Design and Features
The VPC-L212FX/B looks more like an HDTV than the last Sony VAIO all-in-one we looked at, the Sony VAIO VPC-J113FX/B ($999.98 list, 2.5 stars). The desktop is all monitor, with a slightly large bezel around the screen (more on that later). The chassis fits the current consumer electronics standards: glossy black plastic and glass, with silver accents on the system’s “foot.” The included wireless keyboard and mouse easily slip underneath the screen for storage. The back and sides of the system have embedded controls and ports, but are almost invisible unless you really look for them. This design strategy is both a help and a hindrance: they are certainly discreet, but they almost seem hidden when you’re trying to find them in a darkened room.

The system’s 24-inch 1080p HD (1,920 by 1,080 resolution) panel is multi-touch enabled, so you can navigate using your fingers. The surface has a little more friction than other touch devices (like the relatively slick screen on an iPad or iPhone), but it’s easy to get used to. The bezel surrounding the screen is actually another touch-sensitive that tries to make the touch experience more than just “pressing on-screen buttons.” Depending on what spot you press, you’ll bring up functions like zoom in/out, back or forward, a hotkey for a favorite app, and even a control to turn the backlit Sony logo on or off. It’s somewhat gimmicky, but I suppose you can learn the functions to make surfing the Web a better experience. At the very least, it means that you’ll need to use the mouse and keyboard less. An icon on the lower right of the bezel brings up a cheat sheet diagram in case you forget which part of the screen zooms in.

Like other all-in-one PCs, there isn’t any internal expansion room in the VPC-L212FX/B, though you can expand the included 4GB of memory up to 8GB. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports in the back, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports on the side. The USB 3.0 interface is “up to 10 times faster” than USB 2.0. Above the USB 3.0 ports is the media card reader, which only handles SD and Memory Stick models (and their variants). I’d like to see an eSATA port to also provide a faster connection when transferring data via external hard drives, since video collectors and creators tend to like big-screen PCs like this one. Other buttons on the right side of the desktop handle volume or selecting which of the three inputs display on the screen: The internal PC, HDMI in, or the analog (composite) video/audio in ports. HDMI in is great for people that want to hook up a cable DVR, PlayStation 3, or TiVo to the VPC-L212FX/B, and the analog ports will work with old-school VCRs and camcorders.

For such a compact desktop, there are a lot of options to view video, but there are a few omissions. The system lacks the Blu-ray player that should have been a natural choice for 23-inch 1080p HD panels, and this version of the VAIO L Touch lacks a TV tuner (other models from Sony have both options). Since we’re griping, the bloatware situation at Sony has improved greatly compared with a few years ago, but there are still a couple of stumbles. The system comes with only 30 days of updates for the included Norton Internet Security trial software (I’d like to see 12-15 months included on all new PCs), and there’s a copy of Evernote preloaded. Evernote is a free note-taking app, but to get the full functionality of the program you’ll have to subscribe. The software isn’t all bad: There’s a VAIO Media Gallery program pre-loaded that helps you view photos, videos, and music in an easy to navigate touch interface. VAIO Media Gallery also helps you create videos and slideshows you can then share with the world. PlayStation 3 owners will get a kick out of the remote play and remote keyboard functions built into the VAIO L Touch. You can share media (photos, music, videos) between other VAIO desktops and laptops, if you set up the Vaio Media sharing utility.

Performance
The VPC-L212FX/B uses one of the new Intel Core i5-2410M processors, which includes Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 integrated GPU. This means that the desktop has very good multimedia processing performance with a modicum of 3D power, all in a singe-die chip. It has multimedia performance that rivals quad-core processors from AMD, even though the Core i5-2410M is technically a dual-core processor. The VPC-L212FX/B completed our Handbrake video encoder test in 2 minutes 38 seconds, and our Photoshop CS5 test in 4:13. That’s faster than the AMD Athlon II X4-powered Lenovo IdeaCentre B305 ($949 list, 3.5 stars) (which scored 3:25 on Handbrake; 8:01 on CS5) and the HP TouchSmart 310 ($1,159 direct, 4 stars) (2:56 Handbrake; 6:42 CS5). Our current Editor’s Choice for midrange multimedia all in one PCs, the Asus All in One PC ET2400IGTS-B008E ($1,299 list, 4.5 stars) is a smidge faster than all these desktops (1:57 Handbrake; 3:30 CS5): its higher-powered Intel Core i5-2400S and a smidge more memory (6GB vs. 4GB) is the reason for the extra performance. Of course, none of these desktops is a great choice for playing 3D games, though the Asus ET2400 comes closest to playable scores at Crysis (33fps). If you want 3D performance in an all in one at this price point, you’ll have to go for the smaller screened Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Core i3) ($1,199 list, 4 stars) (61fps Crysis). The VPCL212FX/B can run Crysis, but its 11fps score at medium settings is akin to a slow motion video of the action.

