Choosing the Right Desktop PC

Today's modern desktop PCs offer a wealth of options: You can go for a PC with a fixed retail configuration, or you can customize your system by stepping through a sometimes dizzying array of choices from a configure to order vendor. The resulting array of components is no longer wrapped up in a beige box, but in a colorful shell of highly variable shape and size, differentiated by indecipherable naming conventions.

Presented with so many possibilities, you need to narrow the field by considering what you want to use your new desktop for. Are you an avid photographer looking for a speedy but cost effective platform for editing high resolution photos? If so, you'll benefit from buying a machine with extra RAM and a discrete graphics card. If you've acquired an extensive media collection, and want an inexpensive and compact way to pipe it to your HDTV, a compact PC tailored toward media sharing and playback may be your best bet.

Whatever your needs, you can find a desktop configuration to fit the bill.

Desktops fall into three major categories, each with its own range of price and performance: compact PCs, all in one PCs, and classic tower PCs (which we subdivide into budget, mainstream, and performance categories). Each style of machine has different strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the one that's best for you depends largely on how you plan to use it.

Once you've picked the appropriate desktop category, our guide to PC specifications will help you pick a machine that delivers the performance you need, while staying within your budget. And when you're ready to buy, check our shopping tips for advice on how to get the most from your investment.

Compact PCs
As the smallest members of the desktop computer family, compact PCs often omit features to deliver computing power in a space saving package. The combination of energy efficient components, quiet operation, and small size makes compact PCs ideal for people who want a nonintrusive machine. A typical compact PC costs between $300 and $600, though the price goes up as you add upgrade options.

Compact PCs tend to be equipped with notebook or netbook components, such as Intel Atom processors. This limits their usefulness in tasks that demand lots of processing power, but it makes for quiet, energy efficient operation. Not all compact PCs are created equal, however, so pay attention to specifications when shopping. Some compact PCs are configured for as low a bottom line price as possible; others are packed to the gills to deliver optimal performance in a compact system.

Most compact PCs rely on integrated graphics. In some cases (depending on the CPU and the integrated graphics chipset), anything more complicated than a Flash based browser game will be unplayable, but you will be able to eke out competent media streaming with Intel integrated graphics. A machine toting nVidia's Ion platform, like the Acer Aspire Revo R3610, usually fares much better. Gaming still isn't an option, but 1080p video is, whether you stream from a larger PC or over the Web.

When assessing smaller PCs, keep an eye on the ports. The smaller the footprint, the fewer features you can reasonably expect, and that includes fewer connectivity options. Though you'll get a VGA port and (on average) six USB 2.0 ports, many compact PCs also offer HDMI an asset for home theater setups. The typical hard drive size is 320GB, though 250GB is also common and we've seen compact system carrying up to 1TB (for a $100 upgrade premium). For a chart of recent high ranking PCs in this category.

All in One Desktops
All in One PCs are self contained: components are mounted behind a display, with screen sizes ranging between 18 and 27 inches. With no cords to manage or peripherals to juggle, setting up your new all in one PC can be as simple as pulling the machine out of the box and plugging it in.

With their compact size and integrated displays, all in one PCs can generally be placed wherever you've got a spare power outlet. Some all in ones also offer a rather distinct perk: Touchscreens. With support for multitouch gestures worked into Microsoft's Windows 7, all in ones offer a clever way for users to interact with their media, while still getting a full fledged PC.

All in one components vary from brand to brand, but you can expect to pay more for an all in one than for a similarly equipped desktop; again, some models target buyers on a tight budget, while others load up on performance oriented system components (at a higher price, of course). For example, to low priced machines like the MSI Wind Top AE2010 use notebook or netbook processors and integrated graphics. You'll get reduced performance to match the reduced price tag. If you have a larger budget, you can opt for a model like the Sony VAIO L117FX/B, which includes a quad core processor (most often seen on full size desktops), to deliver superior performance, and offers a large 24 inch screen. You'll be paying in the area of $2000 for those high end specs, however.

Many all in one PCs come with a wireless keyboard and mouse, Bluetooth support, and Wi Fi connectivity. This recuces cord clutter to a minimum an important consideration in spaces where an attractive décor or efficient use of space is at a premium. For ranked charts of all in one PCs that we have tested in recent months.

Budget PCs
A budget tower desktop carries standard desktop components, but can cost as little as $300 if you select older hardware or inexpensive, low end processors. Typically, these PCs are minitower systems, with fewer drive bays than a full tower has. The Acer Veriton X270, for example, offers an older Core 2 Duo processor but delivers relatively speedy performance for just $500. Beware models that come equipped with AMD Sempron or Intel Celeron processors, as those CPUs' performance drawbacks will cancel the advantage of their low cost.

Inexpensive tower desktops usually incorporate low powered, integrated graphics rather than discrete graphics cards. As a result, your entertainment options may be limited. High definition media playback suffers on models equipped with older Intel based integrated graphics; and if you're interested in gaming, you'll be hard pressed to tackle anything more demanding than Flash based offerings. Machines equipped with Intel's Core i3 processor build improved integrated graphics performance right onto the chip; though they still won't be adequate for video games, they will support satisfactory high def media playback.

Budget PCs generally offer at least 320GB of storage space and at least 2GB of RAM, but permit few upgrade options beyond adding RAM or a larger hard drive. They rarely leave much room for expandability inside their cases, either. Still, if you need a machine for nothing more than word processing, e mail, and occasional DVDs or online videos, these machines should suit you just fine. For a ranked chart of systems in this category.

