what to look for when buying a desktop computer

In his spare time, he's written on topics as diverse as Borneo's rain forests, Middle Eastern airlines, and big data's role in presidential elections. Macs are an excellent choice if you're already in an Apple-centric household, since they offer seamless compatibility with iPads and iPhones, including the ability to send and receive messages on any device connected to your iCloud account. Many computers that use DDR3 are available. Are you looking for something with the latest technology? One of the main benefits of a desktop tower is that it will use a desktop-grade CPU. Consider choosing a fast SSD as the boot drive, and one or more large-capacity but slower hard drives for bulk storage of capacity-sapping video or games. Optical drive, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth included. CPU could be beefier, considering separated base. A modern All-In-One PC with a large screen is a great way to keep all of your important spreadsheets up at once, so you know all the numbers are crunched correctly. An all-in-one (AIO) desktop is quite a different animal than both of these form factors. Beyond the office, our wide selection of school supplies including backpacks, notebooks, pens and laptop computers to help your student excel. Make sure the machine's video outputs are compatible with your display and its cabling. More memory will help you run simultaneous programs at faster speeds. An AIO's value proposition comes down to space saving and whether you happen to be shopping for a desktop display at the same time. Best Compact Gaming PC. Ideal computer specifications are determined by your specific use case. For truly cramped quarters or light workloads, as well as for people who love the efficient use of space, a mini PC could be the best choice. Keep an eye on your inbox! Instead of buying a $700 laptop with a competent Intel Core i5 processor, you can get a $700 desktop with a more powerful Core i7 CPU in it, and maybe even squeeze in a dedicated graphics card. A typical configuration in this case is one 512GB SSD and two or more hard drives with at least 1TB of space on each. You'll also typically find an HDMI output (and perhaps another video output or two, such as DisplayPort or VGA), a 3.5mm audio jack, a connector for an external Wi-Fi antenna, and a receptacle for a physical lock. Many towers will also have multiple audio ports, including possibly an optical output and ports for individual speaker channels in a surround-sound setup. Screen Size. Many other manufacturers end up copying—and, sometimes, improving upon—the field-leading designs of the Apple iMac and the Microsoft Surface Studio. Lenovo undercuts the competition with its new mid-tower gaming desktop, the Legion Tower 5i. These refurbished PCs are often surprisingly cheap ($150 to $250 is common), and many are desktop towers, so they're easy to upgrade or service if a component goes south. Internal parts like SMPS, Motherboard, DVD writer, etc should have a warranty for at least … Impressively compact case with LED-lit side window. For example: a mostly sealed system like an all-in-one, offers more convenience, but less flexibility if you … Windows is a great option for traditional tasks like word processing but can also tackle demanding ones such as gaming, creative design, and video editing. There are quite a few storage options to choose from. Many people considering desktops in the $200-to-$500 range should also consider a refurbished machine. And that's before you even delve into the wild world of custom PCs: automotive-grade paint jobs, liquid cooling, and fanciful lighting and wiring. The operating system is the foundation of the desktop computer, managing both hardware and software. They're economical and power-efficient, and can serve as adequate web browsing or multimedia viewing platforms. Whether hulking towers, sleek all-in-ones, or space-saving mini PCs, today's desktops pack neater designs and more value than ever. You'll find plenty of them for sale, to be sure, and innovation never stops in the desktop market. Also, the typical base and boost clock speeds may be lower, and the chip may not support multithreading. High-end workstations and gaming desktops sometimes have a second Ethernet port for doubling network bandwidth or for always-connected redundancy, while business desktops sometimes offer legacy connectors such as VGA video outputs, PS/2 peripheral ports, or serial ports. Whether you're a gamer, a designer, a student, or simply need a desktop for … While a desktop's SSD stores your data, its system memory (or RAM) works with the CPU to run apps and helps define its capacity to multitask. While Windows® PCs are the most prevalent, Google's Chrome OS is another attractive option. That inexpensive laptop would be subject to the vagaries of daily commuting and the occasional drop from a coffee table. Follow him on Twitter @branttom. Instead, their display output comes from a portion of the CPU, a slice of silicon known as an integrated graphics processor (IGP). Desktop Processors. Graphics-accelerated video rendering or AI programs can benefit from the same types of GPUs as intensive 3D games. Desktops running Windows 10 are also readily available below $500, making them attractive to casual users, families looking for a second PC, and bargain hunters. https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-desktop-computers. You can't buy a more powerful gaming platform than a tricked-out desktop PC. Gaming PCs offer the kind of speed and graphics that go above and beyond standard PCs. Touch Screen options function well as an intuitive and familiar navigation method. So where does that leave the venerable desktop PC? It's still possible to find desktops with only spinning hard drives, but we recommend avoiding these and choosing an SSD as the main boot drive whenever possible. The type of memory matters to the performance of a computer. Find out which type of memory is used on the computer… On all but the very tiniest of mini PCs, you should look for at least three USB 3.0 (or higher) ports, at least one of which should be the newer, oval-shaped Type-C variety if you have any compatible peripherals that plug directly into that kind of port. The 27-inch Apple iMac gains a 1080p webcam, a new matte-finish screen option, and faster CPU and GPU picks. You can also find all-in-one desktops, with the display and all of the computing components built into a single device, starting at around $400. Note that a tower with a graphics card may also have video outputs that stem from the motherboard, but you should only use the video outputs on the GPU. They do come with drawbacks. If you're just looking to do some middle-of-the-road gaming on a 1080p monitor (and not looking to win any professional esports crowns), a mainstream card like those in Nvidia's GeForce GTX series will do just fine. DDR4 has been released and is available for more desktop computers than ever. Learn about HP laptops, pc desktops, printers, accessories and more at the Official HP® Website Many of the features gamers demand are also features that graphic artists and production designers may find beneficial. Maintain a well-stocked office breakroom. With a hybrid configuration, the SSD can be used to support the operating system and its applications while the HDD drive is used for data storage. Look for a system that has some of its USB ports conveniently located on the front panel or keyboard so that … When evaluating a desktop, beyond looking at what ports are present, also evaluate where they are. Indeed, most business desktops rely on IGPs. For a typical tower using a true desktop-grade CPU, mainstream users should look for an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5; the Core i7 and Ryzen 7 are also excellent, powerful choices, but overkill for most folks who aren’t serious PC gamers, intensive multitaskers, or prosumer or pro video or image manipulators. