Best Desktop PC 2011

In best desktop PC 2011 wI have reviewed some of the top new desktop PCs across a number of price ranges. When shopping for a new PC the most important factor to keep in mind is what you intend to use that PC for. Regardless of what you intend to use it for you are sure to find one with the right features and price here. Updated Best Tablet 2011 Listings Reviews Of The Best Tablets 2011 Models. We test and review computer- and Internet-related products and services, report technology news and trends

Gateway FX6831-01 Desktop PC

• 2.8GHz Intel quad-core processor
• 8GB DDR3 memory
• 1.5TB hard drive
• 16X DVD R/W multi-drive
• ATI Radeon HD5850 Graphics card with 1GB video memory
• Windows 7 Premium (64bit) OS

This midtower desktop PC represents good value in a gaming computer. It certainly can handle media and general computing tasks with ease.

The chip has 4 real cores and 4 virtual cores. The BIOS manages compliant programs to share the workload among the cores in order to maximize performance.

This is the high-end PC in this article, with the highest price and the top specifications. It handles any workload in the gaming universe or in the world of video editing. The 8GB of main memory means that very few applications are ever swapped out to disk – and that’s a major bottleneck.

The FX6831 is remarkably quiet, except when the DVD drive burns CDs. Speaking of quiet, this does not ship with speakers, even though it has HD audio outputs and 5 audio ports for surround-sound speakers. If you stream audio through your television, you might not bother buying speakers. Or you might want to select a great set as a separate purchase.

Dell Inspiron 545 i545-2062NBK

Dell’s Inspiron i545-2062NBK Desktop PC has:

• 2.7GHz Intel dual-core processor
• 6GB memory
• 640GB hard drive
• DVD R/W optical drive
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 card
• Windows 7 Premium (64bit) OS
• 21.5” LCD flat panel monitor

This midtower desktop PC is a versatile mid-range computer.  It is best suited for general computing, media playback, and storing digital images.

This PC presents an interesting trade-off: a dual-core processor (rather than quad-core), but 6GB of memory rather than 4GB (as found in Gateway’s SX2800-07 desktop).

One “saving grace” feature is that an accidental “power-off” results in going into sleep mode rather than losing the recent updates in all open files.

Although the i545 ships with speakers, no sound card is installed.

This is the only computer, in this review, bundled with a monitor.

Gateway SX2800-07 Desktop PC

• 2.5GHz Intel 2 Quad Q8300 processor
• 4GB DDR3 memory
• 640GB hard drive
• 16X DVD R/W multi-drive
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD graphics card
• Windows 7 Premium (64bit) OS

This slim tower desktop PC is an excellent value for general computing and media playback. CNET reported that it outperformed several competitors in its price range.

It has a limited number of ports.  Upgrading its memory takes more steps to access the motherboard, so it does not lend itself to easy upgrades.  However, it is a fine desktop computer for the budget-conscious.

Although this PC has a quad-core processor, it has only 4GB of memory. This could be significant, compared with Gateway’s FX6831 Desktop, for users who open many applications simultaneously.  Also, the hard drive is less than half the size of the FX6381.  By saving about half the price of the FX6381, is the SX2800-07 good enough for you?

Despite the low price, it does have an HDMI port so you can stream video to your high-definition television.

Compaq Presario CQ5320F

Compaq’s Presario CQ5320F desktop PC has:

• AMD Athlon II 170u Processor (2.0 GHz, 1MB Cache, 1000MHz Bus)
• 3GB DDR3 memory, expandable to 4GB
• 500GB hard drive
• DVD R/W Optical drive
• NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE integrated graphics
• Windows 7 Premium (64bit) OS

This tower desktop PC will attract the budget-minded. It performs very well for its price, and is fine for standard computing tasks.

This PC does not have a lot of room inside for upgrades, and the 250 watt power supply may also be a limiting factor. Gamers will definitely want to look for more expensive PCs.

It has the smallest hard drive of the PCs in this review, and the least main memory (3GB).

eMachines ET1831-07 Desktop

• 2.7GHz Intel Pentium Dual-core processor
• 4GB DDR2 memory
• 750GB hard drive
• 16X DVD R/W multi-drive
• Integrated Nvidia GeForce 7050 graphics card
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64bit) OS

This tower desktop PC is an excellent value for general computing and media playback. PCWorld reported that it outperformed several competitors in its price range.

It has a limited number of ports.  Internal slots are available for four PCI slots. However, any internal upgrades require using a screwdriver to gain access. Also, it might not be worthwhile to improve this PC with a much-better video card.

It is not a gaming machine, but handles standard computing tasks quite well, including video editing. 

What is the ET1831 missing, compared to the other desktops in this article?
Without an HDMI connector, it cannot use a television as a replacement for a monitor. 
Some users will miss having a Gigabit Ethernet port.

Every computer in this article does come with Windows 7, some productivity software, and some anti-virus protection.