HP Pavilion Elite h8xt

Pros: Fast, lots of graphics card options, USB 3.0 ports

Cons: Too much bloatware.

Summary: The h8xt is a very fast computer and everything works as advertised. Probably the easiest set up I've done in years. It helped that it's networked to another windows 7 machine running an i7 processor too. I chose a mid-level graphics card, 460w power supply upgrade (a 600w upgrade is available too) and have the unit paired to a Dell U2412M IPS monitor running at 1920 x 1280.

The USB 3.0 is a must have IMHO. Glad to see it comes standard. There are two 3.0 ports and I use one periodically to back up to an external HD which is stored offsite. The 3.0 port is roughly 10 times faster than a 2.0 port for data transfer (in my rough approximation). Also opted for a 2nd internal 7200rpm 1tb HD which is being used as a backup drive running ShadowProtect desktop.

Primarily used for business with lots of CPU intensive applications. The machine multi-tasks under heavy load without so much as breaking a sweat. The Beats Audio is software based and works well - the customizable graphics equalizer is really the best feature of Beats and will make even ordinary speakers sound very good.

The case is very slick - it looks like HP took a cue from Gateway's winning FX design here. The ports in front are hidden with a panel that slides down for access. I'm not a gamer, but there are high-end graphics card options if you're into that. The only con so far is lots of bloatware which is easy to get rid of, but probably took me an hour or so.

I considered other vendors, but really liked the customizable options on the h8xt better than the other vendors (including an upgrade to a 256GB SSD if you are so inclined). Highly recommended and a good value. Took off half a star for bloatware, otherwise this is a 5 star machine.