Shopper's Guide: How to buy the right desktop.

In these days of constantly increasing portability with devices such as laptops and tablets satisfying the average consumers' computing needs, it is surprising to see desktop PCs still hold their ground in the computer space.Today's 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. If you are a professional photographer/ graphics designer, you may need more ram to handle your tasks and the high resolution displays with a suitable graphics card. If you have an extensive collection of movies, songs and TV shows and want to make your PC the center of multimedia of your home, 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. 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.

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 non-intrusive machine. A typical compact PC costs between Rs.20000 to Rs.40000, 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 for 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 instances (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 and AMD integrated graphics.

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 common, too, and we've seen compact system carrying up to 1TB (for an approx Rs.5000 upgrade premium). Blu-ray drives are becoming increasingly popular in this category, though the majority of the category eschews optical drives altogether. 

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. Since there are 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, you can generally set up all-in-one PCs wherever you have a spare power outlet. Some all-in-ones come with 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 PC; again, some models target buyers on a tight budget, while others load up on performance-oriented system components (at a higher price, of course).

Many all-in-one PCs come with a wireless keyboard and mouse, Bluetooth support, and Wi-Fi connectivity. This reduces cord clutter to a minimum--an important consideration in spaces where an attractive décor or efficient use of space is at a premium.

Classic Tower PCs:

Budget PCs

A budget tower desktop carries standard desktop components, but it can cost as little as Rs.20000 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. 

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.

Budget PCs generally offer at least 320GB of storage space and at least 2GB of RAM, but support few upgrades beyond adding RAM or a larger hard drive. They rarely leave much room for expansion inside their cases, either. Still, if you need a machine for simple word processing, email, and occasional DVDs or online videos, these machines should suit you just fine.

Mainstream PCs

Higher up in the desktop chain, you'll find machines aimed at mainstream users. These PCs start in the vicinity of $1000, 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 do, without breaking the bank.

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 extra-cost option. And if your video-editing needs are modest, you'll probably be able to 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 Rs. 100000,
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.

Verdict: There's a lot to choose in the desktop spectrum and the configurations have extensive customization options. At the end of the day, its for the users to decide what configurations they really need and which one suits them the best. Also, its worth noting that these days desktop PCs are generally associated with high resource computing and multimedia purposes. So if your daily computing needs do not require that amount of power and you feel that the desktop PC might consume a lot of your space, you might want to look for a suitable laptop (or a tablet if you are more into lightweight computing and are looking for more portability).

Also see: How to buy the right laptop.

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