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The best desktop for most people is Apple’s new M3-based iMac. It integrates the display and offers everything you could want in an all-in-one. For a reasonable sum, the iMac provides a fantastic design centered on a high-resolution, 24-inch display powered by Apple’s new M3 processor. The performance of Apple’s latest silicon is, without a doubt, impressive on all counts. If you need more screen space than you’d get with a laptop, the 24-inch iMac gives you added room on which to work and play. Yet, with its compact design and power cable that magnetically pops into place, the iMac can quickly relocate from room to room. The computer is also available in seven fun colors with accessories to match.

If you’re looking for a traditional tower desktop or a small-form-factor PC instead of an all-in-one like the iMac, keep reading because we also have recommendations. We also have favorite all-in-ones based on Microsoft Windows and Google’s ChromeOS.

Laptops occupy most of our editors’ time and effort with CNET’s hands-on reviews, but desktops still occasionally pass through the CNET Labs. Many of our current desktop recommendations are based on previous versions we tested and reviewed. We also have general PC configuration suggestions that we haven’t explicitly tested but are based on our experience with similarly configured computers. These guidelines should be helpful if you’re looking for the best cost-value when customizing a PC to order. We’ll update this best desktop computer list sometime.

Best overall desktop Apple iMac M3 (2024)

The 24-inch iMac is especially well-suited as a family computer or if you want something other than a laptop to quickly move from room to room. It’s small enough to squeeze into tighter spaces, like a kitchen nook, but big enough to spread out your work, kick back, stream a movie, or do some casual gaming. With the recent update to Apple’s M3 processor, the iMac is a more capable machine for content creation and gaming.

The iMac starts at $1,299 for a configuration with an M3 chip with an eight‑core CPU (four performance and four efficiency cores), an eight‑core GPU, and a 16‑core Neural Engine. This baseline model also features 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and two Thunderbolt USB-C ports. It also includes Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. An upgraded M3 chip with two more GPU cores is available, and you can also choose to expand the memory and SSD capacity.

Best mainstream desktop for gaming Dell XPS 8960 Desktop

All-in-ones are convenient but aren’t accessible if they can’t be upgraded. With capacity for extra internal storage, a 13th-generation Core i9 CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card, up to 32GB of RAM, and 3TB of storage, Dell’s XPS 8960 Desktop is tiny and quiet enough for a small workspace. For those who wish to upgrade components but have moderate demands, the basic XPS 8960 with RTX graphics costs $1,550 and is sometimes reduced. Invest a bit more for its 750- or 1,000-watt power supply if you want to upgrade.