The HP Pavilion Elite HPE sports the latest Core i7 or i5 processor and comes with a 1.8GB Nvidia GeForce GTX260SE graphics chip. According to HP, this is an exclusive video card as the standard version only holds 896MB of discrete graphics memory. Meant as a powerful desktop for gaming and home entertainment needs, it has two harddisk bays which support 2TB drives each as well as a built-in TV tuner for over-the-air broadcasts. There is also an option to add Blu-ray support.

But what’s interesting about this machine is that HP has made it easy to upgrade. From thumb screws to easy-access optical drives, it is simple to swap built-in components for better versions in the future. According to the company, changing hardware will not void the warranty (which will continue to cover the original components)unless the replacement part is the cause of the damage. This PC will retail on October 22 with a starting price of US$999 for the base configuration without a monitor, though in some regions the HP Pavilion elite HPE might come bundled with a display.

The new TouchSmart 600 is an All-In-One desktop with a 23-inch full-HD display. Though its design is not a radical shift from it predecessor, there are a couple of nifty new features. The new TouchSmart interface incorporates Windows 7 Touch Pack and allows for multitouch gestures to be used with the image and Windows Globe programs. This machine also comes with HDMI and composite inputs, which let you hook up a gaming console or settop box directly to the display.