HP TouchSmart 520-1050y is the most recent system from HP and it is an all in one system. The cost of this machine is $1,049 but you can also get the TouchSmart 520 from the same company for $50 less. Other options include Toshiba all in one for a price tag of $899 and it comes with an HDMI port unlike the HP system. HP.com lets you get an HDMI port on the TouchSmart 520 for $1,049. Hence I find it hard to recommend this retail model because you get the same thing for a lot less from HP directly. HP TouchSmart 520-1050y is lower end version of TouchSmart 520xt which I got in my labs for review some time ago. I found that the model had been bumped up too closely to HP TouchSmart 610 but the manufacturer sent me 520 model of $1,000 and hence it would have looked right for midrange all in one  [...]

Maingear F131 is arguably the best desktop for gaming I have got in my labs to date. It is powered by a Intel’s new unlocked Core i7 875K CPU and costs $2,499. The Core i7 950 processor is overclocked to 4.2 GHz and there is a pair of Nvidia graphics cards which can play any game in the market right now in all its glory. I would recommend this system to any hardcore gaming enthusiast. On the sides, there is a Mafia II artwork which adds to the aesthetic appeal of the desktop but I think this is more of an effort from Maingear to promote Nvidia’s Mafia II. It is going to work on Nvidia’s 3D Vision gaming technology and so the company is trying to build some hype around it. This machine is equipped with 3D Vision-capable graphics cards but there is no 120Hz LCD monitor (which  [...]

Acer Aspire Predator G7750-U222 has those typical sci-fi looks which might make your cringe. But if you are fine with it, this is an excellent gaming desktop priced at $1,899. I was disappointed to see that there is no Blu-ray drive in this machine but Acer still gives you enough room for expansion which includes necessary expansion card slots and also a robust power supply for supporting an additional graphics card. You can build gaming desktop with the same specs for a lot lower price but if you are looking for an attractive looking desktop, I’d recommend you this system. The cost of this machine is $1,899. This is not a licensed product from the 20th Century Fox’s Predator franchise but still it has a striking resemblance. The cabinet has an adjustable faceplate, lift it up and you will  [...]

This new system from Apple looks exactly like its predecessor. When it comes to iMacs and MacBooks, Apple retains the looks and just put the better components inside. This makes it difficult to tell two different Apple computers apart from one other. This iMac has the same aluminum body with edge to edge glass screen. The display has LED backlighting and the screen is quite glossy. The collection of ports on this Apple is the same as the previous model. On the back, you have four USB jacks, mini-display port, Ethernet, two audio ports and FireWire. On the right side, there is the DVD burner and below this, there is a SD card reader. The difference on this card reader is that it now supports SDXC format cards which gives you storage space of up to 2 TB. The iMac still has the wireless keyboard  [...]

Acer Aspire 5700-U2112 is an all in one desktop PC and it is the successor of the older Z5600 which the manufacturer gave us at the end of 2009. This computer comes with a 23 inch display and costs $1,099. It is a good alternative if you don’t want to splash cash on the more expensive 21.5 inch Apple iMac. The iMac costs $1,199 and it is slower than the Acer machine. There is HDMI port on the Acer all-in-one which lets you use the system as an entertainment PC. Apple is ahead only in terms of design and I will recommend you the Acer all-in-one if you don’t care much about beauty. This is an excellent and versatile system. I just have one gripe about the Acer Aspire 5700-U2112 – the front support posts. They work well but look a bit cheap, like a homemade repair job product. Apart from  [...]

HP Pavilion Slimline s5510y has a slim tower chassis that looks quite attractive. This slim design will easily fit in to any living room and it won’t make your room look ugly either. When it comes to living room computers, looks matter a lot. There is the Apple MacMini which looks the sexiest and is so small that you can easily put it in any corner and it will be difficult to see. Apple products come at a price though and not everyone can afford it. HP desktops, on the other hand, are quite versatile and give good value for money. I got the HP Pavilion Slimline s5510y in my labs for review and looking at the specs, I would say that this is definitely a dated model. I won’t recommend you this computer simply because there are other PCs available which are better than this. It seems the manufacturer  [...]

Dell Studio XPS 7100 is a mid range performing PC and it is made for budget gamers. I was very much impressed by its performance and would certainly recommend it to people who play games on say weekends or days like that. It wouldn’t make sense to break the bank and get an Alienware if you are not a high end gamer. I myself work most of the time in my office and even though I am fond of games, I don’t get to play a lot. All I get is weekends or some public holidays. Dell Studio XPS 7100 is made for such people. This config comes at a fixed price, it costs $1,149 and it offers bang for the buck with the performance. Dell says that they might modify the system after July so the fixed price tag might not last for long. This desktop has a Blu-ray drive on the front so make sure you  [...]

Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7 875K) costs $1,499 and has sports the new Intel’s overclockable Core i7 875k processor. It doesn’t have the capability of dual graphics card but you can always get more power from this computer through a watercooling kit. But even without these two features, I still feel that this desktop is quite versatile for a desktop gaming enthusiast. The highlight of this computer is its Core i7 875K quad core chip. If you like to overclock the chips, there is plenty in this PC to play around with. Before this, I saw the Core i7 920 processor but it was not as good because you have to ramp the system bus up and thus take up all the settings of core component too. With the K series of processors, you can dial up the processor clock speed and frequency  [...]

The model name is enough to give you an idea that this is a high end gaming system. But if you are still skeptical, the $2,499 price tag will surely remove all the doubts in your mind. Even if it is priced high, this computer offers excellent value for money because I found that it is better than the recent $3499 and even the $4,999 desktop computers that I have had previously in my labs. The performance is stellar thanks to the Intel processor inside which allows you to overclock it. It may not have luxuries like Blu-ray drive but this desktop is a proof that you don’t have to break the bank for an excellent gaming system. I haven’t had a lot of desktops in my labs yet which feature this new version of Core i7 processor but it will be interesting to see how others fares against this machine. I  [...]

I usually don’t recommend all-in-ones for gaming simply because they have their own set of limitations especially with the power and heat issues. But it seems Lenovo refuses to give up, it’s latest offering, the Lenovo IdeaCentre B500 08873AU is priced at $1,399 and has more than just stylish looks. It has the most power full graphic card that I have ever seen in an all-in-one and gaming performance is reasonably good. I would have liked an HDMI port here as well. It would be crazy to compare this machine to a full fledged gaming desktop but Lenovo might have started something new here and others may soon join the bandwagon if this computer does well in the market. If you game a lot and are willing to compromise on the quality a bit, I would recommend you this all-in-one. But non-gamers  [...]