Wanting a new desktop computer with Microsoft's Windows Vista, but not wanting to spend close to a grand to bring it home? Check out eMachines' new T3600 series of budget PCs. These aren't earth-shakingly powerful machines, but they hold their own in terms of running basic applications while offering a taste of what Vista has to offer.

The core of the desktop computer is built around Intel's Celeron D processor 360. Although it's a budget processor, it's still running at a hefty 3.46GHz and offers 64-bit power for running Vista. This system ships with Windows Vista Home Basic edition, which doesn't have the advanced multimedia features of the Premium edition nor does it include the fancy new Aero desktop with its animations and translucency, but it gives you a foot in the door to the next generation OS and you can opt to upgrade later. In fact, Microsoft puts all the versions of Vista on the DVDs it ships, so all you need is an upgrade code to unlock a higher version.

Before stepping up to Windows Vista Premium, you might consider stepping up the hardware. The 512MB of 533MHz DDR2 memory is enough for basic computing such as Web browsing and word processing, but if you're considering media editing or gaming, you'll want beef it up. Luckily, this desktop computer supports up to 2GB of RAM, with an open memory slot so you can add more right away if you need it.

In addition, the integrated graphics inside these desktop computers will handle normal computing tasks without problems, but if you're interested in anything more than light gaming (i.e. Solitaire or Minesweeper), you'll want to upgrade. EMachines offers an open PCI Express slot on the motherboard, so you can add a high-end graphics card to your system that will handle 3D games.

The 120GB 7,200rpm hard drive isn't the largest on the market, but it gives new users a healthy amount of space for application installations and storing multimedia files. The double-layer re-writeable DVD drive burns audio and data CDs as well as burning to regular and double-layer DVDs. You also have room to add additional drives to the T3604 later--there's space for a second hard drive or both to boost storage or expand the media writing capabilities.

This desktop features integrated 5.1-channel audio and ships with a pair of USB-powered stereo speakers, so you get some basic audio with your PC as well. The keyboard and non-optical mouse are equally spartan, but they get the job done, and we wouldn't expect high-end input devices with such a low-cost desktop computer. That's another area for upgrade consideration if you need it.

There are plenty of ports for connecting peripherals and hooking your PC up to the Internet. On the front of the black and silver tower, there are audio ports and two USB 2.0 ports (with four more around back) which let you connect peripherals or USB thumb drives easily. Both a modem and network interface are provided, so you can connect this desktop computer to the Net via dial-up or broadband.

And eMachines includes a fairly impressive software bundle for the price with these desktop computers. You get Microsoft Works 8.5 for a basic set of office applications, as well as demo versions of other applications, but you'll have to pay if you want to use them long term.

EMachines offers a one-year warranty on this line - about standard for the industry anymore and as much as we'd expect for a budget-priced desktop computer. The eMachines T3600 series of desktop computers aren't speed demons or hard-core gaming systems, but they handle all the basics of computing well and give you an in to Microsoft's next-generation Windows Vista operating system.


Pro: Great price for a Vista machine, room for expansion
Con: Integrated graphics, Celeron processor

Warranty
1-year limited