Desktop Buyer’s Guide: Back to School 2009
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Ah, fall. The leaves on the trees turn orange and red, the muggy summer nights transition to crisp autumn evenings and most importantly, school starts again. For many, a new school year will mean a brand new computer. Wondering what to buy? Wander no more: whether you’re looking to spend $500 or $2500, we’ve got you covered. Check out our most recent look at what to buy for Back to School 2009. We’ve built a list of our most highly rated desktops in every price range, meaning there’s a system on this list for you. And as always, if you need additional help deciding on the perfect desktop, head on over to our discussion forums to post questions and get advice on choosing a system for yourself or someone else. Under $600 | $600-$1000 | $1000-$1500 | Over $1500 |
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Gateway has been playing a subtlety game ever since being acquired by Acer. They may not always have the same kind of big name brand recognition that Dell and HPhave, but it’s not for want of quality. Their recent summer desktop launch shows that Gateway still has a point to make and a product to show. |
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As the most affordable Mac ever, the Mac Mini may not be as powerful as its big brother, but it’s still got some very attractive features. Aside from being one of the most stylish on our list, the Mini offers outstanding power savings; it idles at only 15 watts. It uses what are essentially Macbook parts in a desktop to achieve its unique form factor; the Mac Mini is only 6.5 inches on a side. Paired with Apple’s Mac OS X operating system, and this little desktop’s a winner. If you’re interested in the Mac Mini, be sure to check out our upgrade guide! |
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Dell has made an effort in recent months to really turn around their product offerings with regards to style and design. No doubt due to the redoubling sales of Apple computers, computer manufacturers are finally making an effort to court the style-conscious consumer, and we should all be thankful. The Dell Studio Slim is a compact, thin desktop with aspirations of a home theater bent. With a quad core processor, hybrid TV tuner, 64-bit operating system and its sleek design, this system would be a great buy for any home office or dorm. |
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HP recently refreshed their desktop lines, in order to better prepare for the upcoming fall buying season. The Pavilion Elite e9120f is another high tech desktop with a number of strong features. Paired with a fresh new design, this computer might be just the thing for your home office. |
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HP recently introduced this year’s fall line of desktops, trying to stake their claim in the oncoming rush of buyers caught between graduation and heading off to a new year of college. With a multitude of features packed into a small package, is the HP Pavilion Slimline s5160f headed for a dorm room near you? |
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![]() Now that manufacturers have decided that it isn’t just about speed, we’ve seen a rapid increase in multicore processors. Processors with more than one core are sometimes capable of doing many times the work of a computer that offers only one CPU. Depending on your needs, you can choose a computer suited for you, and that includes the right number of cores. At the low-end of computing, we have single-core processors. These computers are often low-power machines running on Intel’s Atom CPU. Sometimes, they’re called “nettops”. These nettops are good for surfing the internet, playing solitaire, sending email, and typing up a report or recipe. Anything more extravagant would probably run pretty slow. Next in line are dual-core computers. Most computers sold today have two cores. These are good for everything a single-core computer can do, plus things like simple photo editing, ripping music off of a CD, browsing the internet while burning a DVD and more. Often, dual-core processors will run faster than their quad-core counterparts, meaning that these two core chips can be great choices for a gaming PC when paired with a strong video card. There are a few triple-core computers out there; all of these run one of AMD’s tri-core processors. Intel and AMD both make quad-core CPUs used in millions of computers. Past two cores, the real reason to buy a multi-core chip is when you have software to take advantage of it. People who would benefit from three and four core computers are those who do heavy photo editing with big programs like Photoshop, users who like to edit big audio and video files, as well as those who enjoy content creation. When it comes down to it, if you need a quad-core computer, you probably know it, and if you don’t, then congratulations, you can save some cash! |
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![]() Whether you’re shopping for your student or just looking to land a great deal, back to school season is a great time to check out what’s next in tech. Let the editors of the TechnologyGuide.com network help you pick the right camera, smartphone, printer, desktop, or notebook, with our Back to School Buyer’s Guide. To see our top tech picks in all categories visit our main buyer’s guide page on TechnologyGuide.com. |
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