Consumer Reports' 9 favorite desktop computers of 2026

Desktop specs on the box rarely reflect real-world speed. Consumer Reports tested dozens of models on performance and display to find the nine best

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Desktop computers are the workhorses of any serious home office or creative studio, built to handle workloads that routinely overwhelm laptops. All-in-ones, towers, and mini PCs represent the three main form factors, and each suits a different mix of needs, space, and budget. Performance gaps between the best and worst machines are wide enough to affect daily productivity, long-term value, and upgrade potential.

Consumer Reports tests dozens of desktop computers each year at its facilities north of New York City on performance, display quality, and keyboard and mouse ergonomics. Here are the nine highest-rated.

MSI Codex R2 Gaming Desktop

At $1,400, the MSI Codex R2 Gaming Desktop tops Consumer Reports' tower desktop rankings with the category's best overall score. Its Intel $INTC Core Ultra 7 265 chip, 32GB of memory, 2TB of solid-state storage, and Nvidia $NVDA RTX 5060 GPU placed it among the fastest machines CR tested, across spreadsheet work, video editing, and gaming workloads. CR notes that MSI's brand scores for dependability and customer satisfaction fall below average in member surveys, but adds that the modular tower chassis makes component upgrades straightforward, and a two-year warranty with free telephone support exceeds what most competing towers provide.

HP EliteStudio All-in-One Computer 27"

Priced at $1,730, the HP $HPQ EliteStudio........

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