Best Laptop, Desktop and Tablet PCs Under $500

With the launch of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, the budget end of the spectrum is suddenly ripe with value. Unless you need a high-performance machine you can push to the very extreme, you'll find plenty of amazing systems under $500. Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Dell Studio Hybrid Desktop, $499

Call it "green" if you must, but make no mistake: Dell's hyper-efficient Studio Hybrid doesn't play favorites when it comes to color. The chic little desktop can be ordered in six colors, and makes good on its Earth-friendly reputation by using 70 percent less power than a typical desktop, measuring 80 percent smaller, and made from 95 percent recyclable materials. An Intel Pentium Dual Core processor and GMA X3100 graphics chip also set it a cut above the standard netbook crowd when it comes to processing power.

2. Acer Aspire Revo 3610, $330

Acer's Aspire Revo is a computer tiny enough to strap behind a flat-screen display, quiet enough to forget about, and powerful enough to drive stunning HD content in all its 1080p glory. Although it shares the same Atom processor line used by netbooks, the system uses a dual-core variant of the chip, plus adds Nvidia's powerful Ion graphics processor to help deal with games and video.

3. HP Mini 311, $449

The first netbook to make use of Nvidia's powerful Ion graphics processor is also one of the cheapest, with a price tag barely any higher than most of its competitors. The Mini 311 not only boasts an Ion LE chip to bolster HD video and gaming performance, it also sports an 11.6-inch screen for more viewing area, an almost-full-size keyboard, and an attractive patterned lid.

4. iBuypower Intel Core 2 Duo Custom Gaming PC, $490

How do you get a high-quality gaming rig for under $500? Reach for last-gen, but still plenty high-tech hardware. This Core 2 Duo machine won't blow the doors off of anything with the latest Intel Core i7 Chip, but you just can't beat the price. It technically starts at $519, but opting for a Gamma case gets it down to a comfy $490. That includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor clocked at 3.0GHz, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and an Nvidia 9400GT graphics card with 512MB of RAM (we recommend upping it to 1GB for another $6).

5. HP Compaq CQ61z Notebook, $399

That's right: notebook, not netbook. HP's Compaq CQ61z packs a real processor, video card, optical drive and screen into a machine no pricier than the average low-cost, no-frills portable PC. That means an AMD Sempron M100 tooling away at 2GHz under the hood, an ATI Radeon HD 4200 with 128MB of RAM, and a glorious 15.6-inch screen. Of course, it weighs about two more pounds than a netbook, but that's the price you pay for enhanced performance.

6. Archos 9 PCTablet, $499

While you're waiting for the fairy tale known as Apple's touch tablet, check out this slick little number, which you can pick up today. Despite the system's tiny 9-inch screen, 0.67-inch thickness and weight of only 1.7 pounds, it runs a full-fledged version of Windows 7. You can use it to surf the Web, chat with friends, type up papers in Word, or even watch HD videos on the high-resolution display.

7. Gateway SX2800-01r, $449

You might guess from the size of it that Gateway's SX2800 is yet another performance-compromised small-form-factor PC that sacrifices speed in the name of size. Not so. Lurking inside the diminutive gloss-black tower case is an Intel Core 2 Quad processor clocked at 2.33GHz, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB hard drive, and Intel GMA X4500 graphics accelerator. The lack of a real graphics card might make it a dog for games and 1080p video playback, but for heavy desktop multitasking all the way up to tasks like Photoshop and video editing, its Quad Core Intel will barely break a sweat.

8. Lenovo C300 All-in-One Desktop, $450

Don't have another $150 floating around to spend on a 20-inch monitor after you drop serious coin on a new PC? Lenovo's C300 combines both into an all-in-one desktop based on netbook hardware for under $500. The Intel Atom powering the machine makes it a bit anemic as far as desktops go, but for routine surfing, typing and chatting, it will get the job done. Asus' comparably priced Eee Top ET1602 offers a smaller touchscreen, but we prefer an ordinary 20-inch screen to a 15.6-inch fondle-ready model.

9. Toshiba Satellite T115, $450

Don't be fooled by the 11.6-inch monitor: This little guy is packing a bit more brawn than the average netbook. You'll find a dual-core Intel Celeron beating inside its heart instead of an Atom, and an Intel X4500 graphics accelerator buried in there somewhere too. Together, they multitask and push around media with more authority than a netbook, and according to Toshiba, provide over nine hours of battery life as well. Now that's a mini laptop we could live with.

10. Dell Inspiron 546, $269

You can't get much cheaper than Dell's no-frills Inspiron 546, an unassuming mini tower that, like the HP Compaq CQ61z, uses affordable desktop hardware rather than scraping by with netbook guts. That includes an AMD Sempron LE 1300 clocked at 2.3GHz, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a legit ATI Radeon HD3200 graphics card. You also get your pick of eight different colors for another $30, and should you decide to opt for a little more grunt, Dell offers plenty of performance-boosting piecemeal upgrades.

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