REVIEW
Gateway LX6820-01
Gateway's LX6820-01 is a sensible "next step up" in the company's LX series of desktop PCs. Compared with the company's $800 LX6810-01 value PC, the LX6820-01 gives you a little more power in the processor, significantly more hard-drive space, and increased frame rates for your games, all for a bit more cash (the price is $980 as of 11/15/09). The downside? Pitted against some of the bigger systems in the value PC arena, the LX6820-01 falls short in features and performance.
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CyberPower Gamer Xtreme 2000
One doesn't always associate the word "value" with "gaming." But CyberPower has delivered a phenomenal, high-performance desktop catering to smaller budgets. At $1100 (as of November 15, 2009), the Gamer Xtreme 2000-i5 sits on the high end of the value spectrum. But no competing PC is able to offer as balanced a mix of high-performance computing as this one. If you want stronger gaming performance out of a value PC, you'll have to sacrifice some general performance--and pay more.
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ViewSonic VPC100 All-in-One
Everyone loves a big screen, and that's exactly what ViewSonic's VPC100 all-in-one desktop PC delivers (the screen is 18.5 inches). Unfortunately, to get to that point and hold the price down ($550 as of 11/16/09), ViewSonic has taken a few shortcuts with the system's core functionality. It's a tough market for inexpensive all-in-one desktops. Limitations on applicable system components tend to average out these systems' general performance. That's what makes even the smallest of features critical to a system's success--or in the VPC100's case, its mediocrity.
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