CES 2019: The best desktops on display

Is it a coincidence that the new Asus desktop looks like a certain other tubular-shaped system, one that also is designed for professional creatives? It wouldn't be the first time the company has apparently taken inspiration from Apple for the design of its products, and the launch timing of the Mini PC ProArt PA90 comes as the Mac Pro awaits a design refresh from its release over five years ago. In addition to the sleek design, the ProArt will come packed with the latest Core i7 and Core i9 processors and Nvidia Quadro graphics card and supports up to 64GB of RAM and up to three storage drives. Pricing and availability is still unknown, but it could very well undercut the $2,990 price for the base Mac Pro.

It may sound like the name of an alien space ship, but the Zotac Mek Mini is actually a tiny gaming PC with the potential to pack a lot of power. While it won't be able to house the absolute latest and greatest in components, it still will hold a Intel Core i7 and Nvidie GeForce RTX graphics card. It can also manage to fit up to 16GB of RAM and 2TB of hard drive capacity in its minuscule 10x10x5-inch dimensions. There may be additional chassis color options when the Mek Mini launches sometime early this year,with pricing starting at $1,500.

Lenovo looks to expand its popular Yoga line with a new all-in-one that exhibits some of the flexibility that its laptop siblings possess. The 27-inch rotating screen can titl up to 28 degrees, which makes it easier to use the included digital pen for creative endeavors. Also aiding creatives is a content creation dial that can be attached to either side of the display. It even features a wireless charging dock that can juice up the pen or your smartphone while you work. The price for creativity is steep, however, as the A940 will star at $2,349.99 when it goes on sale in March. However, that's still much less than the cost of the competing Microsoft Surface Studio, which starts at $3,499.

It wouldn't be CES without some interesting looking computers, and while cubic desktops are certainly not new, CyberPowerPC gives it a distinctive flair with its Syber Cube. Sure, at its heart, this is a gaming PC with a range of configuration options (multiple graphics cards, up to 64GB of RAM, factory overclocking, etc.), though built-in liquid cooling is included with all versions, even the base $1,400 model. But to give it a technicolor dreamcoat, you'll have to add on some RGB fans so the rainbow can shine through the three tempered windows of the case. The Syber Cube can be ordered now with a shipping date estimated at month's end.

Another powerhouse workstation for content creators, the One Pro i180 is the last desktop from Corsair, best known for its RAM and other components. It's used that knowledge to develop a PC with a 12-core Intel  i9-9920X processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card, 32GB of RAM, 960GB of soild-state storage, and a 2TB hard drive. Corsair worked with Intel to design a small-form-factor design that could squeeze all of those items inside, along with a liquid-cooling system for the CPU and GPU. Priced at a penny under $5,000, the i180 will be a pricey purchase when it becomes sometime early this year, but given what we know about it, how could it not be?  

HP's latest all-in-one (AiO) doesn't look particularly special, but it's all about keeping your view private from nearby snooping eyeballs. That's because it's equipped with the third and latest generation of the company's Secure View privacy screen, mostly used on HP's laptops. With the user's press of a button, the feature blocks anyone outside a 70-degree cone in front of the 24-inch display from seeing what's on-screen. The pop-up webcam provides further security thanks to its integration of Windows Hello biometric authentication. Prricing for the EliteOne 800 hasn't been announced, but HP says it will start shipping in June.