A medium-sized computer system or server. Midrange computers encompass a very broad range and reside in capacity between high-end PCs and mainframes. They cost from $25,000 to more than a million. IBM's AS/400s (iSeries) and HP's 3000 and Alpha families are examples. Formerly called "minicomputers," which were hosts to dumb terminals connected over dedicated cables, most midrange computers today function as servers in a network. See mainframe and minicomputer.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Gateway DX4300-11
- Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.Gateway hasn't fared well with its most recent round of DX-series mainstream retail PCs. Neither the DX4300-03 nor the DX4822-01 received positive marks, and...
- Product reviews 2009-11-25
- HP Pavilion P6230y
- Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Holiday Roundup, which covers specific fixed configurations of popular systems found in retail stores.The $680 Pavilion P6230y is another midrange HP desktop PC that looks good on paper, but can't keep up with the competition in...
- Product reviews 2009-11-23
- Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 3.06Hz Intel Core 2 Duo, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, Fall 2009)
- We awarded Apple an Editors' Choice for its new $1,699 iMac, largely because its 27-inch screen dwarfs its competition in that price range. So what to make of Apple's new lower-end iMac? At $1,199, its 21.5-inch screen is hardly the size leader for its price, and without a touch screen...
- Product reviews 2009-11-17
- B&W Zeppelin Mini Speakers for iPod
- Back in 2007, Bowers & Wilkins brought out the uniquely styled Zeppelin iPod speaker, which we described in our review as being every bit as sophisticated as Apple's iconic player, with detailed sound that largely lived up to B&W's high-end reputation. That Zeppelin remains on the market, but now it's...
- Product reviews 2009-11-13
- Dell Studio XPS 8000
- Dell's Studio XPS 8000 offers an attractive chassis and mostly up-to-date features. Its configurations start as low as $699, but our $1,329 review unit is a solid upper-midrange performance desktop that will play games and handle more demanding digital media tasks with little difficulty. For the very price-performance conscious, both...
- Product reviews 2009-11-10
- 2010 Scion xB
- Photo gallery:2010 Scion xBWith funky styling and a reputation built around the tuner crowd and the sound-off set, the Scion xB almost single-handedly established the market for little boxy city cars in the North American market. However, the current generation xB faces stiff competition from the likes of the even-quirkier...
- Product reviews 2009-10-27
- Ultrasone Edition 8
- We've reviewed a number of Ultrasone headphones over the years--everything from iPod-inspired iCans to the luxurious HFI-2200s. But the new Edition 8s are, in so many ways, a very different Ultrasone. First, the Edition 8s have, according to Ultrasone, a completely original design that doesn't share any parts with...
- Product reviews 2009-10-21
- ZT Affinity 7334Ma (Phenom 2 X4 945 3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Vista Home Premium 64-bit)
- Apparently, ZT Systems didn't get our memo asking for a complete redesign of its Affinity series desktop computers. Earlier this year, we bemoaned the blase styling of the Affinity 7308Ma, and although this new $800 Affinity 7334Ma looks just as generic, it still offers a robust set of components including...
- Product reviews 2009-10-07
- Gateway ZX6810-01
- Congratulations to Gateway's One ZX6801-01 for sending in the first official Windows 7-based PC to CNET Labs. We've already reviewed Windows 7, so we'll spend most of our energy here talking about Gateway's new PC. We like the One ZX6810-01 well enough. When it goes on sale for $1,399 at...
- Product reviews 2009-10-07
- Hordes of owners complain of problems with HP Elite Pavilion PCs using Core i7
- What this should teach you....is to look at the support forums before buying!RE: Hordes of owners complain of problems with HP Elite Pavilion PCs using Core i7Thank you for publishing this. I'm on this PC right now trying to decide whether I should get a replacement or return it...
- Discussion threads 2009-09-27
- Smartphones to eclipse desktop PC sales by 2011
- funny pictureyou show a picture of a phone with a tiny screen, an ancient os and millions of tiny little buttons glued all over it (that can't change layout when necessary) as the future of smartphones? do you really think that smartphones will look like this in two years time?RE:...
- Discussion threads 2009-09-03
- Razer Megalodon headset
- We recently took a look at two wired PC gaming headsets that rest in the midrange spectrum. While the P21 from Turtle Beach performed well as a PC headset, we wish it offered an option to expand to surround sound. The G330 from Logitech also performed well--not to...
- Product reviews 2009-08-27
- Waking up to the full extent of virtualization options
- While doing my morning expedition through the wilds of news sites, blogs and, of course, comic strip sites, I came across something by Laura McCabe, a partner at Hurwitz and Associates, titled "What is Virtualization, and Why Should You Care?" While Laura's comments are useful, she didn't try to present...
- Blog posts 2009-08-18
- The price factor
- Prices and profitsCompetition is supposed to erode ALL excessive profits, so that is what is happening. PCs (incl. Apple) have largely become commodity products, which makes it almost impossible to compete on anything BUT price.And why so obsessed about quality? We throw away millions of WORKING PCs every year because...
- Discussion threads 2009-08-13
- Dell Inspiron 15
- Dell is one of the most popular computer brands worldwide, and a default choice for many shoppers. Located right in the middle of the company's lineup, the Dell Inspiron 15 is one of the most versatile and affordable midrange laptops, offering configurations for as low as $379. We tried a...
- Product reviews 2009-08-12
- HP Pavilion Elite e9120y
- Editors' note: This review is part of our 2009 Retail Laptop and Desktop Back-to-School roundup, covering specific fixed configurations of popular systems that can be found in retail stores. We're not overly excited by the HP Pavilion Elite e9120y. Yes, it has a Blu-ray drive, an AMD quad-core chip, and...
- Product reviews 2009-07-31
- Digital Storm 950Si (Intel Core i7)
- The $3,636 950Si is the first PC we've reviewed from Digital Storm, and for the most part we've come away impressed. The system itself came with an overclocked, but more importantly stable Intel CPU, and but for a minor design flaw it seems competently built. Digital Storm could have pushed...
- Product reviews 2009-07-02
- Toybox Ten: 10 full-featured laptops for less than $750
- Toybox Ten: 10 full-featured laptops for less than $750It's a laptop.If you need a terabyte get a server with Raid 1 or better.Ok here you go.A 1TB Hard Drive laptop, decent specs, 18 inch screen.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220538Sometimes it is hard find what you want, now if you need something cheaper then I...
- Discussion threads 2009-07-01
- Who buys a Mac mini?
- Who buys a Mac mini?some good sense in your article, alsoThe new Mac minis are also good for graphics people as they now have a reasonable graphics chip.Many graphics people, photo editors etc. are fussy with their monitors and would like to use their monitor of choice (some graphics people...
- Discussion threads 2009-03-03
- Gateway DX4200-09
- The DX4200-09 is another one of Gateway's midrange PCs built for light to moderate users in mind. Spending $510 on this model gives you a 1.8GHz quad-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, an integrated graphics chip, and a 640GB hard drive. If you can stretch your budget a bit and put...
- Product reviews 2009-02-27
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