Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Not everyone has the time, budget, or know-how to build their PC, but many are no doubt shopping for something affordable and reliable now that they're working from home. That's where a budget pre-built like Acer's Aspire TC-330 PC comes into play. It's available with an AMD A9 dual-core processor (CPU), plenty of RAM and storage, and a keyboard and mouse are included. If you're on a tight budget, it's a great device to get you going on Windows 10, and it will have enough power to tackle daily productivity tasks.
Best Overall: Acer Aspire TC-330
Acer's TC-330 comes stocked with a dual-core AMD A9-9420 CPU with clock speed up to 3.6GHz, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB hard-disk drive (HDD), which combined is more than enough power to cut through a day's productivity tasks. It's all contained in a relatively compact chassis that you can easily hide under a desk or display next to your monitor, and a keyboard and mouse are included to sweeten the deal.
On the front is a DVD-RW optical drive you can use to read and burn, as well as two USB-A 3.1 (Gen 1), 3.5mm audio jacks, and an SD card reader for a smooth transfer of files. On the back are plenty more ports, including four more USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, and VGA. There is no dedicated graphics card (GPU) for gaming, though you can upgrade RAM and storage after purchase.
Pros:
- Plenty of ports
- Optical drive
- Upgradeable hardware
- Keyboard and mouse included
Cons:
- No dedicated GPU
Best Overall
Acer Aspire TC-330
Great all-around PC for most people
If you're looking for a great home PC with respectable hardware inside and plenty of ports, the Acer TC-330 will do the trick.
Runner-up: Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny
If you don't have a lot of space on or near your desk, Lenovo's ThinkCentre M720q Tiny will no doubt be an attractive option. It's not much larger than an old optical drive, yet it packs in some impressive features, including dual SODIMM RAM slots and space for a 2.5-inch storage drive and an M.2 PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), all of which can be upgraded after purchase.
Ports include five USB-A 3.1, DisplayPort, HDMI, and RJ45 Ethernet, with the option to add more at checkout. Add up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i5-9500T CPU, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD, though keep in mind prices rise accordingly.
Pros:
- Compact chassis
- Upgradeable RAM and SSD
- Keyboard and mouse included
- Plenty of configuration options
- Generous port selection
Cons:
- Higher-end models quickly pass the budget mark
Runner-up
Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny
Compact PC with plenty of features
Starting at a low price, you can configure a model with some impressive hardware if you have a bit of wiggle in your budget.
Best Value: Dell Inspiron 3671
Dell's Inspiron 3671 is available at an attractive starting price, and you can scale things up as budget allows. The baseline model includes a 9th Gen Intel Core i3-9100 CPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB SATA HDD. If you can step just above $500, you can upgrade to a 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9400 CPU to better handle multitasking and productivity work.
No matter the hardware you choose, each tower comes with plenty of ports — including six USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA, 3.5mm, and an SD card reader — as well as an optical drive for CDs and DVDs. A keyboard and mouse are included in the price.
Pros:
- 9th Gen Intel CPU options
- 1TB HDD storage
- Decent port selection
- Includes keyboard and mouse
Cons:
- No dedicated GPU
- Slow storage
Best Value
Dell Inspiron 3671
A budget PC for general productivity
Starting at a great price, you can add and tweak hardware as your needs and budget allows.
Bottom line
Sticking to a tight budget and finding a pre-built desktop PC that's right for you can be tough, but thankfully the Acer TC-330 checks the most boxes for most people, making it our top pick. If you're working from home due to quarantine or isolation measures, it's going to be able to handle most office tasks.
It has a dual-core AMD A9-9420 CPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 1TB HDD, which is a considerable amount of hardware for the price you'll pay. It doesn't include a dedicated GPU for gaming — you're better off checking out a dedicated gaming desktop in that case — but it has the performance to handle daily productivity work.
The addition of a DVD-RW optical drive on the front and plenty of ports on the front and back only sweeten the deal, and you can even upgrade internal hardware after purchase to keep the PC relevant long into the future.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Cale Hunt is a staff writer at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on PC, laptop, and accessory coverage, as well as the emerging world of VR. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.
Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.
Affordable accessories that'll pair perfectly with your PC
Every one of these awesome PC accessories will enhance your everyday experience — and none cost more than $30.
KLIM Aim RGB gaming mouse
Whether you're a gamer or not, this is an absurdly good mouse for the price. It's ambidextrous, has a responsive sensor, a braided cable, tank-like build quality, and, yes, it has RGB lighting, though you can turn it off if that's not your thing.
AmazonBasics USB speakers
These neat little speakers may only pack 2.4W of total power, but don't let that fool you. For something so small you get a well-rounded sound and a stylish design. And they only cost $16.
Razer mouse bungee
Use a wired mouse? You need a mouse bungee to keep your cable tidy and free of snags. You get no drag on the cable, and this one has subtle styling, a rust-resistant spring and a weighted base, all for $20.
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