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. But more people now than ever consider desktops an anachronism, heading straight to the laptop aisle instead for their next computer purchase. A graduate of Middlebury College, Tom also has a master's degree in journalism and French Studies from New York University. Integrated graphics are adequate enough to handle general computing tasks but for more demanding tasks such as gaming, photo-editing, or video production you'll want to consider a desktop with dedicated graphics. Models based on or inspired by Intel's Next Unit of Computing (NUC) platform can be as small as 5 inches square but still allow for one or two solid-state drives of your choosing, and the ability to choose and install your own RAM. These PCs offer powerful processing for quick file access and additional security features for work. As a result, you may want to settle for a screen with a full HD or 1080p (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) native resolution and spend money to upgrade other components instead. Some buying concerns, no less crucial than the ones above, apply only to certain types of desktops. Mini PCs are excellent in the modern workplace as they produce minimal clutter. Integrated graphics make gaming and 3D apps nonstarters. Below are the types of memory with their corresponding speeds and transfer rates: Storage capacity is what enables a desktop computer to accommodate your videos, movies, images, games, documents and other files. Best for macOS Users Seeking a Compact Desktop, Best for Peak Value in a Family or Home-Office AIO, Best for DIY-Minded Gamers, Power Users After a Super-Small PC, Best for Maximum Configurability, Raw Workstation Power, Best for Creative Pros, Media Editors Seeking an AIO. The very smallest sizes have the benefit of disappearing behind an HDMI-equipped monitor or TV, and they contain a processor, memory, storage, and ports to hook up keyboards and mice. If space is an issue, consider a PC with a smaller form factor. The screen and speakers are built in, and you'll likely use a wireless keyboard and mouse, anyway. But if you're not wedded to one or the other by years of habit (or the peripherals and software you own) and are open to switching, here's a quick rundown of your choices. Windows Check out our deep-dive guide to graphics cards for much, much more on the nuances of today's video cards. Cracking open an AIO for an upgrade or fix, while not impossible, is a bigger deal than opening the side of a desktop tower. Microsoft's Surface Studio 2 is a beautiful, pricey all-in-one desktop for artists, content creators, and professionals wedded to pen input. Most desktop makers offer one-year warranties on parts and labor, with extensions available for as many as five years at an additional charge. *Deals are selected by our partner, TechBargains. While desktops don't come in as many distinct form factors as laptops do, there is great variation in computing power and room for upgrades among them. While Windows® PCs are the most prevalent, Google's Chrome OS is another attractive option. The HP Envy 32 is an excellent all-in-one desktop thanks to its large 4K display, robust built-in sound bar, and potent components that are ready to power through work and play. Desktops aren't facing extinction, and they are doing anything but standing still. A fourth option is to buy a desktop with no operating system at all and install an open-source one of your choosing, such as Ubuntu. Let's consider these, and a bunch of other important factors, in this guide to buying a desktop. Buying one of these computers instead of a new computer can save you hund… Traditional Desktop PCs include integrated graphics, in which the graphics processing unit (GPU) is built into the chipset that also houses the central processing unit (CPU). }. But mini PCs and desktop towers need the right selection of ports. Given that they have no moving parts, there is no rotational speed to consider. Compared to laptops, most pre-built PCs are more upgradable You'll have to choose based on what you plan to do with your desktop and where you plan to put it. This promotion is for Rewards members only. The bar has been reset for mini PCs: With deep upgrade options and a unique internal architecture based on Intel's Compute Element, the game-changing NUC 9 Extreme brings near-tower power down to the truly small. FX: AMD FX processors are a DirectX 12 performance leader, with the highest clocks and the most cores you can get on a desktop PC. Not only will a $3,000 gaming tower offer immense computing power today, but it should come with so much room for expansion and potential for upgradability that its useful life will be far longer than any laptop's. A single 500GB or 512GB SSD is fine for most users. (Many MasterCard accounts include a doubling of the standard warranty period, up to one year, for example.). Memory capacities of 8GB or 16GB are fine for most users, and these are the most common configurations on entry-level or midrange desktops of all forms and sizes. An IGP is fine for basic tasks, such as checking your email, browsing the web, or even streaming videos. Laptop … Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning. If you limit yourself only to the selection at your local electronics outlet, though, you’ll miss out on many great desktops. Still, if you're looking for a cheap desktop to stow in a cabinet or under a desk, used just to check your email and calendar, refurbs are a fine option. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. (This has shown more variance in recent years.). Desktop towers have many of their own idiosyncrasies. Macs and Windows PCs are available in all three of the major desktop form factors: mini PCs that can fit on a bookshelf, sleek all-in-ones with built-in (and usually high-resolution) displays, and traditional desktop towers that are bulky but offer lots of room for expansion. 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