Though the Sony VAIO VPC-L212FX/B is arguably the most attractive system among the five in terms of looks, it has a few drawbacks that keep it from achieving our highest ratings: The Sony’s weaker 3D performance isn’t a dealbreaker by itself, but when you add the lack of Blu-ray, eSATA, and TV tuner to the mix, you lost a few points off the top. The Asus ET2400IGTS-B008E holds on to the Editors’ Choice for multimedia all in one desktops by virtue of its better performance overall, and the things that the Sony lacked.

Design and Features
Taking design cues from its sibling, the Gateway DX4320-45 ($899.99 list, 3 stars), the DX4850-27eu sports the same protruding lip on top of the system that makes for a dynamic design than the traditional boxy desktop. The front of the chassis has a black glossy finish with a glowing white light that frames the front panel (this can be turned off, if you wish). There’s an included DVD-R/RW drive and an empty 3.5-inch hard drive bay, which is already prepped for a drive (in case you want to expand your storage). Both are hidden behind doors that fold out when the side eject buttons are pressed. The aforementioned lip houses a media card reader that accepts a wide array of formats, including xD, Micro SD, SD/MMC, MS/PRO, and CF media cards. Next to the card reader are two USB 2.0 ports and audio jacks.

The top of the chassis has a indented tray to place your multimedia devices (i.e. MP3s, hard drives, etc.) and plug them into the two additional USB 2.0 ports on the tray, toward the back. There’s also a hidden cable wrapper for those who like to keep wire-clutter to a minimum.

On the back of the DX4850-27eu is an array of connectivity options: Two PS/2 (older mice and keyboards), HDMI, VGA, 6 additional USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, and audio jacks. I would have liked to have seen a USB 3.0 or eSATA port, which the Velocity Micro Vector Holiday Edition ($999 direct, 4.5 stars) have. Heavy downloaders and digital hoarders will be delighted by the 1.5TB hard drive, but its 5,400rpm speed makes this system more for the consumer-grade photo or digital enthusiasts. Desktops at lesser price points, like the Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC ($499.98 list, 4 stars), include a 500GB drive that spins at a fast 7,200rpm.

Cracking open the Gateway DX4850-27eu will require a screwdriver, but after loosening two screws I was able to slide the side panel open. All 4 RAM slots were full, but there were 3 PCIe x1 slots open that can be filled with expansion cards like a sound, Wi-Fi, TV tuner, or USB 3.0 card. There’s one PCIe x16 slot were you can install an discrete graphics card, but you’ll want to make sure not to exceed the 300W power supply—which limits you to mid-range cards like an ATI Radeon HD 5570 or AMD Radeon HD 6570. There are also two internal SATA ports open in case you need even more hard drive storage space, along with the aforementioned empty extractable bay (that’s already wired for a hard drive) and two other free drive bays.

Bloatware is at a minimum, Gateway included a 60-day Norton trial, Bing Bar, and a Best Buy app to download and purchase software. Think of it as similar to Steam for everyday applications or the Apple App Store on your computer where you can purchase software. The Best Buy app is good, because it prevents manufacturers from pre-loading (and ultimately slowing down) your desktop with trial software, shortcuts to eBay, and extraneous applications that you most likely don’t need.

Performance
The DX4850-27eu is equipped with a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-2300 processor (Sandy Bridge), coupled with 6GB of RAM. This hardware combination gave the desktop a boost on several of our CPU-intensive tests, like PCMark Vantage (8,715) and Cinebench R11.5 (4.62). These scores were competitive with that of desktops with similar processing power, like the Editors’ Choice Velocity Micro Vector Holiday Edition (8,622 PCMark and 4.87 Cinebench). Likewise, on multimedia tests like Photoshop CS5 image filter (3:37) and Handbrake video encoding (1:48) tests the DX4850-27eu was able to churn out similar scores as the Velocity Micro Holiday Edtion (3:29 CS5 and 1:34 Handbrake).

