Windows XP Desktops

ViewSonic VPC100

If you're looking for a cheap second PC, ViewSonic's VPC100 nettop is worth considering. It lacks a touchscreen and its performance isn't anything to get wildly excited about, but its wireless capabilities are good and it sports a relatively large 18.5-inch display

Shuttle X Vision X50

Sporting a touchscreen, dual-core Intel Atom 330 CPU, attractive design and good connectivity, the 15.6-inch X Vision X50 all-in-one desktop PC looks, on paper, to have plenty going for it. But is it enough to knock the market-leading Asus Eee Top off its perch?

Eee Top

The Eee Top is a strange departure from traditional Eee-branded products. This low-power, low-cost, all-in-one desktop PC features a touch-sensitive display, setting it apart from its rivals. Though Asus ships the Eee Top with Windows XP, it's conveniently put it in Large Fonts mode, making the touchscreen easier to use

Asus Eee Box

Asus has performed a minor miracle in the laptop market with its Eee PC, so it stands to reason that it would try the same trick in the desktop arena. The Eee Box is tiny, attractive, requires little power to run, and most importantly it costs just £199

User rating 9.0

Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e

The Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e is so green, it can be powered by the sun. With an Energy Star 4.0 compliance rating, it sports plenty of low-power components and functional innards. Its slim design allows it to be positioned in landscape or portrait orientation, making being green pretty easy

Dell XPS 710 H2C

Despite buying Alienware, Dell continues to produce outstanding gaming rigs, such as the brand-new XPS 710 HTC. This beast introduces two elements we've never seen on a Dell -- factory overclocking and a space-age water-cooling system

User rating 8.0

Shuttle XPC mini X 200MA

The Shuttle mini X 200 is the replacement for the mini X 100, a tiny, well designed desktop PC aimed at multimedia junkies. It packs a larger hard drive and more memory than its predecessor, but it has a slower CPU and graphics card

Hi-Grade Xtc2_02

The Xtc2_02 is designed to be the heart of your multimedia world, storing photos, music, recording television and playing hi-def Blu-ray movies on your big-screen television. It's large and slightly noisy, but it has plenty of hard drive space

Alienware Area-51 7500

Alienware has left the rickety build quality of its garish cases behind and created a truly menacing PC with the Area-51 7500, a brutally quick gaming system with top-of-the-line components and performance to match. It's very loud, but if you're after off-the-shelf gaming power there's none better

Shuttle XPC P2 3700G

If you thought Shuttle small-form-factor PCs were dainty, then think again. The XPC P2 3700G provides enough grunt to embarrass most desktops twice its size. If you've ever fancied a miniature PC with Alienware-type performance, you're looking in the right place

Sony Vaio VGX-XL202

Sony's Vaio VGX-XL202 looks like it means serious business. Tech-heads should love the Intel E6400 Core 2 Duo processor and multimedia freaks will love the inclusion of a Freeview TV tuner card, but the flagship component in this PC is a Matshita BD-MLT UJ-215S Blu-ray disc drive, which allows you to play glorious hi-def Blu-ray movies

Packard Bell Smart TV S320

A hybrid of television and PC designed for those who want all the advantages of Windows Media Center or Intel Viiv without the hassle of having a separate PC and TV, the Smart TV 320 isn't the sexiest telly we've seen and has some annoying design flaws, but it performs well

Shuttle XPC mini X 100

Shuttle's XPC mini X 100 is a lovely looking unit and a solid everyday machine -- it's the smallest, sleekest range the company has produced to date. Arguably the best aspect of its performance is its quiet operation. It's barely audible when idling and doesn't get much louder when running demanding applications

Acer Aspire iDea 500

The Aspire iDea 500 is among the most exciting Media Center PCs we've seen, incorporating all the components that make Intel's Viiv spec interesting in a package stylish enough to co-exist with your current multimedia equipment

User rating 5.1

Sony Vaio VGC-RC204

The Sony Vaio VGC-RC204 is the first PC to come equipped with a Blu-ray disc drive. The long-awaited optical format allows dozens of gigabytes of data to be stored on a single disc. This makes the RC204 an attractive prospect for video editors or anyone who needs large backups, but sadly it won't play Blu-ray movies in full high definition

User rating 8.0

Shuttle XPC P 2500G

The small, sleek but hugely powerful Shuttle XPC P 2500G is perfect if you want a gaming PC without the boy-racer frills. Gaming performance is impressive considering the single graphics card, not far behind the Mesh X-treme FX60 PC with its dual-graphics card -- if you want a tiny box with the latest components in, it's hard to beat

Compaq Presario SR1729

The sheer number of mid-range desktops available makes it difficult to make a buying decision, but it also means you can pick up bargains such as this Presario SR1729. It's by no means the sexiest of PCs, but it is a competent all-rounder that Compaq has blessed with a generous specification and modern components

HP dx5150 Small Form Factor

For those on a tight budget, the HP dx5150 stands out from the abundance of cheap, ugly desktops that litter the market thanks to its promise of contemporary styling, solid build quality and quiet, efficient operation. In addition, it's a decent performer, making it very hard to ignore

Mesh X-treme FX60

The X-treme FX60 is Mesh's attempt to deliver the goods in both price and performance. It uses the fastest gaming CPU available and twin graphics cards, so we didn't expect it to be very cheap. As is often the case, however, Mesh has surprised us by selling the PC at a reasonable price point

Alienware Aurora 7500 (FX-60)

The Aurora 7500 is the perfect showcase for Alienware's ability to produce high-performance PCs. Its specification makes for impressive reading -- Alienware has equipped it with not one, but two of the latest graphics cards, 1 terabyte of physical storage and the fastest gaming processor available

User rating 5.5