When setting up a home office, a desktop computer can be a wise and ergonomic choice if mobility isn’t a major concern. Your neck is less stressed when you look up at a display than when you look down at a laptop. Additionally, a desktop typically offers more power for your money than a laptop does. We have everything you need, whether you prefer the streamlined look of an all-in-one computer, the small size of a micro PC, or a gaming PC that can easily handle the newest games. These are the top desktop PCs we’ve examined, Windows or Mac.
Which is better, a Mac or a PC? You are really in control. Both platforms include models that perform well in some lab tests. Additionally, they will support the most widely used software programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Chrome, Slack, and Zoom. The combination of a Mac and an iPhone or an Android phone and a PC, however, has advantages. For instance, you might be able to reply to a text message using your keyboard or transfer data between a computer and a smartphone using copy-paste.
We’ve got suggestions for desktops that will fit your budget, whether you need a lot of power for content creation or a more reasonably priced system for projects and instruction.
Alienware Aurora R13
Since a big portion of Alienware’s business is around customizing a PC for you with the precise components you choose, a judgment of the Aurora R13 is largely a judgment of the new Legend 2.0 chassis. Moreover, we can say that the Aurora R13’s new appearance is a hit!
Even after playing in 4K for hours, the redesigned chassis is simple to access, has lots of ports, and has enough ventilation that It didn’t detect much more than a gentle hum and a pleasant warmth coming from the PC. The computer can weigh up to 35 pounds, so moving it around or setting it down on a desk requires some care (watch those fins). The space-age design and programmable RGB lighting, however, are guaranteed to draw attention if your desk has room for it.
Lenovo Legion Tower 5i
Gaming desktops can be hefty, opulent devices that cost astronomically much and have side panels that display intricately RGB-lit components. Since it costs less than $1,000, Lenovo’s Legion Tower 5i fails on that last point, but surprisingly holds its own against the competition in other areas. A pair of sixes instead of fours, a six-core Intel Core i5 processor instead of a quad-core one, and a 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics card in place of a 4GB GPU give delightful 1080p gaming on its transparent side. The Lenovo logo on the front is a fourth lighting zone.
The Legion Tower 5i is a fantastic gaming deal, despite the fact that it lacks a front-mounted USB-C connector and you’ll probably want to update its 8GB of regular RAM to 12GB or 16GB. It will be the best choice for mid-level gamers with modest spending power.
Falcon Northwest Tiki
A desktop PC is frequently really an under-the-desk or next-to-the-desk PC, especially in the gaming market; full-size tower cases are just plain large. Although the Falcon Northwest Tiki is smaller than its closest competition in size, the Corsair One a200, with a footprint of just 4 by 14 inches and a height of 13 inches, uses full-bore desktop components that are industry standards and are more upgradeable. It is powered by a screaming AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor and an over-the-top Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for the best desktop for intense gaming or workstation-level creativity and digital design—the custom-tailored, more-than-immaculate Falcon Northwest is simply the best one out there. More inexpensive than the Tiki are millions of PCs, but few are superior.
HP Chromebase All-in-One 22
On the other end of the spectrum from HP’s all-in-one desktops is the under-$500 Chromebase 22, which brings the convenience of a Chromebook to your desk, living room, or kitchen counter. With its 21.5-inch 1080p screen’s ability to flip between landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) modes, you can easily move from watching a YouTube or Netflix video to reading a webpage or Google Workspace word editing document without scrolling. It has a high-res webcam, a wireless keyboard and mouse, and a cone-shaped base with a surprisingly high-quality speaker.
Due to its primarily browser-based architecture, Chrome OS is a poor choice for intensive applications like a photo or video editing (as is HP’s Pentium Gold CPU), but it is a great fit for daily productivity, academic work, email, and web browsing. Its revolving display isn’t really useful for Android games, but it makes a cool internet kiosk for a living room or perhaps a home office.
Velocity Micro Raptor Z55
The Raptor Z55 is the company’s crowning achievement and the top boutique retailer in Virginia. Although it can push frame rates as high as the best of them, hard-core gamers might find its conservative tower case a bit monotonous. However, it performs even better as a workstation for high-end productivity or creating digital material. If you spend your days processing enormous information or performing severe 3D rendering but like to let loose after work with the most difficult video games, look no further.
The Velocity Micro is a showcase for Intel’s 12th Gen “Alder Lake” CPUs and Nvidia’s quickest graphics cards, offering a stunning bespoke build and exceptional U.S.-based service. It’s built for wealthy professionals with subtle rather flamboyant tastes in both work and leisure.
HP Envy 34 All-in-One
Did we just suggest it would be wonderful to have a sharper screen? In addition to a large (34-inch diagonal) 5K display with panoramic 5,120 by 2,160-pixel resolution and a 16-megapixel webcam that magnetically snaps almost anywhere along the top or either side of the screen to make you look your best, HP’s Envy 34 all-in-one computer offers a variety of other features. Because it uses a separate Nvidia GeForce GPU rather than the more common integrated graphics, it performs well even for mid-level gaming. It also features all the ports, RAM, and storage you’ll likely need, as well as a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
There aren’t many high-end all-in-one PCs available now that Apple has discontinued the 27-inch Retina Display iMac, but the Envy 34 does a good job of filling that void. Although not cheap, it is not out of reach, and its widescreen 21:9 aspect ratio is just as effective for organizing many app windows for maximum productivity as a dual-monitor arrangement.