In terms of 3D performance, the DX4850-27eu did well considering it lacks a discrete graphics card. Its Core i5 processor, with its improved integrated graphics, helped the desktop to score 5,441 on 3DMark Vantage at enty-level settings. On our DirectX 10 Crysis gaming test, it was able to churn out a slow 11.8 frames per second (fps) on Medium and 1.73fps on Very High; but it failed to even run our DirectX 11 Lost Planet 2 test. As such, you’ll be limited to light 3D games like Torchlight and World of Warcraft.

The Gateway DX4850-27eu is a solid performing desktops that offers room to grow and plenty of ports. But given that this desktop is competing in the best bang for buck space, it lacks features like Wi-Fi, that would make it appeal to the casual consumer. If you’re willing to eek out the extra cash, the EC HP Pavilion p6727c-b ($749.99 list, 4 stars) bundles a monitor, but you’ll be sacrificing some performance and adding bloatware. There’s also our Editors’ Choice Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC, 98 that will give you a Blu-ray player and no bloatware for much less.

Design and Features
The CM1630-08 comes in a standard black chassis with a glossy faceplate and metal side panels. Topside, there’s a plastic mesh indented tray to hold hard drives, MP3 players, and other devices that can be jacked into one of the easy-access ports that sit near the top of the face of the PC. These ports consist of 4 USB 2.0, audio jacks, CF, SD/MMC, and MS/PRO card readers. Below sits a DVD drive and expansion bay for an extra hard drive or optical drive. In the back of the desktop are even more connectivity options: 6 more USB 2.0 ports, audio jacks, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, PS/2 (for older keyboards and mice), and DVI-D (digital and analog). I would have liked to have seen USB 3.0 or an eSATA port to provide users with faster data transfer speeds, but these advanced ports are unlikely in a sub-$600 desktop.

Cracking open the CM1630-08 was fairly easy; you just undo two screws and slide open the side panel. Inside, there are 4 RAM slots (3 of which were filled), 3 SATA ports and two drive bays for extra hard drives, one PCIe x1 (for sound, Wi-Fi, TV tuner, or USB 3.0 card), one PCIe x16 (for a graphics card), and two PCI slots. Note that if you do decide to install a graphics card, you’ll be limited to a mid-range one as the included 330W power supply can’t handle anything more powerful. Storage space shouldn’t be an issue as the CM1630-08 comes with a 1TB, 7,200rpm hard drive.

Bloatware is kept to a minimum thanks to the Best Buy app; it’s like a Steam or Apple App Store shortcut that directs you to a store where you can sample or purchase software for your PC. I prefer this over manufacturers littering the desktop screen with shortcuts and ads to applications I could simply download myself. The only other included software was the Ebi.Book Reader and Bing Bar.

Performance
The CM1630-08 comes with a 2.8GHz AMD Phenom II X4-830 processor and 6GB of RAM. On our CPU-intensive PCMark Vantage (5,723) and Cinebench R11.5 (3.35) tests it faired well considering its parts. It held its own against other desktops with more powerful CPUs, like the AMD Phenom II X4-840T-powered HP Pavilion p6719c ($499.99 list, 3.5 stars) (PCMark 6,721 and R11.5 3.43) and Intel Core i3-550-equipped Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC ($499.98 list, 4 stars) (PCMark 6,287 and R11.5 2.62). On multimedia-oriented Photoshop CS5 image filter (5:35) and Handbrake video encoding (2:41) tests, the CM1630-08 fell significantly behind the Dell Inspiron by 1 minute 20 seconds, but only came up 22 seconds short of the HP p6719c.

The CM1630-08 has little to offer by way of 3D performance with its ATI Radeon 3000 integrated graphics chip. Its 3DMark Vantage scores were an abysmal 1,827 on the Entry setting, and it couldn’t even run our DirectX 11 Lost Planet 2 gaming benchmark test and barely made it through our DirectX 10 Crysis test (6.5fps Medium quality). You’ll need to upgrade to a discrete graphics card for anything more complicated than streaming online videos.

The Asus Essentio CM1630-08 is a solid starter desktop with room to grow. It may not have the most cutting-edge technology that enthusiasts crave, but puts out solid performance considering its parts, and all for a sub-$600 price. The Editors’ Choice Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC has similar offerings for $80 less. Their differences are merely in hard drive space (1TB for the Asus vs. 500GB for the Dell) and overall performance numbers. Because of these factors, the Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC still remains our Editors’ Choice, but I still give the Asus Essentio CM1630-08 a high recommendation.

