HP Pavilion p7-1126

HP Pavilion p7-1126s

The HP Pavilion p7-1126s's ($559.99 list at Staples) AMD A8 Llano APU may not be as fast as Intel's Core i3 processors in media manipulation and day-to-day performance tests, but in-game, this desktop has the oomph the Core i3's integrated graphics just can't offer. If you want that fast CPU and some gaming prowess, and you're not afraid of getting your hands dirty, you could purchase a cheap, bare-bones unit, like the Dell Inspiron i620-228NBK ($479.99 list, 4 stars) and outfit it with a budget GPU later on. Otherwise, you'll have to start considering systems over $700 if you want more power beyond these options. The p7-1126s has the same black aluminum chassis and glossy plastic front panel as most other towers in the Pavilion line, like the HP Pavilion p7-1154 ($519.99 list, 2.5 stars). A light at the top of the face panel glows blue-white when the system is on, adding some flair to an otherwise utilitarian design (glows orange when asleep). There's a sliding door on the front panel that conceals an audio and mic jack, and two USB 2.0 ports. At the top of the face plate are a series of media card slots (xD/SmartMedia, CompactFlash, SD/MMC, and Memory Stick), and finishing off the feature selection in the front of the chassis is a DVD+-RW (with LightScribe).