Small-form-factor PC Computer Systems

The Bottom Line: Acer's Aspire Revo 1600 might be the first Nettop we don't actively dislike. We'd rather have an Xbox 360 in the living room, but the Aspire Revo 1600 would be suitable as a PC for young kids or as a low-profile cloud kiosk. Thanks to its $199 price tag, you won't feel too much remorse if it breaks or you outgrow it.

Specs: Intel Atom N230 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA ION LE, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Gateway's SX2800-01 offers a strong combination of performance and features all wrapped up in a design that fully embraces the merits of a slim tower PC. We recommend this system to anyone looking for a fast, affordable desktop for the home office, the living room, or anywhere in between.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (2.33 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, Intel GMA X4500, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Shuttle's XPC H7 5800 is unique mostly for the fact that it's the smallest system we know of to offer multigraphics card support and Intel Core i7 CPUs. If its options sound gamer-friendly, its price and configuration quirks are decided turn-offs. Unless you demand this particular balance of size and power, we'd look elsewhere.

The Bottom Line: We cringe at the idea of recommending such a slow PC when you can get significantly better performance for just a few more dollars. That said, it's hard to argue with the eMachines EL1300G-01w's low price, clean good looks, and relatively complete budget feature set. As long as you have no ambitions for this PC performing anything resembling serious work, it will make a fine second or third home system.

Specs: AMD Athlon 2650e (1.6 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE, EPA Energy Star, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Apple's newest high-end Mac Mini maintains its small, stylish footprint, and as with the cheaper version, this $799 model has impressive multitasking capabilities. You'll like this desktop if juggling apps with attractive hardware is important to you, but you get much better all-around value in a Windows PC for the same price.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, EPEAT Gold, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: While we're still impressed with the Mac Mini's ability to pack so much into a tight package, Apple can't get away from its PC competitors that offer more features for less money. If saving space and the Mac OS are dominating factors, then the new Mac Minis are a viable option, but your dollar will stretch much further with a budget Windows desktop.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 120 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: The Acer X1700-U3700A is slightly slower than the competition, but it gives you almost every component you need in either a basic desktop or a light-duty home theater PC. If you prefer functionality to performance, we recommend this model out of the three systems in the current lineup.

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E2220 (2.4 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce G100, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Although the eMachines EL1200-05w's price tag is tempting, an extra $100 will land you a competitive desktop that can handle a wider variety of applications and even leaves room for future expansion opportunities.

Specs: AMD Athlon 64 2650e (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: As much as Acer's Aspire X3200 surpasses other pricier PCs with its wide array of useful inputs and outputs, you'll have a hard time choosing between it and its otherwise identical dual-core Acer linemate of the same price. If you're a multitasker on a budget, you'll likely prefer this model's triple-core CPU.

Specs: AMD Phenom X3 8400 (2.1 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8400, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: The Acer Aspire X1200-U1520A is a speedy, compact, low-end desktop that's powerful enough to serve as a light-duty home theater PC. Expansion is limited by an especially cramped interior (even for a small PC), but the total package is worthwhile for PC shoppers on a budget.

Specs: AMD Athlon X2 5000+ (2.6 GHz), 4 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8200, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer