Desktop Pcs

The Lenovo IdeaCentre K330-11691AU ($599.99 list at Best Buy), an entry-level/mid-range general-purpose desktop, has the power to do some light multimedia work, including editing photos, transcoding the occasional video, and posting multimedia onto your blog site. Older desktops in the sub-$750 range used older processors and technology, but not the K330: The desktop has an Intel second-generation Core i3-2100 processor, with integrated graphics that are capable of smoothly displaying HD video as well as light to medium 3D work (or play). It has all the right components to keep a family happy for the usual 5 to 7 years that they hold on to a PC, and it’s not likely to “feel slow” until the tail end of its life. If you need to replace that six-year-old PC with something new, put the K330-11691AU at the top of your shopping list. It’s all that and a bag of chips.

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.

The HP Omni 200-5380qd ($959.99 direct) is the follow up to the Omni 100 ($559.99 list, 4.5 stars). Though priced more, this all-in-one desktop PC that offers better performance with its Core i5 processor and some 3D gaming prowess—something the earlier version lacked. For the asking price, it offers a great all-in-one solution for your desktop needs.

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.

The Dell XPS x8300-1225NBK ($749.99 list at Best Buy) is a nice mainstream desktop PC. It has a fairly attractive chassis, great performance, and a roster of features that make your checklist. Beyond that however, there really isn’t too much to differentiate this desktop from its competitors. You likely won’t be disappointed, but it’s the desktop that will help you get your work done rather than one that makes your heart race.

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.