Design and Features
The K330-11691AU is a fairly standard-looking tower, with a styled front panel. It has a brushed metal veneer on the front panel, with glossy black plastic covering the optical drives and media card reader. After unscrewing the thumbscrew that secures the grey metal side panel, you can get to the internal expansion space: There’s room for one optical drive, one hard drive, a single PCIe x16 graphics card slot, and 3 PCIex1 expansion slots. Once you’re inside, blue highlights show you where you can install upgrades: A blue button releases the PCIe card retainer, for example. You’d have to unscrew the retainer in some other desktops. The hard drive is particularly easy to upgrade, since the desktop comes ready with a blue tool-less sled you can just drop the new hard drive into. There aren’t any free memory DIMM slots, but 8GB is more than enough for most casual users’ needs these days. The desktop has a 280W power supply, which won’t let you install anything more powerful than an entry-level 3D graphics card, but buyers looking at $600 desktop usually don’t worry about high-end 3D games. Outside, the desktop has the aforementioned media card reader, six USB 2.0 ports, PS/2 mouse/keyboard, and an HDMI port in addition to the usual Ethernet and audio ports—a well connected system.

The K330-11691AU’s 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive has plenty for an average home user or family. You can always hook external drive(s) up to the USB ports or add another internal drive if you need more storage. The K330-11691AU doesn’t have USB 3.0, FireWire, or eSATA for fast external hard drives, but I really don’t expect those technologies at this price.

The desktop is thankfully free of bloatware and trialware. It comes with Lenovo’s easy to use rescue and recovery software in case you need to return the system to its out of box state. The K330-11691AU also comes with the Best Buy app, so you can shop Best Buy’s online store and purchase software. There’s a 90-day subscription to McAfee’s Security Center. I’d like to see subscription lengths of a year or more included with all new systems.

Performance
There’s nothing like the march of technology: The K330-11691AU’s benchmark scores were near or at the top of the class, thanks to its newer send-generation Intel Core processor (aka, Sandy Bridge). The Core i3-2100 processor has two cores with Hyperthreading, so it performs like a true quad-core processor with only two real cores. It can complete our Handbrake video encoder test in a sprightly 2 minutes 12 seconds, and the Photoshop CS5 test in 3:49. These are both noticeably better than our last Editors’ Choice for entry/midrange systems, the Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC ($499.98 list, 4 stars) (2:23 Handbrake, 4:15 CS5). The Dell i580-8139NBC also has Intel integrated graphics, but it’s an older version. It’s plain from the 3DMark Vantage and the Crysis tests that the K330-11691AU has a better internal chip: the Dell i580-8139NBC got 3,975 points on 3DMark Vantage and the K330-11691AU 5,621 points. Similarly, at Crysis (at Medium quality), the Dell got 6 fps and the Lenovo doubled that to 12 fps. Granted, 12 fps is unplayable and little more than a slow motion video, but it shows that the K330-11691AU has more 3D horsepower overall.

The combination of higher performance, larger hard drive (1TB vs. 500GB), and much more RAM (8GB vs. 4GB) allows the Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU leapfrog the Dell Inspiron i580-8139NBC as our Editors’ Choice for entry/mid-range desktops. Yes, the K330-11691AU is $100 more expensive, but that $100 buys you a desktop that will last longer before you get to that point when it “seems slow.” There are other contenders like the HP Pavilion p6719c ($499.99, 3.5 stars). The HP p6719c is competitive with the Dell i580-8139NBC and K330-11691AU on the benchmark tests, but the HP p6719c is burdened by bloatware and has only 4GB of memory. The Dell i580-8139NBC is still a good choice if you’re limited to around $500, but if you have a little more scratch, the K330-11691AU has the features that will keep it usable for a longer period of time.

