The 10 best computers of 2016: the best PCs ranked

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Just a few years ago, pundits were predicting the beginning of the end for traditional desktop PCs. Though not as prevalent as they once were, desktop computers are still kicking, even with the rise of devices speculated to “replace” them.

What many of us overlooked was the appeal of the desktop on a fundamental level. Buying one means averting dead batteries and the option to replace parts individually when they stop working. It also means streaming services, like Netflix, in 4K – assuming you’re equipped with the gear to support them.

Unlike smartphones and tablets, a desktop computer can be as powerful as your wallet can handle. Modular by nature, upgradeability in other devices generally pales in comparison to that of a PC. The CPU, graphics card and disk drive can all be swapped out for improved components down the line.

With that in mind, there is also a wide range of form factors to choose from when shopping around for a new PC. The ease of use associated with all-in-ones, like the Surface Studio, is sure to appeal to some while others will prefer the inexpensive media devices crafted for the living room known as mini PCs.

With the exception of our Apple examples, which come bearing macOS 10.12 Sierra, and the Chrome OS-equipped Acer Chromebase, you can expect any one of the PCs on this list to support Windows 10 – whether out of the box or with an upgrade.

In this article, we’ve grouped 10 of the best computers, ordered from the highest to lowest in terms of pricing, specs and our reviews where applicable. That said, our list is subject to change as even more fantastic PCs make their way to market.

1. Apple iMac with 5K Retina display

A stylish all-in-one with a stunning screen

Bright IPS screen

Few wires or cables

Tough to upgrade

The iMac is known for its essentialism. Easy-to-use hardware combined with the famed accessibility of macOS makes for a nigh-perfect computing experience. A built-in screen, speakers and 802.11ac wireless networking are only complemented by the fantastic Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2. All you need is a power cable to get it up and running.

There’s quite a range of iMacs, starting at £899 (around $1,365 or AUS$1,943) for an entry-level 21.9-inch model with a dual-core processor that’s just enough for basic tasks, up to 27-inch iMacs with quad-core processors and even the optional 5K display. If you want a faster, quieter and more reliable storage option, you can opt for a hybrid solid state drive as well.

Even on the low-end model, the IPS display is bright and vivid, with a clever design where the edges of the aluminum chassis are thinner than many standalone monitors. And as standard, the iMac runs macOS, although Apple makes it very easy to install Windows alongside if you want to continue using your existing Windows software.

Read the full review: Apple iMac with 5K Retina display

2. Apple iMac with 4K Retina display (21.5-inch, Late 2015)

Still stylish, still stunning, but compact too

Display

Accessories

SSD not standard

Pricey

Boasting a vibrant Retina 4K display that’s packed with color, Apple’s new 21.5-inch iMac is a small bundle of aluminum joy. Its display’s massive, 4,096 x 2,304 pixel-resolution is great for surfing the web in comfort with multiple windows side-by-side in El Capitan’s Split View in addition to image and video editing, watching 4K video content and just about everything else.

As expected from an Apple computer, it’s a typically well-built machine that, in true iMac tradition, barely takes up more space on your desk than a larger laptop. Apple is bundling the 4K iMac with a superb set of accessories, too including the latest versions of its Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and its all-new Magic Keyboard.

Just make sure you upgrade the standard spinning hard drive to a 1TB Fusion Drive (or even better, the 256GB SSD) if you want to shell out a bit more cash to eliminate lengthy loading times.

Read the full review: Apple iMac with 4K Retina display (21.5-inch, Late 2015)

3. Dell Inspiron Desktop

This slim mini-tower is a decent performer

Reasonable starting cost

Plenty of hard drive storage

No SSD option

Discrete GPU model limited to 8GB RAM

Sure, it’s not quite as small as a PC like the Acer Revo Build or an Intel Compute Stick, but you can configure a Dell Inspiron Dekstop as a mini-tower, and therefore, it won’t take up too much space either on a desk or underneath it.

