The 8 Best Desktop PCs to Buy in 2017

Shopping for the right desktop depends heavily on what you need to accomplish on a daily basis. But no matter what your needs are, there’s something for everyone. If looking at specs is your thing, you probably already know the type of configuration you want, from monitor size to processor to amount of RAM. But for the average person, the revolving door of new desktop PCs requires a little help. We’re making things a little easier by offering up our picks for the best desktops of 2017.

Best Overall: Dell Inspiron 24 3000

This popular all-in-one desktop PC from Dell is a perfect blend of laptop functionality and desktop productivity, making it the ideal in-home computer for most families. The 24-inch Full HD wide-viewing-angle screen is an attractive display for the Windows 10 tile app interface at 1920x1080 resolution. The computer boasts Intel Core 2.3 GHz i3, 8GB RAM and a 500GB internal hard drive, giving you enough computing power to smoothly run most applications without driving up the price tag with the most powerful hardware.

Families will also appreciate that everything they need comes included in the unit. The thin computer includes integrated speakers, webcam and 802.11 ac wireless, so you don’t have to worry about a cluster of wires on your desk. Other connectivity options include USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 4-in-1 Multicard Reader. Setup is as easy as a laptop, and you can take it from one room to another as you see fit. If you need a hassle free solution that can please everyone, this is a great bet.

Runner-Up, Best Overall: ASUS Zen Z240 23.8" Touch Desktop

There are times you can look at Asus design and question whether their designers are sitting in Apple’s headquarters gathering inspiration. That’s how beautiful our choice for Runner-Up Best Desktop PC fares in the design department, with a look so sharp that it captures iMac-like design magic. Paired with a SkyLake Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, there’s unquestionably more than enough power to get you through every day tasks with plenty of room to spare.

Apple touts their retina displays as class-leading, but PC manufacturers take issue with that messaging and the Asus Zen AIO Pro is no exception. The 3840 x 2160 (4K) resolution, 23” display is gorgeous and incredibly sharp. Watching a movie with this machine, especially one of the 4K variety, will have you grabbing popcorn and never wanting to look away. A powerful backlight helps eliminate most glare, but if you’re watching in a sunlit room, you might find it to be a small nuisance.

The 10-point touchscreen and Chiclet keyboard are excellent, but the “plasticky” feel might leave you longing for something with a little more “heft” for the price. But overall, there isn’t another comparable machine packing in similar specs, even it's a little pricey.

Best Apple: Apple iMac MK452LL/A 21.5-Inch Retina 4K Display Desktop

Pairing great value with hardware that will last, our choice for the best overall desktop PC is the 21.5” 4K Apple iMac. Thin, gorgeous and classy, Apple’s value for the money is definitely something the average desktop buyer should consider. The retina display is beautiful to look at day-in and day-out and will immediately win you over.

Watching videos, from YouTube to iTunes movie downloads will immediately grab your attention, thanks to the 4,096 x 2,304 display that has 4.5 times the resolution of a 1080p HD display. The combination of the newly revamped Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 complete the characteristic Apple no-fuss setup. Pull it out of the box, press the “on” button and away you go.

With an Intel Core i5 processor, the iMac is more than capable of handling any of the daily tasks you throw at it. From the office to the home, the iMac is ready to handle photo and video editing, spreadsheets and everything in between.

On the downside, we’d love to see Apple offer discrete graphics to bump up the gaming capability and faster storage overall to speed up boot time. And you'll have to fully buy into the Apple experience and that can often come with an additional price tag. But caveats aside, when it comes to pairing pricing and value, Apple’s iMac is still the computer to beat.

Best Budget: Acer Aspire ATC-780-UR61

If you’re looking for great performance on a budget, Acer’s Aspire desktop ATC-780-UR61 is ready to answer the call. Featuring a 2.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, a 1TB hard drive and Windows 10, the budget-level pricing looks incredibly attractive. Unfortunately, you’ll had to add your own monitor, but you shouldn't have a problem finding a cheap, high-quality one.

