With its ovoid-cylindrical design, the Dell Studio Hybrid is a new twist on the small-form-factor PC. Its size, though, is reminiscent of others in that space, including the Apple Mac mini, and HP’s Slimline PCs like the s3330f. The Dell Studio Hybrid costs $874 direct, and $1,064 with a 19-inch widescreen monitor. It’s an energy-efficient and environment-friendly design (hence the “hybrid” moniker), but thanks to its Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Penryn-based processor, it can keep up not only with the other systems in the compact space but with larger tower-based PCs as well.

It does suffer from weak 3D performance due to the system’s integrated graphics, but if you don’t need to play 3D games, the Studio Hybrid is a good alternative to the boxy mainstream PCs that have dominated the market since the dawn of personal computing. Specs include the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 Gbytes of RAM, a 250-Gbyte hard drive, with an integrated Intel Mobile 965 Express. A definite plus is the exclusion of most types of “crapware,”, or the myriad little trial programs and applications that can slow down a system. The system’s low power also earns it the PC Magazine “GreenTech Approved” label, consistent with Dell’s May pledge to trim the power of its notebooks and desktops by 25 percent.