With a black design and a silver trim, Dell has gone to some length to make this standard PC chassis look quite sleek and a bit more exciting than a mere black box. As standard, it has a dual-core Intel Core i3 Skylake processor rather than a Celeron, and 8GB of memory – so it’s a lot more capable than the Revo Build.

For an extra bit of cash, you can upgrade the processor to a quad-core Intel Core i5-4460 and the graphics card to a discrete Nvidia GeForce 730 or an even more powerful AMD Radeon HD R9, for a decent all-round performance boost.

4. Apple Mac mini

The cheapest way you can go Mac

The most affordable Mac

Internal power supply

Few expansion options

Upgrades get expensive

The Mac mini exhibits the luxury of an Apple desktop without the price tag to match. Starting at a mere $499 (£399, AU$779), the Mac mini is barebones yet affordable. Though it ships without the otherwise expected Magic Mouse and Keyboard peripherals, getting to choose your own accessories is, at the very least, liberating.

And, while it hasn’t been updated in quite some time on the hardware front, the Mac Mini’s Haswell-based i5 processor still chugs along nicely. Plus, with Iris Graphics onboard, you’ll get a bit more juice than expected. Combined with 500GB of storage space and 4GB of RAM, the Mac mini is arguably the best starting point for OS X newcomers even if a contemporary makeover is long past due.

With an aluminum shell and simplistic industrial design, the Mac mini represents Apple at its very core. Where it mainly lacks, however, is in performance. Luckily the option for a Fusion Drive, which marries the power of both HDD and SSD technology, somewhat makes up for this inadequacy. A configuration sporting 8GB of RAM is an option too, but if you don’t want to shell out the extra cash, the base model will do just fine.

Read the full review: Apple Mac mini

5. Asus VivoMini UN45

A compact desktop for everyday computing

Attractive midnight blue finish

No-frills 4K media playback

Fanless only with baseline specs

No Core-M or i3 option?

Asus is a unique PC maker in that it offers a wide range of computers for a variety of different types of users. You typically won’t find in a mini PC with this many configuration options that no matter which one you opt for, the underlying computer remains the same.

The VivoMini UN45 may look like one of Asus’ DVD burners, but in reality, it’s a full-fledged desktop that can be used as a companion for watching 4K movies in your home theater or it can even be connected normally to a monitor or a TV.

Moreover, the UN45 bears an M.2 SSD regardless of which model you opt for, ranging from 32GB to 128GB. However, if you don’t mind the reduction in performance and configure your VivoMini UN45 with an Intel Celeron N3000, you’ll get the liberty of a fanless design that’s completely silent even when the CPU is under full load.

6. Acer Revo Build

A stackable media PC with plenty of storage

CPU: Intel Celeron N3050 – Core i5 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics – Intel HD Graphics 520 | RAM: 2GB – 8GB | Storage: 32GB SSD – 1TB HDD | Communication: 802.11ac, Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0 + LE | Dimensions (W x D x H): 5.3 x 5.3 x 2.2 inches

Ships with mouse and keyboard

Loads of modular functionality

Middling specs

Barebones for cheapest option

The Acer Revo Build is one of the few desktop computers you can actually take advantage of on the go in addition to with your at-home setup. Featuring upgradeability that’s as easy as stacking Lincoln Logs, the Revo Build is both the perfect media PC and a stellar charging station for your other devices.

Unfortunately, that’s assuming you shell out enough for the most expensive configuration, which comprises an Audio Block for built-in sound output, a 1TB hard drive block and even a graphics block for Ultra HD video. The Revo Build packs in not one, but three USB ports, an SD card slot and even DisplayPort. Plus, if your phone is up to task, you can even utilize wireless charging.

Read the full review: Acer Revo Build

7. HP Pavilion Wave

It’s a prettier, if less-beefy, Mac Pro

Unique, stylish cylindrical form factor 

Clever and effective audio solution

No optical audio port

Unflattering specs

The HP Pavilion Wave is the latest in a trend of desktops posing as entirely different hardware. This time it’s a speaker, thanks to a partnership with Bang & Olufsen, and the HP Pavilion Wave succeeds where others have failed. Rather than muddling the audio quality exerted from the Wave’s onboard speaker system, HP and B&O Play have devised an audio fabric that actually improves on sound quality and looks good doing it.