Design and Features
The Omni 200 takes its design cues from its predecessor, the Omni 100: It has a 21.5-inch widescreen (with a 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, aka1080p HD) that is supported by a bent arm a la Apple’s iMac 21.5-inch ($1,199 list, 4 stars). The black chassis has a clean design; the front has no adornments other than the embedded speakers that line the bottom of the bezel and a webcam that sits on top. The left side of the desktop is lined with audio jacks, two USB 2.0 ports, and card reader (SD/SDHC/xD/MMC/MS/MS PRO). On the right is a tray-loading DVD burner. There are even more connectivity options available on the back of the Omni 200, including five USB 2.0 ports (one of which is taken up by a wireless USB adapter that connects the keyboard and mouse), Ethernet, and an audio jack. I would have liked to have seen an eSATA or USB 3.0 port, which would provide users with faster data transfer speeds when hooked up to an external hard drive. The Omni 200 comes with a huge power brick, rather than embedding it into the system, like Apple does with its iMac line. It’s more a nit-pick than anything else.

Cracking open the tower required a little finesse via a flathead screw driver to leverage and pop out a panel in the back. After that, all the other panels easily slid off. From here you can access the hard drive and RAM slots (all of which are full), but it’s likely the included 6GB will suite most users’ needs. The only reason you would access the hard drive, in this case, is if it became faulty. Otherwise, the 1TB (7,200rpm) of space should be enough for a media hoarder or heavy downloader.

There’s a bit of bloatware on the system consisting of eReaders (Blio, Kobo, and Zinio Reader4), Bing Bar, Snapfish, Hulu, eBay shortcut, and RoxioNow Player. I’m of the mind that, unless you ask for it, manufacturers should leave their desktops clean of any programs I could otherwise download myself. Some of the pre-loaded apps, however, like Microsoft Office Starter, are good additions, as you’ll have all the benefits of Word, Exel, etc., only with ads and a bit watered down.

Performance
Though not a second-generation Intel Core i-processor, the Omni 200′s 2.8GHz Core i5-760 CPU is still a high-end CPU. Combined with 6GB of RAM, it did well on our processor-intensive tests like PCMark Vantage (8,453) that runs the desktop through basic web-browsing and day-to-day tasks, measuring its performance. The Editors’ Choice for high-end all-in-one desktops, the Core i5-powered Apple iMac 27-inch ($1,999 list, 4.5 stars) (7,784) only fell slightly behind, but in real-world standard, the difference doesn’t necessarily mean much.

In Cinebench R11.5, a test to see how fast a PC can render a 3D image, the Omni 200 did quite well, scoring 3.92 points. It blazed through our Photoshop CS5 time test, moving though our 12 image filters in 3 minutes 56 seconds. The Omni 200 continued to prove itself as a capable multimedia machine by garnering a respectable 1:55 on our Handbrake video encoding test.

It even proved to be a capable 3D gaming machine, thanks to its ATI Radeon HD 5570 graphics card—though I don’t think it’s going anywhere near the pro circuit—the Omni 200 was able to put out a just-playable 54 frames per second on Medium quality settings on our Crysis (DirectX 10) gaming test. Likewise, on Medium quality settings it was able to chug out 26fps on Lost Planet 2 (DX9). When put to Very High or High quality settings, with textures and anti-aliasing turned up, the Omni 200 started to churn out slideshow speeds of 6fps and 8fps. You’ll likely be able to game comfortably on titles such as, World of Warcraft and Starcraft II.

The Omni 200-5380qd’s parts allow it to compete against high-end all-in-one systems like the Apple iMac 27-inch, but its price makes it belong to the mainstream all-in-one category. It easily bests the current Editors’ Choice, the HP Omni 100, in performance and features (i.e. wireless keyboard and mouse), but not price. If you’re on a fixed budget, the Omni 100′s $559.99 price tag is a steal, But if you’re looking for more out of your all-in-one than just web browsing and word processing the Omni 200 comes highly recommended.

Design and Features
The x8300-1225NBK is a glossy black mid-tower, just like its predecessor, the Dell Studio XPS sx8100-2777NBC ($1,149.99 list, 4 stars). In fact, aside from the word “Studio” embossed on the older model, you’d be hard pressed to tell the two apart at a glance. The x8300-1225NBK has the same backward lean to the chassis, which helps users access the optical drive. Inside, there’s room for two additional hard drives, an optical drive, a PCIe x16 graphics card, and three PCIe x1 cards. There are only two SATA ports free on the motherboard, but that’s plenty for an extra optical drive plus one hard drive. The desktop comes with a 460W power supply, so it’s ready for a fairly hefty graphics card upgrade. You won’t be grabbing the ATI Radeon HD 6990 card (since it needs a 750W power supply), but a mid-range card like the ATI Radeon HD 5770 will fit fine. In fact, the x8300-5125NBK ($1,099.99 list, 4 stars) comes with this graphics card pre-installed.