The Intel Graphics 530 won’t shine on the gaming front, but video editing, compiling photo albums and multitasking will be handled with ease. There’s onboard Wi-Fi with 802.11ac as well Bluetooth 4.0 and a slew of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports. The high-definition 5.1 audio will be good enough for most basic tasks, but movie viewers might want to invest in external speakers for good measure. Expanding the RAM for even better performance is welcomed, with a maximum of 32GB allowed for the single RAM slot that the Acer ships with.

Runner-Up, Best Budget: HP 20 Snow White

The HP 20-c Snow White is one of the best budget options on the market today. Because this desktop PC is an all-in-one, its components are housed in a 18.4 x 7.2 x 14.5-inch, sturdy white casing, weighing 10.56 pounds altogether. Inside, it fits a 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium J3710 quad-core processor, 2MB cache and turbo boost frequency up to 2.64GHz. It also has a 4GB of memory, which is expandable up to 8GB, as well as a 500GB SATA hard drive. All that adds up to solid performance given its low price tag.

The 19.5-inch screen is coated with anti-glare to make it easy to use near a sunny window, though some complain that its 1,600 x 900 resolution can be a bit grainy. On the back of the screen, you’ll find access to two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, DC power in, an HDMI port and a headphone/microphone jack. It’s a bit odd that the headphone jack is tucked back there because depending on your setup, it might be hard to hook up, but who needs headphones when the speakers deliver such clear audio?

Best for Home Office: Acer Aspire AIO

Do you work from home a lot and need a dependable desktop? Good news: the 23.8” display Acer Aspire AIO is probably exactly what you’re looking for. Powered by Windows 10, the Acer is priced just right, not too expensive and not budget to the point of feeling underpowered. The 6th generation 2.2GHz Intel Core i5 is paired with 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and a NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphic card with its own 2GB of dedicated video memory.

The 23.8” Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display is beautiful, with clear and crisp colors at a 16:9 aspect ratio. The all-in-one body is just 1.4-inches slim which offers a low footprint space in the home office. Connectivity is assisted by 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 alongside four USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port and two HDMI-in ports. The included keyboard and mouse are fairly generic, so if you’re already using a pair you enjoy, we’d see no reason to unpack these out of the box.

Making movies, playing games and editing photos are a snap with the discrete NVIDIA memory card, which is an extremely nice addition for the Acer’s mid-range price tag. Acer’s built-in TrueHarmony high-performance sound won’t win any awards, but you’re not going to complain if you pop a DVD into the included drive, kick your feet up and watch a movie.

Best Design: Acer Revo One

The Acer Revo One, our choice for the best desktop design, is immediately going to catch your eye. The small, white box is unlike anything you’re used to seeing when it comes to a desktop computer. All too often we associate clunkiness with the desktop world and that’s definitely not the case with the Revo One.

The Revo One is the perfect union between affordability, design and functionality. Paired with an Intel Core i3, 4GB of RAM and Windows 10, there’s a media machine hidden beneath the glossy white casing. Unfortunately, you can’t upgrade the RAM which is slightly disappointing and you might want to replace the plastic keyboard.

But the wallet-friendly price tag is surprisingly offered with a host of connectivity options, including an SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, and a Mini DisplayPort that can be connected to a 4K monitor. PC users looking for an attractive mini desktop that is perfect for media, browsing and the rest of the desktop basics will fall in love with the Revo One.

Best for Creative Types: Apple’s 27” iMac

While Apple’s 21.5” iMac sits comfortably in the top spot for best overall desktop, it’s the 27” bigger brother that really shines for creative types. Powered by a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5, 1TB Fusion Drive and the 5K 27” monitor, Apple’s flagship desktop is the best option for image and movie editing. The stunning 5K display offers 14.7 million pixels, or 4.5 to 7 times the resolution of a standard HDTV. The wider color gamut offers 25 percent more available colors, which brings more true-to-life color for the display.

Image and photo editing is boosted by the AMD Radeon R9 300-series graphics chip with 2GB of dedicated memory. The Retina 5K display and the rest of the hardware are packaged in an aluminum and glass enclosure that’s just 5mm at its slimmest. Although Apple placed 8GB of memory on board, we’d love to see 16GB come standard due to the heavy load apps like Photoshop and Final Cut can carry, but 8GB should suffice for most use cases. Additionally, Apple tucked two Thunderbolt 2 and four USB 3.0 ports on the back of the display along with 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity.