Apple Desktops

The Bottom Line: Despite its good looks and a few useful new features, Apple's new iMac is all about business. You can find a larger screen for less, not to mention all kinds of digital entertainment features, but no other all-in-one at this price can boast similar performance. If you need a modestly priced all-in-one for getting work done, we'd recommend no other system.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Apple's new 27-inch iMac will charm plenty of you with its screen size alone. Fortunately, that won't lead you astray. Behind its expansive display, Apple has packed one of the fastest all-in-ones available, and added a few useful extras to sweeten the deal. This iMac isn't perfect, but its positives far outweigh its negatives. We can think of few users to whom we wouldn't recommend this system.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4670, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Apple's new eight-core Mac Pro demonstrates marked improvements over the older model in high-intensity digital media and multitasking scenarios. We also love the design tweaks that improve on Apple's already industry-leading sensibilities. Any Apple-bound design professional would welcome this new tool in his or her arsenal.

Specs: Intel Xeon (2.26 GHz), 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GT 120, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: Apple's smaller-scale iMac remains our favorite all-in-one. And while its looks, its ease of use, and its performance are all selling points, Windows PCs are starting to catch up (at least with the latter). A few components could also stand an update, but in general you'll find the 20-inch iMac a remarkable computer for its price.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.4 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 2400XT, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: A slight bump to the specifications for the same price in addition to a much appreciated option to upgrade the graphics means the 24-inch iMac keeps the Editors' Choice it earned last year when the brushed-aluminum-and-glass design was first introduced.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.8 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: The Mac Mini remains unique as the smallest mainstream desktop, but competition from Dell and HP has narrowed the gap in features while also offering room for expansion, and at a better price. If your goal is saving space, the Mac Mini is a winner. If you'd rather get the best deal, there are better options.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB Standard, Intel GMA 950, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Silver, Apple MacOS X 10.5, Personal computer

The Bottom Line: With two dual-core CPUs and workstation-level graphics, the Power Mac G5 Quad is the burliest, fastest Mac to date, but it may soon become obsolete because Apple's move to Intel CPUs is already underway.

Specs: Motorola PowerPC G5 (2.5 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 6600, Apple MacOS X 10.4, Personal computer

Editors' Take: Apple's new Intel-powered iMac debuts earlier than expected, and Apple claims the new Core Duo CPUs offer a performance boost of two to three times that of the old iMac G5.

Specs: Intel Core Duo (1.83 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB Standard, ATI Radeon X1600, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.4, Personal computer

Specs: Intel CORE I5 (2.66 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4850, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (3.06 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4670, EPA Energy Star, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Personal computer