Lab

Top PCs from £519

Buying an exciting PC used to mean paying through the nose. Models ready for high-resolution gaming used to be prohibitively expensive, and pro-quality photo and video editing was restricted to the latest top-of-the-range processors. Times have certainly changed.

We asked seven system builders from across the UK to send us PCs that offered great all-round performance within a tight price range, from £500 to £650. The systems they delivered were each tailored for different needs, with their own distinct characters. There's something here for everyone.

These days, fast processor chips are refreshingly cheap. Each of the affordable PCs on test has a at least a dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 or Intel Core 2 Duo at its heart, and most are backed up by 2GB of memory - the sort of specification you'd have been hard pushed to find at all until recently, let alone for under £650. And it's not just raw performance that's now within reach: you can also expect masses of hard disk space and a decent widescreen monitor.

We expected all the systems to have 19 inch displays, but three suppliers managed to squeeze in a high-resolution 20 inch screen - perfect for putting those multi-core processors to good use by opening lots of applications at once or fitting creative tools around a full-size view of your work.

Horses for courses

One of these systems forgoes the usual 'my PC's faster than yours' race in favour of a more environmentally-friendly focus on power efficiency - perfect if you're looking to minimise your carbon footprint, or just your electricity bill. At the other end of the scale, there's also a machine for users who want as much processing power as their money will buy. There's an ideal student PC: quiet enough to leave connected to the Internet 24/7 in a small room, compact enough to slip into a rucksack for the trip home, and ready for every task from writing essays to recording Countdown. And of course we also have a fine selection of all-round feature-rich PCs, so you can see who's currently offering the best deal.

With Windows Vista (included on all these systems), the PC may have got a trendy haircut but what matters on the inside remains much the same. You'll want the best features and performance for your budget, but not at the expense of essentials like solid build quality and ergonomics, and you may be persuaded by a system that offers merely adequate specs with good scope for future upgrades. Only a system that balances all these concerns will be in the running for a Computer Buyer award. Although only one can walk away with the coveted Best Buy, on this occasion two runners-up impressed us sufficiently to take home a Good Buy or Top Value award - and others were close behind.

If you have a modest amount to spend on a new PC, whether as your main computer or an addition for another room, family member or workstation, be prepared to raise your expectations. You'll find you can get more than you thought possible.