Best Mainstream Desktop PCs

Desktop PCs for Between $750 and $1250 Without a Monitor

While there are a large number of options for PCs around $1000 they tend to lack a bit in one area or another. For those willing to pay a little (priced around $1200) more HP's Pavilion Elite e9180f offers a very well rounded system suitable for just about any task. The Core i7 920 processor provides it with exceptional performance and 9GB of DDR3 memory means that memory upgrades won't be necessary in the future. A large terabyte hard drive and Blu-ray drive allow it to store lots of data and even playback high definition movies. Wireless networking makes integrating it into a home network very easy. The only area that suffers slightly is the 3D graphics, but the GeForce GTS 250 card is still sufficient for most PC games.

Many people who are purchasing a desktop computer need more than just the base computer. The Gateway DX4820-02 is an exceptional value at $900 because not only does it come with a desktop but also a 23-inch LCD monitor. One might think that this would make the desktop not have as many features, but the system is well equipped. It uses an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor and 8GB of DDR3 memory to allow it to run most applications without too much trouble. Storage is also good with 750GB hard drive space and a dual layer DVD burner. If there is any issue with the DX4820-02 it is the GeForce GT 210 graphics that are fairly limited for PC gaming. This combined with a 300W power supply means it has limited potential for a video upgrade.

PC gamers have been getting some great value in the past year from both graphics cards and processors. Cyberpower's Gamer Xtreme 1006 is a great example of what can be found for just over $1000. The system offers very strong performance with its combination of Core i7 920 processor and 6GB of DDR3 memory in a triple channel configuration. The graphics aren't quite as high as they could be, but the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 can handle most games up to a 1680x1050 resolution without issue. The system does have room for a second or with the savings buyers can always by a replacement card. The case also features a large number of green LED lights that can be quite distracting at times.

Photo and video editing are much more demanding on storage and processing than many other PC tasks. HP's Pavilion Elite e9180f meets all the these requirements with little effort. The Intel Core i7 920 quad core CPU helps it deal with video editing faster and the 9GB of DDR3 memory means that it can even deal with those large high definition video clips. The large one terabyte hard drive is also critical as both photos and videos take up a large amount of storage space. The option of an external HP Pocket Media drive allows for easy file transfers between systems or if you just need some extra space. The GeForce GTS 250 graphics isn't one of the highest end models but is perfectly fine for those dealing with graphics worth and not gaming.

Those who want to have a system built exactly the way they want it should consider the iBUYPOWER Intel Core i7 RTG. iBUYPOWER offers an amazing array of options for adjusting the system to exactly what you want and offers to get the system shipped out on the next business day. The system is based around the Intel Core i7 920 processor that gives it outstanding performance and at a very reasonable price. Now the base components for video and hard drive will probably leave much to be desired, but with a base starting price of $999, it is possible to get them upgraded and still be price competitive with other PCs. The big downside here is that customizing the PC can quickly raise the price.