The larger system manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, HP, Gateway, Lenovo, or Sony have the marketing dollars to create strong brand recognition. Still, a significant number of PCs are sold by the "little guys," who mostly operate under the radar of most consumers. These so-called "white-box" builders are likely to be local mom and pop operations. They build you your system, help service it when things go wrong, and upgrade it if need be.

This roundup concentrates on a couple of guys in the middle, the system builders with some pull with suppliers like Intel and AMD, but not too much name recognition. Our readers on the East Coast may remember a whole bunch of "Systemax guy" ads on the radio. While I haven't heard one in a while, rest assured that Systemax Guy is ready to build you a desktop PC for a decent price. Systemax is also available through the national online retailer, Tiger Direct. A solid midrange system is the Systemax Venture DH53IV. Systemax also has a screaming multimedia system in the Venture VX2 B67IVU, with less pizzazz but a more reasonable price than the big guys.

Another brand of computer stores that may or may not be familiar to readers is Micro Electronics. Its house brand, PowerSpec, is an offshoot of the nationally known WinBook brand. Though shopping in the bargain basement can be dicey, Micro Electronics does well with discount systems such as the PowerSpec V300. It also produces midrange systems such as the PowerSpec T470.

These manufacturers' systems come in boxes that may be (ok, they are) less sexy than the new desktops from Dell, Gateway, and Apple. Rest assured, however, that if you get one of these PCs, you'll still be able to load the same Windows Vista operating system and your programs, and surf the Internet with the best of them. Systemax is notable for having 3-year parts and labor warranties on their PCs, and both Systemax and PowerSpec include a lot less "bloatware" on their PCs than the big guys.

While most people feel more comfortable going with one of the big-name computer manufacturers, there are some solid systems available from manufacturers that aren't household names. One of them may be the perfect one to grace your household. Read on for a closer look.

Featured In This Roundup:

Tower, Keyboard and MouseMicro Electronics PowerSpec V300 ($450 direct, $590 with 17-inch monitor)
A basic PC for under $500 without monitor, the V300 has Vista Home Premium, a dual-layer DVD burner and a 160GB hard drive. It should serve you well, if you don't intend to do much beyond e-mail and the occasional surfing session.

Tower, Keyboard and MouseMicro Electronics PowerSpec T470 ($999.99, direct; $1,255 with 20-inch widescreen monitor)
Call it a mainstream PC. It looks just like the V300 on the outside, but you'll find much more power inside, at barely twice the price. A couple of nits kept it from a higher score, but if you're willing to work on it and add extra peripherals, this sub-$1,000 PC would be a good system for someone who is upgrading from an older PC.

Systemax Venture DH53IVSystemax Venture DH53IV ($799.99 direct)
The Systemax Venture DH53IV puts Intel Core 2 Duo dual core goodness in a package with Vista Premium, and the newest version of Intel's integrated graphics. It's a mainstream PC, midrange in performance, features, and price.

Systemax Venture VX2 B67IVUSystemax Venture VX2 B67IVU
The high-end entry in this little soiree, the VX2 is a $2,500 multimedia monster, packed with 4GB of memory, Vista Ultimate, and GeForce 7950GT graphics. If you looked at the Dell XPS 410 or Gateway's DX430 series PCs, take a quick look at the high end Venture, you might like what you see.