There’s an indented tray built into the top of the chassis, which we’ve come to expect from the Dell XPS 8000 line. You can rest a smartphone, MP3 player, or external hard drive in the tray, and connect them to one of the two USB 2.0 ports on the top or the 4 USB 2.0 ports in the back. There are another two USB 2.0 ports on the front for a total of eight. The desktop also includes a single eSATA port in the back for connecting faster hard drives. There’s also an HDMI port in addition to the VGA port. Amazingly, the only ports missing are USB 3.0 and FireWire. FireWire is more Mac-oriented these days, but would come in handy should you still use an older tape-based camcorder. Though USB 3.0 is on some systems right now, Dell is more cautious with rolling out new technology. Needless to say, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to upgrade the x8300-1225NBK. The desktop lacks a Blu-ray drive, so if you’re a movie collector, that might be the next upgrade. You shouldn’t have to upgrade the included 1TB 7,200rpm drive any time soon, as that’s more than enough for a family of downloaders. The system’s 6GB of RAM is great for the multi-tasker who keeps dozens of windows open at once, even if ten of them have pictures or video open.

The x8300-1225NBK comes with very little bloatware. Office 2010 Starter, which doesn’t expire (though you can upgrade to the full version online), and a 30-day subscription to McAfee Security Center (anti virus, etc.), come pre-loaded. I would have liked to see 12 to15 months of Internet security software on this and all new PCs. The system can get away with so little bloatware by adding the Best Buy app to the desktop. The Best Buy app lets you shop for and buy programs online. I wish other retailers would eliminate bloatware and follow Dell’s lead.

Performance
The x8300-1225NBK comes with a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-2300 processor, with integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000. The combo gives the system the power to motor through tasks that used to be taxing to single- and dual-core processors in the past: It completed the Handbrake video encoding test in 1 minute 50 seconds and Photoshop CS5 test in 3:38. This time is significantly faster than the AMD quad-core processor in the HP Pavilion p6751c-b ($749.99 list, 3.5 stars) (2:40 Handbrake, 5:40 CS5). Even though the HP p6751c-b’s AMD Phenom II X4 830T processor runs at the same 2.8GHz as the x8300-1225NBK’s Core i5-2300 processor, the x8300-1225NBK is about a minute ahead at Handbrake and about 2 minutes ahead at CS5. This time discrepancy is due in part to the Intel Core i5-2300′s Turbo Boost technology, which dynamically overclocks the processor based on workload.

Though the x8300-1225NBK comes with Intel HD Graphics 2000 built into the Core i5 processor, the desktop has at least a modicum of graphics power. It can display HD videos smoothly and without stutter, and performs quite a bit better on 3DMark Vantage (5,444 points vs. 2,390 for the HP p6751c-b with ATI Radeon HD 4200 integrated graphics). Crysis game play is essentially a slow motion video at 12 frames per second (fps), but it shows that is will at least run on the x8300-1225NBK. If you need more gaming power, I’d look at the x8300-1225NBK l’s sibling, the Dell x8300-5125NBK or the Cyberpower Gamer Dragon ($1,099 direct, 4.5 stars).

The x8300-1225NBK is decent mainstream desktop, but there are other choices to consider. In the mid-priced category, the Gateway DX4850-27eu ($649.99 list, 3.5 stars) is $100 less expensive, has a larger 1.5TB hard drive, the same Core i5-2300 processor and integrated graphics, and has an externally accessible hard drive expansion tray. The Gateway DX4850-27eu lacks Wi-Fi, but that’s easily rectified with a USB stick or PCIe card. Closer in price is the HP Pavilion p6751c-b, which is slower and has a lot more bloatware, but does come packed with a large 23-inch display. In terms of bang for the buck, the HP p6751c-b ekes out a win over the x8300-1225NBK, but if you already have a monitor and want a speedy system without the onus of bloatware, then take a look at the x8300-1225NBK.

Design and Features
On the outside, the new iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) is identical to the previous Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Core i3) ($1,199 list, 4 stars), including the same glass-covered 21.5-inch 1080p panel, wireless keyboard and mouse, and even the same row of I/O ports in the back. The one notable exception is that the older desktop’s mini DisplayPort has been replaced with a Thunderbolt port. Even though they look physically identical, the Thunderbolt port is capable of dual-channel 10Gbps communication, much faster than USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire, or eSATA. You can hook up many more devices to the Thunderbolt port as well: The interface can daisy chain devices together so multiple devices (like hard drives, monitors, printers, and input devices) can all use the same port on the iMac. The new iMacs come with a choice of the Apple Magic Mouse or Magic TrackPad for the same price. Our test unit came with the mouse.

