Velocity Micro Desktops

The Bottom Line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z30 is the best deal going right now for midlevel gaming PCs featuring Intel's new Core i7 chips. The overclocked Core i7 860, a fast Nvidia graphics card, and a solid selection of features all around make it easy for us to recommend this system to anyone looking for a capable gaming desktop.

Specs: Intel Core i7 860 (2.8 GHz), 8 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 1 TB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

The Bottom Line: By tweaking its internal components to achieve maximum 3D performance, Velocity Micro has made its $999 Edge Z5 one of the most impressive lower-end gaming desktops we've ever seen. As long as you don't mind sacrificing a bit of productivity speed to get it, we recommend this system to any PC gamer on a budget.

Specs: Intel Quad-Core Q9400 (2.66 GHz), 4 GB, 750 GB Standard, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition

The Bottom Line: Velocity Micro's Edge Z55 provides a powerful example of the leap ahead in performance afforded by Intel's new Core i7 CPUs. Velocity Micro's own overclocking efforts don't hurt either. Any PC gamer would love to make this upper midrange desktop their own.

The Bottom Line: Velocity Micro's first full-fledged home theater PC pulls very few punches in providing a complete digital media experience. It's big, it lacks a built-in audio receiver, and it invites PC gaming into the living room, which has never been the best fit. It's also the victim of a few Vista-related growing pains. On balance, though, Velocity Micro has as complete a home theater PC as we've seen.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad Core (2.4 GHz), 2 GB, 400 GB Standard, NVidia GeForce 8800GTS, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

The Bottom Line: We have one major issue with the Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition (the price), and two minor ones (it's loud, for one), but those aside, this is one of the most feature-complete high-end desktops we've reviewed. Its performance is media-creation- and game-minded, and anyone buying it for those or almost any other purposes won't be disappointed.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 (2.66 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 150 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Core i7 920 (2.66 GHz), 3 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, ATI Radeon HD 4850, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (3 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 500 GB Standard, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 (2.2 GHz), 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 320 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3100, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Personal computer

Specs: Intel Pentium Dual Core E2140 (1.6 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 250 GB Standard, Intel GMA 3000, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Personal computer