Group test: what's the best budget PC?

Top 5 sub-£500 desktop PCs you can buy

By PC Advisor staff | PC Advisor | 30 November 11

PC Advisor reviews the best five desktop PCs available now in the UK for less than £500. UPDATED 10 NOVEMBER 2011.

5. Arbico i5357 Pro

Reviewed on: 12 February 13
RRP: £579 inc VAT
Rating:

Very powerful for an office PC, but also pricey, the Arbico i5357 Pro may be of interest for key workers who need extra performance for more intensive computing tasks. It combines a fast quad-core processor with a 60GB SSD for good responsiveness, even if we prefer to see larger SSDs to avoid Windows support issues when they become full.

4. Eclipse eBiz Precision i322H61

Reviewed on: 15 February 13
RRP: £569.95 Inc VAT & delivery
Rating:

The choice of lower-performance processor, coupled with a fast SSD shows some clever thinking and wise distribution of the available budget; but then 16GB of installed memory is unnecessarily extravagant when a better motherboard or monitor could have been supplied instead. The system is too expensive for what is offers.

3. Quiet PC Serenity Value

Reviewed on: 18 February 13
RRP: £795.79 inc VAT & delivery
Rating:

For most business users the Quiet PC Serenity Value will score very highly on serenity, and very lowly in value. For all its superior build quality, ultra-quiet operation and luxury components it's simply too expensive for all but special-purpose quiet-room installations.

2. PC Specialist MPC-3470T

Reviewed on: 18 February 13
RRP: £569.95 Inc VAT & delivery
Rating:

Very small and neat, the PC Specialist MPC-3470T is a decent quad-core PC with quite low power requirements and requires little desk space. Its performance is more than adequate, but does lag a little behind the fastest systems in this sector at this price. It's also not so easy to maintain or upgrade due to its somewhat cramped construction.

1. Chillblast Fusion Sapphire

Reviewed on: 13 February 13
RRP: £549 inc VAT
Rating:

The Fusion Sapphire is competitively priced, performs well and comes with an excellent 23.6in IPS monitor. It offers a modern, manageable motherboard and comes with a superior keyboard and mouse combo. In terms of power it’s also over-specified for the job, and the blue lightshow is an unwelcome distraction in an office PC.

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Comments

Gareth said: The one thingChillblastshould be add you there computer as standard isWireless network card come on Chillblast think

Matt Egan said: There is a unique set of circumstances currently in that the paucity of hard drives coming out of Thailand because of the floods has driven the cost to PC makers sky high Weve asked that Chillblast give us a reasonable long-term price but it will be more than the initial quoted price All that said we go understand your frustration

Leo said: Chillblast Fusion Neutrino costs 549 included VATSo why is reviewed in the group below 500 pc desktopsAnd why PC Advisor Awards them

Matt Egan said: When PC makers supply products for review we require that they agree to sell them as reviewed at that price for two months after publication However due to the floods in Thailand and the effect they are having on supply of hard drives we are in a unique situation In essence it is now costing vendors like Chillblast up to 200 more to make a PC with a hard drive If we held them to the agreement to sell at the quoted price given that they have a review on the UKs most popular technology magazine website theres every chance it could have serious financial implications So weve asked them to purchase sufficient stock to be able to set a stable price and then well try to update the relevant reviews Theres more on this including a comment from Chillblast in the comments of this storyhttpwwwpcadvisorcouktes

Guest said: The Chillblast is no longer under 500 so surely should be dropped out of the list

Degs said: I have to say Arbico did it for me with their poor customer service I used a RTB warranty to fix an early problem but despite the problem being a defective hard drive and hence a statutory defect the form would not re-imburse the 65 i spent on shipping to them I wont be back

gagman said: hi i have seen a very good budget i7 pc box only for this price with 1 Tb HD12 gig of Corsar Ram but with a lean graphics card great value

Regmon387 said: I agree entirely More than once Ive bought a computer mag because of a similar Budget Review claim in the cover only to find I could go into my local PC World or Comet and find a good selection at vastly lower prices Its one of the main reasons I stopped buying computer mags Are they reallypublished for the benefit of the trade and not as a customer service asI had assumed I had toask myself

Mister Mr. said: 500 is more than double my idea of budget

Lindburgh said: What can you offer at 500-600Just the desktop no screen etc

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