Budget PCs - CNET reviews

Editors' Top Desktops
updated April 14, 2006

Want to buy a new PC without having to take out a second mortgage? These budget PCs strike a balance between performance and cost, covering the basics at affordable prices. Good for home office use, sending e-mail, and surfing the Net, a budget PC gives you the features that you need and none that you don't.
-- Rich Brown, Associate Editor

Budget PCs

Desktops	Editors' rating	Price	Summary
IBuyPower Value-Pro Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2 GHz - 17" TFT Released: 06/15/2005	7.7 Very good	Email me when product is available	Nearly everything about the iBuyPower Value-Pro suggests a price tag higher than $999, making this a top choice among sub-$1,000 systems. Specs: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (2.2 GHz) , 2.2 GHz, 1 GB DDR SDRAM , 160 GB Standard , NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache supporting 256MB , Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition , Personal computer

ZT Group Pro A7055 Released: 06/17/2005	7.0 Very good	Email me when product is available	Dual optical drives (including a DVD burner) plus generous hard drive storage and several PCI slots make this a good choice for upgraders and digital pack rats, even if there isn't much left in the budget for audio and video features. Specs: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ , 512 MB DDR SDRAM , 200 GB Standard , NVIDIA GeForce MX 4000 , Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition , Personal computer

Apple SuperDrive Mac Mini (1.42GHz) Released: 07/26/2005	7.1 Very good	Email me when product is available	The Apple SuperDrive Mac Mini addresses some of the shortcomings of its $499 predecessor, making it a well-rounded home PC at its base configuration. Specs: Motorola PowerPC G4 (1.42 GHz) , 1.42 GHz, 512 MB DDR SDRAM , 80 GB Standard , ATI Radeon 9200 , EPA Energy Star , Apple MacOS X 10.4 , Personal computer

EMachines T6420 - Athlon 64 3400+ 2.2 GHz Released: 01/19/2006	6.5 Good	Email me when product is available	The eMachines T6420 delivers major bang for your buck, including a roomy 200GB hard drive and upgradability in a fixed-configuration retail box. Still, we wish it were able to outperform the model it replaces. Specs: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (2.2 GHz) , 2.2 GHz, 1 GB DDR SDRAM , 200 GB Standard , NVIDIA GeForce 6100 , Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition , Media center