10 Desktop PCs for Those Looking to Make the Windows 10 Plunge

By Don Reisinger

The Dell XPS 27 is an all-in-one computer designed for those who would rather tap around Windows on a touch screen. The device comes with an Intel Core i7 processor and has a 27-inch backlit LED touch display. One of its main attractions is a screen design that lets users change its angle and more easily tap around the screen. The XPS 27 is one of Dell’s top all-in-ones and will work with Windows 10 without issue.

Lenovo is arguably one of the top desktop makers in the world, offering a wide range of devices for customers of all types. The company’s K450e desktop has a nice brushed-aluminum-like design on the front and has some hefty power inside, including the customer’s choice of an Intel Core processor, support for up to 7.1-channel surround sound, and a wide range of ports on both the front and back. The device is a solid option for consumers and enterprise users alike.

The Acer Aspire T is one of the smaller desktops in this roundup, but still comes with some solid specs, including 8GB of onboard RAM, a 1TB hard drive and the 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor. At a starting price of $800, the desktop is also nicely affordable for companies that need to add to their litany of desktops across the office.

The Dell Precision Tower won’t win any awards for its design, but it’s not supposed to: The device is ideal for companies that want high-end power and functionality. The Precision Tower comes with two Intel Xeon processors for maximum power and includes support for up to 512GB of RAM. Several video cards are supported, and customers can pick a 4TB hard drive if they so wish. The Precision Tower is a true workhorse.

Lenovo isn’t well-known for its design skills, but the company’s Erazer X510 is surprisingly stylish, featuring an unorthodox shell and blue lights on the front. The device runs on Intel’s fourth-generation Intel Core processors and can ship with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 GPU. The device, like others in this roundup, is fully customizable, but a standard configuration has a 2TB hard drive and even support for wireless connectivity.

Another stylish option, the HP Envy Phoenix is an ideal computer for those who need additional power to do anything from playing games to handling resource-intensive tasks. Like the others in this roundup, the computer runs on Intel’s Core processors and can support up to 3TB of hard drive space or come with a 512GB solid-state drive. It’s a neat-looking product that has some power to boot.

The HP Sprout is arguably one of the most interesting desktops in this roundup, boasting a camera that sits atop the all-in-one’s display that allows users to design on a pad and toss that up to the screen. The Sprout is designed for creatives first, allowing for 3D renderings and creative design, but it is also quite powerful for simpler tasks, thanks to its Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce GT 745A GPU. Its display measures 23 inches.

The Asus K30AM-J may not come with the best name in this roundup, but it’s still a solid option. The desktop comes with Intel Celeron processors, making it notably cheaper than competitors, and features USB 3.0 and 100GB of Web storage through Asus’ own WebStorage platform. It’s not the best desktop in this roundup, but it might be worth a look.

Enterprise customers who want more function over form should check out the EliteDesk 800 ultra-slim desktop. The device is a rectangular box that could sit under a monitor. It comes with Intel’s Pentium line of processors, and a standard configuration has 4GB of onboard memory and a 320GB hard drive. HP’s big sales pitch with the EliteDesk 800 is its energy efficiency, which the company says could save customers cash.

All of this talk of Windows devices leaves out one very unlikely, but useful option: the Apple Mac Pro. The cylindrical, stylish device, which runs OS X out of the box, runs on Intel processors and is fully compatible with Windows 10 in a dual-boot configuration. That means companies or consumers looking for both the Apple and the Windows experience can get the best of both worlds with Mac Pro.