The very best in desktop PCs

The debate over whether or not the desktop PC has a future is one that will probably rumble on for years to come.

Yes, we all carry around supercomputers in our pockets these days, which blow any pre-2000 PC out of the water. But dismiss today’s desktops at your peril.

They are still big, but they are kings of processing power and graphics performance. You might not be able to carry them around with you, but that doesn’t matter – you won’t want to go anywhere when you have a beast of a PC at home to play with.

Nowadays, you can pick up desktop PCs for less than you’d shell out for some smartphones, but it’s these ‘Ryanairs’ of the desktop world that are giving them a bad name.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you some of the best of the best. They don’t come cheap, but you certainly get what you pay for.

I’ll start with the Acer Predator G7760. The name is pretty cool, but that’s nothing compared to what the Predator actually looks like. It looks like, well, a predator, and I don’t mind admitting that I’m a little scared of it.

At around £2,000, the Predator’s price is a little scary too. But with an Intel Core i7 processor, a 1.2GB graphics card and a mammoth 1TB hard drive, you won’t need another PC for a long, long time.

The Predator clearly has gaming in mind, but if you’re looking for something a little more serious, the HP Z800 Workstation is another high-class option.

HP has a reputation for making fantastic pieces of kit, and this machine is designed for people who need the best in computer power. With an Intel Xeon processor (the equivalent of an i7 chip) and a 300GB hard drive size, you’ll be amazed at what this understated PC is capable of.

The price of the Z800 is the best part of £5,000, but it delivers a standard of computing that would slot into any high-tech professional environment.

In these times of basic computing for basic prices, it can be easy to forget about high-end tech. But if you’re willing to make the investment, you won’t be shelling again out for a long time.