Asus Essentio CM5675-09

Asus Essentio CM5675-09

The Asus Essentio CM5675-09 ($699.99 list), available at Best Buy, is a mainstream-priced multimedia desktop with the power to edit and manipulate your digital photos and videos, thanks to it Intel Core i5 processor. A huge 1TB hard drive and lack of bloatware are plusses. However, keep it on your short list if you're looking for a power PC with integrated graphics. The CM5675-09 has a non-descript mini tower design with glossy black, dark silver accents, and flecks of shiny chrome-colored plastics. Outside, the CM5675-09 has a whopping 10 USB 2.0 ports, four of them located at the top of the desktop's front panel, as well as a 16-in-1 media card reader. There's also an indented, textured tray built into the top of the desktop, so you can rest your phone, MP3 player, or camera while it's syncing up with the desktop. There are three video out ports in the back: VGA, DVI, and HDMI. These ports make for an easy hook up to virtually any monitor. You can even hook the desktop up to an HDTV via HDMI. The interior is spacious and ready for upgrades: The CM5675-09 has space for two PCI cards, one PCIe x1 card, one PCIe x16 graphics card, a single DIMM slot for memory, one hard drive bay, and one optical drive bay.