Bargain-basement-priced PCs attract the most criticism. Users posting on Newegg.com and Circuit City.com pan the eMachines ET1810-01 system for being slow, which is not surprising given that this budget PC uses an older Intel Celeron CPU.

Review continues below

Low-cost Desktop PCs Multimedia.

Emailing and Web surfing may be the most popular PC activities, but users also love to use their budget systems for basic multimedia tasks, such as listening to music or working with photos and video. Some frugal consumers also use inexpensive PCs for light gaming even though these PCs are not ideally equipped for that task. Compaq's Presario CQ5210F is a good example of one such system. According to a review of budget desktops at Office Depot, the CQ5210F system as configured isn't a good gaming machine but is fine for movies; an expert budget desktop PC review at PC Magazine concludes that it's better for multimedia than a slew of popular netbooks. Consumer posts on Amazon are upbeat about the multimedia abilities of HP's Pavilion Slimline s5220f, and one user mentions how well the budget PC handles movie editing, which is a fairly taxing PC task. Consumers are quite pleased with the audio and video capabilities of the Gateway DX4822-01 and an Amazon reviewer reports that the system enables him to make maximum use of his HDTV.

On the other hand, some budget systems aren't equipped to handle all multimedia tasks well -- they either lack the necessary horsepower or contain cheaper components. The graphics on eMachines ET1810-01 gets dinged in one user review of cheap desktop PCs on Newegg.com, and comments at Best Buy about the HP p6110y likewise mention multimedia shortcomings, with users reporting that the system's sound is underwhelming and one writer noting that some older games don't look very good on this model.

Inexpensive Desktops Ease of Setup/Use.

It wasn't so long ago that many PC users fretted over the difficulties of setting up and using a new PC. Today, most users seem quite comfortable unboxing and setting up on their own. We found almost no complaints from consumers about starting up their new cheap PCs, and many even mention how easy the process was. Several Best Buy customers, for example, praise the HP Pavilion Slimline s5220y (starting at $480, exclusively at Best Buy) for its "super easy" setup, with one user commenting he plugged it in, powered up, and was good to go. A few users, though, grumble about minor irritations; one writes on Best Buy that the instructions for the Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 are a bit vague.

With so many new inexpensive PCs now featuring Windows 7 rather than Windows Vista, one might expect some users would have problems transitioning to a new OS. However, Windows 7 is similar enough to Vista that users seem to be adapting without difficulty. One owner of the Compaq Presario CQ5210F comments on the Office Depot site that Windows 7 is a cinch to set up, as is moving data from his old PC to the new one. User reviews of the Gateway DX4822-01 at Best Buy also applaud Windows 7, saying it surpasses Windows Vista and is a good match for the hardware.

And finally, we're sure that many people are still going to choose sleek and sexy laptop PCs over budget desktops, but it's worth taking some time to weigh the pros and cons of each. The simple fact is you get more bang for your buck from a desktop PC than a laptop. Laptops are great machines for many reasons, but at the end of the day, desktops are simply a better value. If you don't need the portability of a laptop, budget desktops are the way to go.

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Best Cheap Desktops

Compaq Presario CQ5210F »

starting at $390

Gateway DX4822-01 »

starting at $500

Good Cheap Desktops

Asus Essentio CM5570-AP003 »

starting at $450

HP Pavilion Slimline s5220f »

starting at $400

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