The best desktops of 2021, and the perfect business roles for them

3 years ago 362

Desktops mightiness not person the glitz and glamor of ultra-portable laptops, but they're inactive indispensable for work. Here are immoderate recommendations for professionals with peculiar hardware needs.

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This isn't really 1 of my picks. 

Image: Devonyu, Getty Images/iStockphoto

The desktop machine has been astatine death's doorway for, depending connected who you ask, nigh connected to a decade. It's decease hasn't arrived, though, and it's wholly apt that desktops volition beryllium astir for years to come.

There's astir apt a niche successful your business, beryllium it an endeavor oregon self-employment, for a desktop computer, peculiarly if you request high-powered hardware capable to support up with the aggravated demands of tasks similar information science, video editing and design.

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This usher to the champion desktops of 2021 makes recommendations based connected the benignant of enactment relation a desktop volition fill. It's besides not going to unit businesses to take betwixt a Mac oregon Windows machine: Recommendations for some are included.

The champion basal workstation

Desktops don't person to beryllium ample and unwieldy to beryllium useful, and the mean idiosyncratic doesn't request a batch of high-powered hardware oregon enlargement abstraction for their day-to-day job. That's wherever tiny desktop computers travel in: They tin bash each the aforesaid enactment arsenic a larger stationary PC/Mac, without taking up a batch of abstraction connected a cramped desk. 

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The Dell Optiplex 3090 Micro

Image: Dell

Windows PC users should nonstop their attraction toward Dell's Optiplex Micro enactment of computers, which commencement arsenic debased arsenic $719 for an Intel i3, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD successful a lawsuit that's lone 1.4" x 7" x  7.2". The specs commencement disconnected beauteous basal (especially the Intel i3), but there's nary crushed it won't conscionable the needs of the mean idiosyncratic utilizing cloud-hosted apps and different modern bundle for their regular tasks. 

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The Mac Mini with M1

Image: Apple

Mac shops volition privation to look to the Mac Mini, peculiarly the caller exemplary with the Apple M1 chip. With an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core neural engine, 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, it matches the specs of the astir basal Optiplex Micro successful each country but its souped-up Apple Silicon chipset. The Mac Mini starts astatine $699, making it a spot cheaper than the Optiplex Micro arsenic well. 

The champion desktop for originative professionals

The originative desktops successful this database deviate a spot from the modular desktop signifier factor, and with bully reason: They're some the champion options for those moving connected originative tasks similar graphic design, video editing, dependable accumulation and akin projects. 

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The Microsoft Surface Studio 2

Microsoft News

Let's commencement with the Microsoft Surface Studio 2, Microsoft's introduction into the flagship all-in-one signifier factor. At $3,499.99, the Surface Studio 2 apt won't beryllium connected your database of computers for home, but businesses whitethorn privation to snatch 1 up erstwhile they're successful banal again. The SS2 has a 28" touchscreen, a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GPU (either a GTX 1060 oregon 1070), a 1TB SSD, an infinitely placeable "zero-gravity hinge" and supports the included Surface Pen and Surface Dial (Dial not included).

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The caller 2021 iMac

Image: Apple

One conjecture which Apple machine is landing successful this category: It's the new iMac with the M1 chip. Only disposable successful 24" (the 27" iMac is inactive an Intel device), the caller iMac with M1 starts astatine a importantly cheaper $1,299, but it sacrifices a bit: There's nary touchscreen oregon Apple Pencil support. Still, the M1 chip, 256GB SSD (up to 2TB) and 8GB RAM (up to 16GB) marque it a almighty originative desktop for businesses and individuals who tally Apple systems.

The champion desktop for dense computing tasks

Whether it's information science, bundle improvement oregon immoderate different resource-intensive task, modern computing has an progressively specialized abstraction for desktops that supply an absurd magnitude of processing power. That's wherever these 2 desktops travel in.

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The Powerful Lenovo P920 desktop.

Image: Lenovo

The first, the Lenovo ThinkStation P920, starts astatine a precise tenable $2,783.42 for a machine with 3 NVIDIA GPUs, up to 1TB RAM and up to 28 Intel cores. The P920 is simply a beast, adjacent astatine its introductory level, and besides has a batch of country for casual expansion, truthful it mightiness adjacent past longer than immoderate little serviceable desktops. 

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The Mac Pro, Apple's top-of-the-line show desktop.

Image: Apple

For Apple, the prime is simply a elemental one: the precocious redesigned Mac Pro. It has specs not dissimilar those of the P920, peculiarly the "up to 28 Intel cores" option; additionally, the Mac Pro tin grip up to 1.5TB RAM, 2 MPX modules with up to 4GPUs, up to 8TB of SSD retention and 8 PCIe enlargement slots. The Mac Pro tin besides beryllium outfitted with wheels oregon successful a rack-mounted body, and its screen slides disconnected successful a azygous portion for casual entree to its interior components. The adjacent infinite imaginable of the Mac Pro comes astatine a cost, though: $5,999 to start. 

The champion fund desktop

There are a batch of reasons to get a inexpensive desktop: A depleted IT budget, freelancing with constricted resources oregon you conscionable privation a barebones desktop that volition bash the basics without overmuch fuss. For that I'm again veering retired of desktop operation territory and into the onshore of all-in-ones with the HP All-in-One 22. AIO computers are the closest happening you tin get to the simplicity of a laptop with a desktop-sized screen. 

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The budget-friendly HP All-in-One 22.

Image: HP

The HP AIO 22 has, unsurprisingly, a 22" screen, an easy removed backmost sheet for upgrading the internals, and different uninspiring specs. That doesn't matter, though: In presumption of simplicity, easiness of setup and basal functionality that volition enactment for everyone, this is simply a coagulated prime considering it starts astatine conscionable $499.99

SEE: Raspberry Pi: After launching 5 devices successful little than a year, here's what they're doing adjacent (cover communicative PDF) (TechRepublic)

I've excluded an Apple desktop from this class for what's apt an evident reason: Apple desktops are expensive. That said, a fund prime would apt beryllium the Mac Mini, which was already covered above. If you spell that route, however, conscionable cognize that you'll request to enactment down further wealth for a monitor, keyboard and mouse, making the Mac Mini overmuch much costly than the $699 introductory price. If you're connected a choky budget, a Mac whitethorn rapidly transcend it with conscionable the slightest of upgrades oregon astir basal of peripherals. 

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