Desktop Computer Reviews and Buying Guide:

With the recent release of Microsoft's operating system, Vista, you may be in the market to either upgrade or buy a new computer. Consumer Reports just came out with an article on buying a Windows Vista PC. We will focus our attention on desktop computers and leave laptops for another review. PC World, CNET, PC Magazine, and consumers have all rated the best desktop computers per their opinions and the usual names appear near the top of the list like Dell, HP, Apple, and Gateway. Compaq and eMachines offer cheaper models, but don't get that great of reviews overall. The good news is that desktop computer prices continue to sag downwards and you can get a really good computer for less than $750. What features should you be looking for in a desktop computer? Keep reading below to see what our buying guide recommends and which models rate the best.

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The first question that we hear a lot is, Which processor do I go with - AMD or Intel? Although there has been a price war going on for some time now between those 2 companies, we still say Intel makes superior processors and their Core 2 Duo processor is what you want. AMD has their Athlon processor in Dell and HP computers, but Intel dominates the chip market and will do so in the future again once the pricing wars are done. You will want a minimum of 1 GB (Gigabyte) of memory and if you can afford more, get 2 GB's. Applications will run faster and for those of you that work at home you will notice the difference when running multiple apps at once. Stay away from computer that have integrated graphics cards since they have a harder time running 3D-games on computers than do the dedicated graphics cards. We prefer buying computers online through Dell so that we can easily configure the components to our liking versus buying in a store like Best Buy or Circuit City with preloaded software, hardware, and games. Hard drives at 250 GB sound huge by most peoples standards, but with the future in desktop computers ability to handle videos, that space could be sucked up fast with video storage on your hard drive. Adding an additional hard drive is not that difficult, so don't panic yet if your 250 GB drive is running low on capacity, you can always add or upgrade to more disk space. Monitors too are only getting larger and most now are sold as flat panel screens to save you desk space. A DVD burner will come in handy when wanting to burn family videos to DVD in the future so definitely get one pre-installed on your desktop computer. We all know that computers will only get faster, smaller, and more capable in the coming years with prices most likely staying the same for a new one. All in all, expect to buy a new computer every 4 years or so as technology changes dramatically and upgrading isn't always as easy as it sounds. Too many components aren't compatible with the new operating systems that get put out and who needs a headache with technical support phone calls when you can get a brand new computer for less than $750 and be totally happy. We tried to come up with a quick list below of the "best destkop computers" on the market (Summer 2007), but we know that even these top performing machines will be outdated within a year or so. CNET, PCGuide.com, Consumer Reports and PC World all take on the task of reviewing the latest desktop computers and ranking them based on features, speed, 3D-gaming speed, ergonomics, price, speakers, and reliability. Consumer Reports has the most comprehensive ratings we could find with a good detailed history of brand history dating back to 2002 for all the major computer manufacturers. Apple has the fewest repairs required while Gateway had almost double that of Apple. Keep in mind that most people never use 80% of the functions that a computer is capable of doing, so buying the most expensive model available may be just wasting your money. Look for desktop computers with a new processor, plenty of memory, and a dedicated graphics card.

Best Desktop Computer:

Dell has led this field for years and although they have staggered a bit in the marketplace recently, they still have the best online experience for buying a desktop computer. With only Apple and Sony in front of Dell in terms of reliability, Dell produces quality computers and the ability to customize your desktop computer right on their site makes all the difference in the world. After all, what is a personal computer if you can't turn it into exactly what you want. Buying a desktop computer in an electronics store gives you a generic pc that may not be what you want. Dell.com is the best place to start your search for a new desktop computer since they offer base models in different price ranges. The Dell Dimension E520 ($850) was rated the highest in a recent Consumer Reports article based on desktop computers with 1 GB of RAM, 250GB to 320GB hard drives, a DVD Burner, and stereo speakers. The Dimension E520 has an Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 processor and the Intel 3000 video adapter. I have personally owned about 5 Dell computers over the years and have totally impressed with their customer service, support and product reliability. Be sure to search online for Dell coupon codes before buying online since you can often get free items included in he price or checkout discounts when you buy.

Most Reliable Desktop Computer:

As we stated above, Consumer Reports recently released some brand repair data on desktops and Apple not surprisingly came out as the least likely to need fixing (only 11% versus the worst which was Gateway at almost 20%). CR rated the Apple iMac 20-Inch ($1500) with 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo processor as the desktop computer to purchase if you want reliability and support on your side. The speed of the Apple is outstanding, but the 3D-gaming experience is lacking like most of the others that were rated. Apple computers are easier to operate and much of the software runs smoothly compared to a PC, but the price tag on Apples can be a deterence for many. Apple still own about 5% of the desktop computer market but we feel that that share will continue to expand not only through advertising (the recent campaign is doing well), but as consumers realize their iPods are easy to use and great music devices, more may switch their allegiance when it comes to desktop computers. Apple desktop computers have been thought of as an alternative computer, but we feel they will be more mainstream in the coming years. Their partnership with Intel on processors should only enhance the ability of their desktops. You can follow all the latest Apple desktop computers online at Apple.com.

Best Value PC:

Want a great computer without breaking your bank account. The Dell Dimension E521 ($600) is an excellent desktop computer that substitutes Intel chips for those from AMD and NVIDIA (video adapter) to get you a cheaper price on a very powerful machine. You still get plenty of RAM, hard drive space, a DVD burner, and speakers on this "value priced" desktop. Most of us use web browsers, email, word processor programs, money management software, and the occasional game on our computer which means we don't need the latest and highest powered components to enjoy our experience. Many surveys have shown that the average computer user never even uses all the features on their desktops, so why pay for expensive components that will go unused. Desktop ratings are still very high for mid-range computers that may not offer all the bells and whistlers of luxury models. Dell offers the "best value" desktop computers.

Budget PC Computer:

One name that hasn't come up yet in our article is that of HP (Hewlett Packard). HP bought out Compaq computers a few years back and Compaq continues to sell PC's in stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, CompUSA. HP has a recognized name in computing and although their desktop computer models are more expensive, the Compaq line is right in the "budget" price range for saavy shoppers. For less than $500 you can buy a competitent Compaq desktop computer that still offers everything you would need to send email, browse the web, do your finances, and burn DVD's. The processors are a touch slower on these budget desktops, but you can't have everything. Go to HP.com for more details on what Compaq currently offers.

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