Mainstream PCs
Higher up in the desktop chain, you'll find machines aimed at mainstream users. These PCs start in the vicinity of $800, and carry at least 500GB hard drives and about 4GB of RAM. Powered by dual core and lower end quad core processors, they deliver better performance than budget desktops, without breaking the bank. Consider the Gateway FX6800 01e: For just over $1000, this machine features a quad core Core i7 920 processor, and an ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card.

Photo editing applications stand to benefit from working with multicore processors, and entertainment enthusiasts will appreciate the improved gaming performance and stutter free HD media playback that a discrete graphics card helps deliver. Many of the machines in this category include a Blu ray drive, either standard or as an optional extra. And if your video editing needs are modest, you probably can find a machine in the mainstream price bracket that has enough power to handle your creative projects.

Performance PCs
Occupying the high end of the spectrum are performance desktops. Such PCs generally start at a little over $1500, with some outliers like the Maingear Shift hovering in the range of $7000. Most performance PCs are full tower systems, equipped with a slew of drive bays and expansion slots. Designed to tackle challenging tasks, they come equipped with the latest and greatest Intel and AMD dual and quad core processors, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and at least one discrete graphics card. Some performance desktops include multiple graphics cards to deliver improved graphics performance.

Performance desktops are suitable for users who need a lot of processing power to get their work done professionals who do extensive high resolution photography or video editing, and gamers who are willing to pay for top of the line visual effects.

Traditional PC manufacturers like HP and Dell sell performance machines, but so do smaller boutique PC makers that specialize in highly configurable custom machines, tailored to your needs and budget. For a chart of recent high end models.

Hide Desktop Icons

One of the things I love about Stardock's icon organizing Fences program is the way it can quickly hide all your desktop icons. Just double click any empty area and poof : They're gone. A second double click brings them back again.

Bet you didn't know you can accomplish the same thing in Windows Vista and 7 (I'm not sure about XP), no Fences required.

Here's how :

1. Right click any empty area of the desktop, then mouse over View.
2. Click Show Desktop Icons to remove the checkbox.

Presto! No more icons! Now you can enjoy that fancy Windows wallpaper without all the clutter. Don't worry, the icons aren't gone for good : To bring them back, just repeat the above steps.

Personally, I think hiding all your icons permanently is a great way to go. Just train yourself to run programs via the Start Menu, or, better yet, with a keyboard based launcher like Launchy.

The empire strikes back

It can't be easy being Ray Ozzie. Microsoft's chief software architect is just 18 months into the job as Bill Gates' handpicked successor, yet depending on whom you ask, his tenure will either signal a bold new era for the company or mark the beginning of its terminal decline.

From the perspective of Microsoft shareholders, the picture certainly looks grim. After a decade of timid stock performance, the fiscal year that ended June 2009 saw Microsoft's net revenue decrease for the first time in its history. It also announced its first-ever layoffs and has since exceeded its original estimate of 5,000 pink slips. But worst of all, for the first time in recent memory, Microsoft confronts a rival of goliath proportions that actually seems capable of going the distance with the software giant.

Get the details you need on Windows 7 in InfoWorld's Windows 7 Deep Dive PDF special report. | Have Windows 7 and the 2010 server series redeemed Microsoft? | Find out what will happen to IT should Microsoft fail to adapt to the Web era

That rival, of course, is Google, and the search leader's relentless expansion is battering Microsoft on virtually every front. Google's emphasis on the Web as an application platform challenges the primacy of PC software and operating systems, Microsoft's traditional cash cows. Its forays into mobile devices call into question the very concept of desktop computing. Its Web-based services and open source software fly in the face of Microsoft's core business model. Philosophically speaking, Google is the anti-Microsoft -- and it's making a killing at it.

By comparison, the world's largest software vendor has adapted poorly to the changing market landscape. On the Web, Internet Explorer is dead last in standards compliance, and its critical security flaws sometimes go unpatched for months. Windows Mobile claims just 7.9 percent of the smartphone market, and according to Gartner, sales are slowing. Microsoft's vaunted new search service, Bing, has won few converts from Google, except where Microsoft has strong-armed them into using it. In short, while it may be first in desktop software, Microsoft's track record outside its comfort zone has been fairly dismal, enough so that in 2007, venture capitalist Paul Graham declared, "Microsoft is dead”.

But Ray Ozzie has a plan. With the Windows division back on track and new version of Office set to debut this year, "software plus services" is the new mantra at Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. It marks a strategic shift that will transform everything about the company, from how it develops, markets, and deploys software to its relationships with its customers. Ozzie doesn't want to beat Google at its own game; rather, he wants to remind Google that the software game has been and remains Microsoft's. But to succeed, he's going to have to rewrite Microsoft's playbook along the way.

Ozzie rules: The "software plus services" vision
Nearly five years ago Ozzie, then Microsoft's newly minted CTO, issued a memo outlining his vision of the next step in the company's ongoing evolution. "(People are) increasingly drawn toward the simplicity of services and service-enabled software that 'just works,'" he wrote. "Businesses are increasingly considering what services-based economics of scale might do to help them reduce infrastructure costs or deploy solutions as-needed and on subscription basis”.

In other words, Ozzie felt it was high time for Microsoft to compete with Google on its home turf. But in Ozzie's vision, Microsoft would embrace the Web differently than the search titan has. While Google sees the browser as the ultimate client UI for software large and small, with the cloud as the ultimate repository for all data, Ozzie sees an opportunity for Microsoft to offer services that augment and enhance traditional desktop software. Where Google sees thin clients interfacing with powerful applications, Ozzie sees rich client applications consuming lightweight services.