HP Pavilion Desktop Computer | $350 | Staples
Sometimes you just need a computer to get you from point A to point B. No fancy bells and whistles, no overclocking (whatever the hell that is), and no superfluous gaming amenities. If that’s the case for you, allow me to introduce you to the HP Pavilion TP01-1016 desktop, now 41% off its $600 list price at Staples. With it, you can browse the web, crunch your numbers, do some light photo and video editing, and do most other things that don’t require a high-end graphics card. Just plug it into your surge protector, hook up your monitor, and connect the included USB keyboard and mouse to get started.
This bad boy can fit so much storage space in it, with a 1TB 7,200 RPM hard drive. And while you may be worried about speed—believe me, no one wants a beat-up old clunker of a computer that freezes up CONSTANTLY when you’re trying to do your Excel sheets—note that the Pavilion boasts a six-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, which is both midrange and pretty up-to-date. A decent 8GB of RAM keeps the multitasking dream alive, so you can listen to the “It’s 3 AM and I Can’t Stand the Sight of Not Being With You” lo-fi beats video on YouTube as you work without interruption.
As is custom with today’s PCs, Windows 10 comes pre-installed, and you’ll have access to a range of connections including USB-C, an octuplet of USB-A ports of varying speeds, an SD card reader, HDMI, VGA, a headphone/mic combo jack—the works! Weirdly enough, it’s also got a DVD optical drive, which I didn’t know PCs still HAD. The more you know.