What Components Should You Look for in a Budget PC? The larger towers, of course, provide a more comprehensive complement of ports, including some up-to-the-minute options like USB-C ports. If you need to connect displays and peripherals or add storage, there's an option here for you. The best of these boxes offer plenty of physical connectivity and expansion options, which make them versatile depending on the deployment. If you want to just plug one in out of sight behind a monitor or HDTV, you'll hardly know it's there.ĭespite their compact sizes, our favorite small models still offer a respectable number of ports. With their small size and dialed-down power, they save you not just money, but space, which can be crucial in certain usage situations. The smallest of these systems measure just a couple of inches tall and only a few more across, while several of our top picks are mini boxes just a few inches tall and wide-and it's hard not to marvel at these systems running full Windows 11. You'll also see an assortment of (impressively) small boxes, bare boards, micro towers, and even some stick-shaped PCs to choose from. These remain some of our favorites for the money, as time-tested solutions to home computing. This allows traditional small- and midsize-tower PCs to thrive in this price range. Modern components have made the PC performance baseline very solid, even on a $500 tower, versus what it used to be. What's immediately obvious about most of these budget PCs? How they look. You'll find plenty of crossover between the two, but not every tiny PC is inexpensive.īudget PC Form Factors: What Size Do You Need? If you're interested specifically in tiny PCs but budget is less of a factor, also check out favorite mini PCs overall. Read on to see what to look for in these systems, and what kind of components you can find inside. Apple has one, as well: the Apple Mac mini sits toward the top of budget pricing (starting at $599), but is undeniably appealing. Compact-system specialists such as Azulle, ECS, Shuttle, and Zotac focus on this area, and some broader PC players such as Asus have offerings in this category, too. Intel is a big player, but not the only one when it comes to small, inexpensive desktops. Plus, you get Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, and room inside for up to 64GB of RAM, two 2.5-inch drives plus an M.2 SSD, and even an Intel 12th Gen CPU upgrade instead of the usual fixed mobile processor. The four antique USB 2.0 ports on the front panel aren't too useful, but there are four USB 3.2 ports (three Type-A, one Type-C), 4K HDMI and DisplayPort monitor connectors, Gigabit Ethernet, and audio jacks around back. If you're on a budget and not into the DIY assembly of most mini PCs, the DP21 is a great way to save desk space. It also starts at just $329, with our review unit ringing up at $471 with a quad-core Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of memory, a 256GB solid-state drive, Windows 11 Home, and a basic USB keyboard and mouse. Only one-tenth the size of the midtowers that dominate the budget desktop market, MSI's Pro DP21 delivers surprisingly perky performance in a petite package that can rest on your desk horizontally, vertically in the included stand, or hide behind a monitor or cling to the underside of your desk thanks to a VESA mount. We're talking about desktops that cost $800 at the very most (with an exception for our gaming desktop pick), with many coming in a bit under $500 and a few even well below that-even here in inflationary 2023.īelow, we've listed the best budget desktops for 2023 that we've run through our full gauntlet of testing, followed by a detailed buying guide that'll answer your most common questions before making a purchase. Today's budget desktops provide a modest baseline for performance and decent flexibility while lasting longer than they used to. Whether you're replacing an older flagging PC, setting up a digital signage solution, or equipping a new or temporary office that needs only simple computing, a budget or mini PC may do the job. In the desktop computer world, inexpensive no longer equals slow or low-quality. Hearing the words "budget desktop PC" may conjure some negative vibes, but it doesn't have to be that way. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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