The 21.5-inch iMac came with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive. While 4GB is plenty for a home user, pro users will want to swap out the memory or configure their new iMac with 8GB. Likewise, the base system comes with 500GB of hard drive space, which is not too shabby for a home user. That said, other systems in the iMac’s price class come with a 1TB drive, like the Asus All in One PC ET2400IGTS-B008E ($1,299 list, 4.5 stars). External hard drives are easy to hook up via USB, FireWire, or (in the future) Thunderbolt, so that’s not a huge nit at this point. Internal expansion isn’t an option.

Like many all-in-one desktops, the iMac really isn’t designed for end-user upgrades. The problems that are significant nits are the fact that you’ll need to find third-party adapters for the Thunderbolt port for HDMI in/out, USB 3.0, etc. Apple does make adapters for DVI and VGA monitors, but those are still extra cost options. Last but not least, there’s no Blu-ray option on any Mac: Apple wants you to stream or download HD videos from iTunes or other online sources. These omissions are less of a bother on this entry-level iMac than it would be on the top-of-the-line model Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) ($1,999 list, 4 stars).

The desktop comes with no bloatware at all. That is, those programs that really are there just to sell you more stuff (like “games” programs that only exist to sell/rent you games, or trialware programs that self destruct after a short period of time). The iMac comes with Apple’s excellent iLife suite, which includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, and GarageBand.

Performance
For the money, this iMac is the performance king. Not only is it faster than the previous iteration while running Mac OS X 10.6, it is also the fastest all-in-one desktop in the mainstream price range while running Windows 7! Even though the new iMac has a slower CPU clock speed than the previous-generation Core i3 in the iMac (Core i3), the new iMac’s second-generation Intel Core i5-2400S processor is more efficient and has four cores compared with the Core i3′s two. The new iMac took 1 minute 56 seconds in Windows and 1:40 in Mac OS to complete the Handbrake test, and 3:29 in Windows and 4:43 in Mac OS to complete the Photoshop CS5 test. Compare that with the iMac (Core i3), which took 2:29 in Windows 2:17 in Mac OS on Handbrake, and 4:21 in Windows and 6:29 Mac OS on CS5. The new iMac also trounced competitors from Gateway, HP, Sony, and Dell. About the only system that could keep up on multimedia tasks is the Asus ET2400IGTS-800SE, since it also has the Intel Core i5-2400S processor.

At 3D tasks, the new iMac was in a class of its own. The iMac completed the Crysis test with a smoothly playable 70 frames per second (fps) at Medium quality and the Lost Planet 2 test with a respectable 32 fps at Middle quality. None of the other competitors could produce playable scores on either test. The new iMac also topped all other comers at the PCMark Vantage test (8,141 points) and at the 3DMark Vantage test (19,397 points). If you want to get things done quickly as well as stylishly, get the iMac.

There really isn’t any comparison between the Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt) and other desktops in this price range. The new iMac trounces all at performance and styling. It’s the class leader for non-touch all-in-one desktop PCs. The Asus ET2400IGTS-800SE has comparable multimedia performance, but the new iMac outclassed the Asus ET2400IGTS at 3D and day-to-day performance. Sure, the Asus ET2400IGTS has a few more features like a touch screen, Blu-ray, a larger hard drive, and HDMI-in, but the Asus’ included software is nowhere near as integrated as that of the new iMac. The iMac is also $100 cheaper than the Asus ET2400IGTS, which dispells the myth of an “Apple tax” (i.e. Apple products are supposedly more expensive than Windows).

Less expensive all-in-ones like the Dell Inspiron One 2305 (Blu-ray) ($1,099 direct, 4.0 stars) have a few features with higher capacities (like hard drive space, Blu-ray, and system memory), but the Dell One 2305 is less attractive overall, and its touch interface isn’t compelling enough (or complete enough) to overcome its much slower performance. The new iMac regains its crown as the Editors’ Choice for mainstream/multimedia-oriented all-in-one desktops by virtue of its blazing performance, excellent software, styling, and price.