During this month of June we’ve been looking at TigerDirect’s certified desktops. The eMachines ET1331G-03w, our last stop, is a great all around the system for home and office. It’s hardware is powerful enough to play intense 3-D games at low settings as well as the ability to easily handle web browsing, word processing, and email without breaking a sweat. Inside is a dual core AMD (Athlon II X2 235e) running at 2.7GHz, 6GB of medium speed (DDR2 memory), and a 750GB hard drive. The integrated NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE graphics card isn’t going to blow your mind but will handle games like Sims 2, Counter Strike Source, and Max Effect at medium to low settings. Windows 7 is the operating system. Also included is the flash card reader, DVD-RW Optical Drive, wired keyboard/mouse, and USB speakers. Brand new the machine went for $399 and up, refurbished it goes for $369 + shipping at TigerDirect. Read the rest of this entry »

TigerDirect offers many recertified desktops at various prices. I previously wrote about a basic IBM desktop for $134 and a mid range Acer nettop for $179; what should you consider if you’ve got up to $339 to spend and want more power?

Never fear! Below are four different options, from most powerful to least powerful.

eMachines ET1331G-05W, $339 + shipping.

The ET1331G-05W is a modern system for those who want both today’s power and tomorrow’s ability to upgrade. It’s got a speedy dual core 2.7GHz AMD processor along with 4GB of (DDR2) RAM. The combination of this fast processor and RAM simply means that this machine can handle all your multitasking with a breeze. If you feel the need for speed in the future you can add up to 8GB of RAM. The video card here is the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE. This graphics video card has enough oomph to handle all your everyday computing needs and will even handle some basic 3-D games. Be aware, it doesn’t have quiet enough power to handle today’s ultra intense 3-D games. This isn’t the system to buy if you’re a hard core gamer. Read the rest of this entry »

If you read by post below you know that you can buy yourself an “almost new” desktop from TigerDirect for about $200. These Certificated Desktops are almost new because they’re “Off-Lease.” That basically means that they’ve been leased to a business for two to three years then turned back in. Buying Recertified means that instead of paying $400 to $600 for a brand new computer you can get the same system for half the cost system.

So if you’re looking to buy yourself one of these budget systems which one should is a good buy? Read the rest of this entry »

Dell’s new Inspiron i580-5108NBC is a mid range desktop perfect for both everyday basic computing as well as for home entertainment. The machine delivers excellent performance and adequate graphics for entry-level games. It’s $799.99 at Best Buy.

Review Summaries
The system is powered by an Intel Core i5 650 / 3.2 GHz chip, 8 GB of DDR3 SD RAM, and comes with a large 1 TB SATA hard drive. The installed optical drive is a DVD+/-RW / CD-RW. System graphics are powered by the NVidia GeForce GT 220 (with 1GB of memory). Ports include HDMI, Ethernet, and 6 USB. Another nice touch here is the wireless networking card. Everything comes bundled with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.

Its CPU (Intel Core i5 560 CPU) is actually dual core but has the ability to translate itself into 4 core when needed. CNet indicates that the system easily handles programs like iTunes and Photoshop and multitasks much better than similar systems.  The graphics card is great for basic 3D games. If you’re into more intense 3-D games they’ll work on will work at the lowest settings. Read the rest of this entry »

Gateway’s SX2840-01 is a clever improvement of their fabulous SX2800-01. This slim tower has 2.93GHz quad core machine multitasks with ease and has very fast performance. The specs (6GB RAM, 64MB Video Card, 1TB Hard drive) make it perfect for home or office use. It’s got HDMI (video) out which means that you can also use it as a Home Theatre PC. The missing onboard wireless networking can easily be remedied by installing an internal or external device. The SX2840-01 is CNET Editors Choice for Feburary 2010.

You can buy the SX2840-01 for $559 at Newegg and $569 Amazon. Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s vast world of desktops perfection can be hard to find…unless you’re looking at the Apple iMac 27-Inch. Touted as the MB952LL/A, this All in One blows away the competition in terms of style, performance, and reliability. Everybody knows that with Macs “you get what you pay for.” Even though a similar PC desktop costs $500 less, Mac users aren’t afraid to shell out cash for a system with upper end components and greater reliability. $1,694 gets you a beautiful 27-inch LED display, a robust 3.06GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 1TB Hard Drive running at 7200 rpm. The ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics card delivers above average multitasking and good 3D gaming performance. Interesting additions with this new iMac are the ultra thin wireless keyboard and multi-touch Magic mouse.

The MB952LL/A is priced at $1,694 at Amazon. You can see this 27-incher iMac in all its glory at Apple’s website. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: Read our full review of the Gateway SX2800-01 here.

If you’re scouting for a fast & inexpensive desktop for your home or office consider the Gateway SX2800-01. The best aspect about this PC is the price for the overall power – for $500 you get an system that has Intel Quad Core CPU, 4GB RAM, and a respectful 640GB  Hard drive. The SX2800 is all contained with a slim tower design that’s only 4″ thick. Excellent.

This CNet Video explains that the SX2800-01 offers a strong combination of performance and features all wrapped up in thin pc design. Cnet recommends this system to those hunting for a fast and affordable desktop for the home office, the living room, or anywhere in between.

The Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A is a budget desktop that packs almost enough power to use as a basic desktop or a light-duty home theater PC. Currently priced around $378 at The Nerds.net ($383 at pcRUSh), the X1700 utilizes space saving thin design which allows you to place it anywhere in your home. Really picture how small & thin this machine is! It’s only 10.7 inches tall, 4.2 inches wide, and 15 inches deep! It comes with a DVD burner, a media card reader, FireWire 400 port, five USB ports, and standard audio & headphone jacks.

The X1700 comes with an Intel Pentium dual-core processor running at 2.4Ghz, 4GB of RAM, and a 640GB SATA Hard drive. The high end audio S/PDIF is a nice surprise here; the NVidia Geforce G100 Graphics card has 512MB of RAM. The system comes with Windows Vista – October 23rd isn’t here yet so we can’t get Windows 7. See the X1700 on Acer’s website; all the specs are here.

Read the rest of this entry »