The leading pick on our current power desktop PCs chart is the Dell XPS 630, a system that came in at under $2000. Our test system came configured with a 3.16-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 processor, 4GB of memory, a 512MB nVidia GeForce 9800 GT graphics card, and 640GB of hard-disk storage, plus a Dell SP2208WFP LCD monitor.

Our test machine notched a WorldBench 6 score of 114 (just nine points shy of the mark that a $3229 gaming-centric XPS 630 equipped with an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850 quad-core CPU posted). The GeForce 9800 GT card helped the system attain an average frame rate of 138 frames per second in running Doom 3 at 1280 by 1024 resolution with antialiasing turned on.

As for the Dell's case, for one of its size it provides a respectable amount of expansion room, with one open 5.25-inch drive bay at the front (a DVDñRW drive occupies the other). Four internal slots--two regular PCI, one PCI Express x8, and one PCI Express x1--are open.

Bottom Line: The customizable Dell XPS 630 desktop system provides strong, affordable performance within a stylish package.

Printer

A versatile multifunction printer such as the Canon Pixma MX700 minimizes desk clutter by combining the capabilities of several devices into one package.

We decided, however, to focus here on the straight-ahead speed and professionalism of a color laser printer. Our pick in this category, currently leading our Top 10 Color Laser Printers chart, is the $400 Brother HL-4040CN, which delivers satisfying and speedy performance.

The printer itself is simple enough to set up, though at about 64 pounds it's heavier than many other models we've tested. At its default settings, the HL-4040CN printed competently.

Its speeds, average overall, ranged from 19.3 pages per minute for plain black text to 4.2 ppm for graphics. Text looked perfectly crisp in all tested fonts. Color images had a few shortcomings at default settings, but with the print driver's 'Fine (2400 dpi class)' setting, image quality improved noticeably.

The cost per page (based on Brother's specs) of this model is very appealing: A half-page print of black text uses less than 2 cents' worth of toner, and a color page (using a small amount of black plus all three colors) costs less than 12 cents.

Bottom Line: The Brother HL-4040CN color laser printer offers good pricing, speed, and print quality, but a somewhat awkward design.

Cell Phone

The Apple iPhone 3G commands much attention--and rightfully so, considering the handset's slick looks and numerous innovations (the iPhone 3G ranks fifth on our latest Top 10 Smart Phones chart). But the iPhone and its on-screen keyboard aren't for everyone--especially if you plan to do messaging.