Desktop PC Buying Guide: The Specs Explained

View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @pcwdesktops on Twitter November 22, 2010 PCWorld.com Desktop Essentials

Desktop PC Buying Guide: The Specs Explained We help you identify the key specifications and components you need to consider when shopping for a desktop PC. - Nate Ralph, PCWorld Desktop Gear Tips & Reviews Desktop PC Buying Guide: Shopping Tips What you need to know--and what you shouldn't worry about--before plunking down your credit card. Share: HP TouchSmart 310: Media-Savvy Multitouch Machine The HP TouchSmart 310 balances polish and performance, with a simple touch interface that belies a capable PC. Share: HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus: A Multifunction Printer Packed With Features, Speed, and Low-Cost Inks Touch-sensitive controls, inexpensive inks, and a legal-size scanner raise this MFP above the competition. Share: Printers Reviewed Epson Artisan 725 Arctic Edition: Shiny, White, and Fast, With Cheap Inks HPs Zeen Tablet: Made to Complement a Printer, but Not to Stand Alone Dell 2350dn Laser Printer Impresses With Speed, Print Quality More Desktop Gear News and Reviews PC Central on PCWorld.com Get the latest desktop reviews, news, buying tips and more. Upgrading Tips and News For CPU and graphics board news and how-tos, visit Upgrading Central. All About Printers Visit our Printers product center for reviews and printing tips. Top 5 Products of the Year Readers choice! Take our Facebook poll and tell us your top 5. Vote here. Advertisement Get an AMD six-core desktop for under $999. Save $200 on this HP Pavilion Elite AMD Phenom" II X6 desktop! Includes ATI Radeon" HD 5570 and Windowsï¾® 7 Home Premium. Most Popular Searches Windows 7 iPad Peer-to-peer Facebook Downloads Product Reviews HP TouchSmart 600 Quad 83 Pros Impressive audio performance; Extensive media connectivity; Strong general performance Cons Middling Webcam quality Read Complete Review » Best Big-Screen All-in-One PCs (Over 20 Inches) » HP TouchSmart 310 88 Pros Impressive multitouch interface; Integrated HDTV tuner Cons Frustrating port placement; No true 1080p display Read Complete Review » Best Budget All-in-One PCs (Under 23-inches) » Samsung HZ35W 84 Pros Excellent image quality; In-camera GPS integration with Navteq map service; Very sharp 3-inch AMOLED screen; Dual digital/mechanical image stabilization; Largest zoom range of any compact camera Cons Dual stabilization only in dedicated mode; Disappointing video and audio capture; A bit bulky and slippery; Confusing menu structure Read Complete Review » Top 10 Pocket Megazooms » Top Point-and-Shoot Cameras With Manual Controls » Get Big Savings When you Shop at PCWorld.com Shop online at PCWorld.com, where you can compare product information, read trusted reviews, and find the best prices on consumer electronics. iMac All-In-One Desktop Price: $1149.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review iMac Desktop Price: $1349.00 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Desktops, Monitors, Printers, Laptops Top News on PCWorld.com iPad 2.0: What We Think We Know Reports are slipping out about the components Apple is ordering, so we can craft a composite picture of what's next. Share: Mozilla Thrives on License Contracts Deals licensing the browser-maker's technology by search engines generate 97% of Mozilla's income. Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com HP TouchSmart 310: Media-Savvy Multitouch Machine The HP TouchSmart 310 balances polish and performance, with a simple touch interface that belies a capable PC. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection Downloads for a Happy Thanksgiving Need some inspiration--and maybe a helping hand--to get that turkey dinner on the table? These downloads start your Thanksgiving off right, with everything from shopping assistance to menu planning to recipes. And if the delicious scents of Thanksgiving dinner aren't enough to put you in the mood, beautiful screensavers, themes, and fonts may help. A clever cuisine-inspired game may whet your appetite. If you're in it for the football instead of the food, there's something here for you, too. Living Cookbook   1260 Downloads  |  Trial  |  Filed Under Home Capture and manage recipes, calculate nutritional information, make shopping lists and more with this efficient kitchen helper. BigOven Recipe Software   4538 Downloads  |  Shareware  |  Filed Under Fitness Make grocery shopping easier, access 150,000 recipes, and analyze nutritional content. Pantry   1876 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under Home Keep tabs on the contents of your kitchen cupboards with this free app. See (9) more Downloads for a Happy Thanksgiving » Browse DownloadsAntivirus & Security • Design & Multimedia • Utilities • Games • Chat, Email, & the Web • Sponsored Downloads Plato DVD Ripper ProfessionalBackup your DVDs and save 50% today! Plato DVD Ripper Professional is powerful all-in-one DVD rip software which helps to rip DVD movies to AVI , Divx, mpeg, Apple iPod, iPhone, Apple TV MP4 files, Youtube FLV files, Sony PSP MP4, PS3 Video, Microsoft Zune,WMV, Cellphone 3GP video , BlackBerry video, Realmedia video and mp3/aac/m4a/ac3/wav/wma audio. (Windows 2000 /XP/ Vista /Win 7) Save 50% now! WinSysClean X ULTI-6JGRClean your registry and save 50%! WinSysClean is the most effective registry cleaner. No other registry cleaning tool is easier to use or more effective than fully automated WinSysClean--with just a single mouse click. (Windows XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/Win 7)

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