48
BEST GAMING DESKTOP
LENOVO LEGION TOWER 5I
Starts at $1,029; $1,449 as tested
EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllm
Mass-production gaming towers are only getting better, inching
closer in style to gaming PCs from boutique companies while
keeping the cost down. The Legion Tower 5i is the best of the
bunch this year, with a classy-looking build and plenty of
configuration options at reasonable prices. Our review model
featured an RTX 2070 Super graphics card and a 10th-Gen Intel
Core i7 processor for $1,449, a good example of how this system
undercuts similarly equipped competition and why it earns our
Editors’ Choice.
49
BEST BUSINESS/DESKTOP
WORKSTATION
DELL PRECISION 7920 TOWER
(2020)
Starts at $1,779; $23,289 as tested EDITORS’ CHOICE
Llllm
You can configure the Precision 7920 Tower to be a workaday
single-CPU workstation packed with storage all the way up to a
dual-Xeon Platinum monster for rarified compute scenarios such
as machine learning and data science. Our $20,000-plus review
machine, which was kitted out to push the limits with a Quadro
RTX 8000 48GB graphics card, is just an example of the far limits
of what Dell’s high-end workstation can do. You can opt for less
and still get specific ISV certifications and hardware designed for
24/7 stress.
50
BEST APPLE DESKTOP
APPLE MAC MINI (M1, LATE
2020)
$699.00 EDITORS’ CHOICE Llllh
Sure, it’s nothing like the mighty, many-kilobuck Mac Pro, with its
raw content-creation power and heavy-metal graphics options.
But the newest Mac mini has its own superpowers. Apple’s
refreshed version of its classic compact has been given new life by
Apple’s M1 CPU. Early tests show it to be a powerful churner with
native applications, and it even shows some moxie from its
integrated graphics for light gaming. And a new low starting price
of $699 makes the Mac mini an unexpectedly good value among
small desktops.
Our $20,000-
plus review
machine is just
an example of
the far limits
of what Dell’s
high-end
workstation
can do.
