Lab

Compact home PCs

Today's desktop PCs have the kind of power the Incredible Hulk would be proud of, but that needn't be reflected in their looks. More compact and elegant systems are available that will fit easily into your living space, whether a study or home office, a child's room, or away at college. And they needn't cost any more than average. We've reviewed five of the best compact PCs, ranging from as little as £579 up to a still reasonable £989. (In case you're wondering, PC World dropped their price on the Philips system by £20 after our cover went to press.)

All of these PCs give you the full benefit of Windows Vista Home Premium, which comes pre-installed on each. Its built-in Media Center functions can be operated from the comfort of your sofa using the supplied remote controls. One computer you might not associate with Vista is the Apple iMac. Macs normally run Apple's own operating system, Mac OS X, but now that Apple uses the same type of hardware as PCs, including Intel processors, it's possible to run Vista on an iMac. This option is still officially in beta testing, but is expected to become standard with the next version of Mac OS X, known as Leopard, later this year. So even if you want to stick with Windows, the iMac is an alternative worth considering. It's available with a 17, 20 or 24-inch built-in monitor.

Every one of the PCs on test will make a great entertainment system. Two, the Philips and the Advent, even come with built-in analogue/digital TV tuners. As ever, though, some systems will be easier to live with in the long term. These five illustrate a number of approaches to life in the home. Each has its attractions, but a few of them come with built-in limitations, so it pays to be aware of what each can and can't do.

Some of these models represent real feats of miniaturisation. In the case of the PC Nextday, a complete system - processor, memory, hard disk, DVD writer, graphics and all - has been squeezed into a slab just eight inches square. That can only be done by making a few compromises, both inside and out. Ultra-compact systems tend to offer only a few external connections, so there's less scope to plug in accessories such as cameras, external hard disks or MP3 players, at least without adding fiddly external hubs. Inside, they save space by using components more commonly found in laptop PCs. Mobile processors and graphics chips don't offer the same performance as their desktop counterparts, although unless you need to use your PC as a video editing system or games machine, they'll do fine. Compact cases also provide little or no scope for internal upgrades, though again for many people this shouldn't be a problem.

An alternative is a small version of what's essentially a standard PC. That's exactly what's on offer with the Advent. A system like this offers much greater scope for upgrades, and uses full-powered desktop PC components.

The two top scorers here balance compact design with high-performance processors, decent graphics, large storage capacity, and some scope for upgrades. They also come with the best monitors of the bunch - an important consideration, because you'll use the screen all the time you're using a PC, and a poor display can literally give you headaches.

All the PCs here offer decent value, but some are even better than the rest. At £989 including VAT, the Evesham Sqube is the most expensive, but we think it's worth the extra. Quality components and a well-rounded bundle of extras make it our Best Buy. If you want to spend less, the Very PC is a great system at £799, and the Advent earned itself four stars at just £649.