As we mentioned above, choosing a desktop depends largely on what you intend to do. The goal is to end up with a machine that has all the necessary components to handle your type of work. Most vendors will configure a system to your specifications, allowing you to add or delete options according to your computing needs. The business user should factor processing power, manageability, serviceability, and total cost of ownership (TCO) into the buying decision. On the other hand, the ideal home system doesn't necessarily need the latest processor, but the system should be a well-rounded one that can run the latest educational, entertainment, and home office software, and load graphics-intensive Web pages. On-site technical support should come as part of the package. Also, if you're buying a desktop for your home, take into consideration the systems in use outside of the home. For example, many schools are equipped with Apple desktops, so you may want to think about an iMac or Power Mac G4, depending on your processing-power requirements.

Ease of use, although a major concern in the office, is even more important to the home user, who doesn't have the benefit of in-house training and technical support departments. We rate ease of use based on setup and startup, on the quality of the system's features, and on the ability to connect to the Internet. We also consider service, support, and how well the system lends itself to upgrading.
 

Business desktops:

  Corporate or managed systems.

Ideal for businesses that purchase large volumes of desktops, these systems should feature identical components across the board, provide tool-free removal of critical parts, and come with preinstalled desktop-management applications that allow IT managers to monitor system health and deploy software from a remote console. These systems often use the same software and require no advanced graphics or multimedia capabilities. In most cases, the Intel Celeron or Pentium III or the AMD Duron or Athlon processors provide sufficient computing power. Managed systems generally come in three sizes: desktop, mini-tower, and small form factor. Some manufacturers market sealed-box systems, with few or no removable parts and with built-in security features that allow IT administrators to disable components such as CD-ROM drives, USB ports, and other peripherals and peripheral connections. Another option, the sealed-box, legacy-free configuration-which has no serial, parallel, or PS/2 ports-further simplifies setup and maintenance.
 

  Small-business systems.
Many manufacturers offer desktops that are tailored to the small-business environment. As always, hardware requirements vary according to the type of business applications you'll be running. But a system should contain a hard drive with enough capacity to store your data locally and should be powerful enough to run office and accounting packages that do their processing locally. Small-business systems usually do not require high-end video or multimedia components (unless you're in the graphics-creation or Web-development field, for example), so these computers won't be as expensive as workstations and high-end machines. Look for a package that includes office software, 24-hour technical support, and, if you're an e-business company, a Web hosting service with support for building and maintaining your Web site.

  Workstations.

These desktops are all about speed and graphics and are the machines of choice for the CAD, CAE, and MCAD communities, as well as for digital content designers, Web developers, software developers, and financial institutions. Workstations can be configured as multiprocessor systems and are bundled with high-end graphics controllers that deliver exceptional 2-D and 3-D performance and support dual monitors. These systems are at the high end of the desktop price range. They can take up to 4GB of memory and use SCSI devices, including hard drives with capacities exceeding 200GB and hard drives in RAID configurations. Great workstations pc here.
 

  High-end systems.

Depending upon its intended use, the high-end desktop can be considered a crossover machine, serving the needs of the power business user, the die-hard gamer, and the multimedia enthusiast. Featuring the latest processor (P4 or Athlon 4), lots of fast memory, a blazing 3-D video card, and a large hard drive, these systems usually offer a CD-RW drive for playing and burning audio and video CDs, a DVD-ROM drive, and better-than-average sound components for playing and mixing audio. The perfect high-end desktop contains bells and whistles, like IEEE 1394 (FireWire) support, integrated Ethernet, multiple USB ports, and hardware for encoding and decoding MPEG-2 files. Some manufacturers let you choose the latest office suites or audio- and video-editing programs as part of your custom configuration.
 

Home desktops:

  Value systems.

The demands made of home PCs are often light-accessing the Internet, collecting and storing recipes, and keeping track of the family budget, for example. Even the most affordable PC is capable of this and much more. Value systems use lower-cost processors such as those in the Celeron or Duron series and come loaded with the Windows Me operating system. They should also include at least 64MB of memory and a 20GB hard drive. They generally have integrated video and sound, an integrated 56K modem, and a CD-ROM drive. You can upgrade most value desktops by installing a more powerful processor, more memory, and larger hard drives, but the price will climb as well. If you plan to upgrade at a later date-by adding expansion boards, for example-be sure to choose a desktop that can handle additional PCI or AGP boards. (Some value systems don't have the ability to accept these devices.) To sweeten the pot, many manufacturers offer free printers or digital cameras as part of the package and some offer a huge discount on the system itself if you sign a multiyear contract for Internet service (see "Desktops: Pros and Cons"). As the home market has grown, companies have faced mounting costs for on-site and telephone support. As a result, many systems now come with self-diagnostic and troubleshooting tools, enabling you to resolve minor technical glitches or restore your system to its original state.
 

  Multimedia systems.

A good multimedia system need not be a high-end machine, but should have a Pentium III, Athlon, or G3 processor or better, a minimum of 128MB of memory, a DVD-ROM drive for audio and video playback, and a CD-RW drive for recording your projects as well as backing up your data. You'll want an AGP 4X video card for 3-D graphics, a minimum of 80GB of hard-drive capacity for storing those huge video files, and a high-quality sound system. If you're into digital editing, consider a DVD-R or DVD-RW drive instead of the CD-RW option, so you can create your own DVD discs that can be viewed on any DVD playback device. Also look for systems that are preloaded with multimedia software, such as audio- and video-editing applications and programs for CD and DVD creation.
 

  Gaming systems.

A hard-core gamer wants the fastest machine available (Pentium 4, Athlon, or G4), with the latest 64MB, 4X AGP video accelerator, plenty of hard drive space, and the ability to compete online. A 56K connection won't cut it for online gaming, so you'll want to configure your machine with a fast Ethernet card for broadband service-cable or DSL, generally. When choosing the ideal gaming or multimedia desktop, be sure to steer clear of machines that use on-board video controllers, which tend to have trouble processing the 3-D graphics used in today's most popular games. A quality add-on sound card will enhance your gaming experience, although the integrated sound controller that ships with most home systems will suffice. Top off the package with the latest in gameware, like a force-feedback joystick, gamepad, or steering wheel/pedal controller. All gamers can find a great gaming pc.