What do you want to use your new desktop for? That’s the single most important question to ask when searching for a new PC. If it’s gaming you want then be prepared to invest in a $1,500 system that can handle the high end graphics today’s games demand. If you’re into the newly emerging world of high def movies be sure you pursue a system with multiple CPU cores that can play content without skipping. If you’re looking for a desktop for business or everyday home use most PC’s on the market will suffice.

I was skimming through Wired.com’s Desktop Reviews this morning and came across a pretty interesting 7K gaming machine called the Maingear Shift. On the outlook it just looks like your normal gray tower case – the thing measures 21.5 x 8.5 x 24 inches, and weighs just over 40 pounds.

It’s CPU is the 3.3 GHz Intel Core i7-975 Extreme, with 6 GB of RAM. The GPU is 3 GPUS! Three ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics cards. Wired says that these babies averaged 65 to 70 frames per second inCrysis andCrysis Warhead (highest settings at1920 x 1200 resolution), and dropped to the mid to low 50s cities, complex scenes, and intense fighting.

Invest 7K in a desktop and you better expect high end hard drives! The Maingear shift has two 80-GB solid-state drives for using the operating system and games and it comes with a 2-TB spinning hard drive at 7,200 rpm. It also comes with a Blu-ray burner and a ton of ports: 10 USB ports, 2 Firewire, eSata, a multiformat card reader, and Coax and Digital SPDIF ports for 8-Channel surround-sound support. It’s got a 1,200-watt power supply which gives you a ton of power and plenty of space for upgrades.

Probably the most interesting thing about the Maingear Shift is the case: it’s bland on the outside but highly complex and beautiful on the inside. The first thing you’ll see is the immaculate wiring job: Cables are tied down but they’re within easy reach for disconnecting components and swapping new parts in. It has six drive bays, each can hold either a 3.5-inch drive or two 2.5-inch drives. That basically means that you can install six 2-TB drives or even 12 SSDs if you budget can afford it. Maingear really knows their stuff! Installing or removing a drive is as simple as unlocking and sliding out the plastic tray, dropping your new drive in, attaching the appropriate cables and sliding the tray back into place. No tools required! It’s got an improvement heat management system: the liquid cooled CPU is aided by 3 large slow fans that pull the outside air into the case and blow it out through the top.

Wired asks is the Shift is worth seven grand? The components price out at about $4,480 leaving $2,450 for labor! That’s a lot of cash for building a system. The case does have an interesting design which adds a lot of overall value to the package. the package. The improved heat management means greater longevity for your parts. The case allow easy access to core components which also means that future upgrades will be a breeze.

Video Review

One thing’s for sure: Alienware really knows how to make an upper end gaming rig. This Alienware Area 51 (A51-2443CSB) Desktop is a top of line gaming and rendering machine. It’s processor is the Intel Core i7-920 which is one of today’s fastest four core cpu running at 2.66GHz. It also has a ripping ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card (1GB of memory), 6GB of (DDR3-1333) RAM, and a ginormous 1.2TB hard drive. Dave Dave Altavilla at HotHardware reviewed a similar Alienware desktop with just a slightly faster processor (3.33Ghz i7-980 X) and absolutely loved it. On DiRT2 the machine easily cranked out 133-135 fps at 1920×1200 with highest visuals enabled. Sweet.

Buying the Alienware 51 (A51-2443CSB) will cost you a lot of pretty pennies – about $2100 to be exact. You certainly get what you pay for though in terms of sheer power. It’s an outlet item which means that you’ll have to buy it online and have it shipped to the store. Read the rest of this entry »

And now on to an examination of Best Buy’s gaming laptops. The HP HPE-210y is their popular gaming desktop designed for the budget gamer. It’s got the AMD Phenom II quad-core processor humming along at 3.0GHz, 8GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM for excellent multitasking, and the ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics card which adequately handles games at low resolutions. The huge 1TB hard drive and Blue-ray Disc-enable DVD±RW/CD-RW drive are nice touches. It comes with Windows 7 Home Edition (64-Bit), wireless N networking, 7 USB ports, and a 15-in-1 media reader (aren’t those becoming extinct?).

The HP HPE-210Y is priced $899 at Best Buy. It’s a store item, not an outlet item. Yes! You can buy it at the local Best Buy store. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Our tour of TigerDirect’s recertified desktops is slowly winding down. Today we’re looking for an excellent deal on a desktop designed for productively and intense gaming power. Looking through these recertified systems we discover the Asus Essentio CG5290-BP009.

The Asus Essentio CG5290-BP009 is a great desktop PC for those needing hard-core multitasking productivity or today’s high-end gaming power. This machine comes with the impressive  Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz Processor, 9GB DDR3 of memory, and a 640GB (7,200RPM) hard drive. The (Nvidia GeForce GTX260 896MB) graphics card is powerful enough to handle intense programs like AutoCAD and Visual Studio as well as modern games like World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Team Fortress 2. It’s got a SuperMulti DVD+-R/RW with Double Layer (burn DVD’s up to 9.6GB), ultra fast Gigabit LAN High Definition Audio, and a wired keyboard and mouse. On the top front of the box you’ll find access to all the sound controls, 4 USB ports, and various media card readers.

The Asus Essentio CG5290-BP009 is currently priced $899 at TigerDirect; brand new the machine cost was sold at Best Buy for about $200 more. Read the rest of this entry »

Now we move onto TigerDirect’s more powerful desktops. Gateway’s  SX2300-01u performs well for the  multimedia enthusiast. This monster has an AMD triple core 2.2GHz processor (AMD Phenom 2 X3) that is sure handle every multimedia task you throw at it. Gateway boasts that the SX2300-01u “Premium performance levels” when you emailing, photos, gaming, or social networking. Inside you’ve 4GB of DDR2 memeory, and a gigantic 320GB hard drive. The (NVIDIA GeForce 8200) video card is primarily designed for multimedia and medium level 3-D gaming. There’s also more of a low end TV tuner card which allows you to the system to your TV to watch programming. Windows Vista is packaged with the machine.

The SX2300-01u is prices $399 at Directdirect refurbished and $465 at Amazon. You can see the SX2300-01u right here on Gateway’s website.

Surprisingly, the system comes with 9 USB ports. The 4GB of RAM is expandable up to 8GB but the thin desktop tower doesn’t easily allow installation of additional drives. 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 »

Looking for a great gaming desktop but don’t have $5,000 to spend? The Gateway FX6831-01 brings just enough power to the table to be a good gaming value. It only costs $1,299 – $1,599 depending on configuration. The machine comes outfitted with a powerful Intel i7-860 processor and a generous 8GB of DDR3 RAM. This Intel i7 is a very interesting CPU! It normally runs at 2.8GHz but has a Turbo Boost mode that can clock the machine up to 3.46GHz using multiple cores. The fewer cores being used, the closer the system is to 3.46GHz; the more cores, the nearer it is to 2.8GHz. Read the rest of this entry »