At the same time, the HP Pavilion Wave manages to future-proof itself with Bluetooth 4.2 capabilities, three standard USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, DisplayPort and even a single USB Type-C port.

Unfortunately, there’s a sheer lack of upgradeability that comes with the territory of buying a PC like this. That wouldn’t be such a problem if the parts it came with were more impressive, but the HP Pavilion Wave tops off at a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM with no option for an SSD in sight.

Read the first look: HP Pavilion Wave

8. Intel Compute Stick (Core M)

The tiny computer that can

Powerful CPU

Extremely portable design

Still hindered by fan cooling

Limited RAM and storage

When we reviewed the original Intel Compute Stick, we were undeniably disappointed by its lackluster performance and ostensibly unnecessary fan integration. Well over a year later, Intel has addressed both of these complaints with one major change: the switch to the company’s Core M-series processors.

Whether you’re appeased by the Core m3 or you need the slight bump in power exhibited by the Core m5, the Intel Compute Stick offers a solution. Of course, it’s still not ideal to pack a fan into a tiny dongle, especially when the Core M CPUs were designed with noise elimination in mind.

But, the Intel Compute Stick still maintains a cost low enough to where it may not matter if it doesn’t run completely silent. Its tiny form factor and powerful (for the price) CPU is enough to tide you over nonetheless.

Read the full review: Intel Compute Stick

9. Lenovo IdeaCentre 710

A multimedia aficionado for the whole family

CPU: Intel Core i5 – Core i7 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti – GeForce GTX 960 | RAM: 12GB – 32GB | Storage: 2TB HDD + 128GB SSD – 2TB HDD + 256GB SSD | Communication: Lenovo AC Wireless, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0 | Dimensions (W x D x H): 7.12 x 17.98 x 15.77

Powerful discrete graphics

Plenty of ports and storage

Windows 10 Home

GPU maxes out at GTX 960

When it’s not busy perfecting its ThinkPad formula, Lenovo is hard at work on its bombastic series of entertainment-centric desktops. Stacked with one of the most powerful Skylake processors on the market combined with a discrete GPU of your choosing as well as your preferred hard drive and solid state drive pairing, the Lenovo IdeaCentre 710 is more than enough for 4K video playback and then some.

Although it’s designed more for video editing than twitch-shooting, the IdeaCentre 710 can handle some light- to medium-weight gaming with ease. It might not run the latest Battlefield at the highest settings in 1080p, the IdeaCentre 710 is still far more capable than it has any right to be – and without costing a fortune at that.

Aside from the limited GPU configuration options, the only complaint we have is that for such a high-quality machine, the Lenovo IdeaCentre 710 ships with Windows 10 Home rather than Windows 10 Pro. As a result, you’ll need to upgrade manually if you want the option to defer updates or access your desktop remotely.

10. Acer Chromebase 24

An easy to use and excellent value all-in-one

Core i processor options

Adjustable webcam

Expensive for a Chromebase

Not enough screen real estate

Chromebooks are Google’s reaction to cheap laptops that can barely run Windows 10 but, for whatever reason, still do. As such, there’s no reason the Chromebook operating system, Chrome OS, can’t be applied to all-in-one PCs as well. That’s the logic behind Acer’s Chromebase 24, a powerful performer with some nifty additives.

Being an all-in-one, it bears the same benefits as Apple’s far more expensive iMac – no need for loose cables spread across the floor. The speakers (of which there are two, along with four mics) are built into the display, which itself extends from the computer it contains.

Chrome OS is cleverly designed to work with files stored in the cloud rather than locally, as Google Apps substitutes Microsoft Office. It takes some getting used to, but once you do get into the swing of things, the Acer Chromebook 24 works, and it works well.

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Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article

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