Lenovo IdeaCentre K300-53162FU

Lenovo IdeaCentre K300-53162FU

The Lenovo IdeaCentre K300-53162FU ($449.99 list) is a great entry-level desktop PC for tinkerers who want to learn how to service their own PCs. It leverages Lenovo's extensive IT experience to produce an easy to upgrade desktop system with a decent amount of processing power. If you're the type that needs to update your PC to a faster processor, but want to keep decades-old peripherals useful, the K300-53162FU may just be the ticket. The K300-53162FU has some shaping and sculpting on the front panel, which will make it stand out a little compared to more utilitarian desktops, but it's not anything you would call fashion-forward. Its a standard mid tower chassis, with ventilation cutouts on the side panels. There's a pair of USB 2.0 ports on the front panel near the top, along with a multi-card reader and audio jacks. On the back, are the 6 remaining USB ports, a serial port, more audio ports, PS/2 mouse/keyboard ports, and the desktop's VGA port. I would've liked to have seen HDMI or at least a DVI port for flexibility, but VGA is adequate for the basic user.