For many buyers, absolutely yes. One of the most alluring promises of the best desktops is the value they deliver. With desktop PCs and their components, your money simply goes further. Instead of buying a $700 laptop with a competent Intel Core i5 or Ultra 5 processor, you might get a $700 desktop with a more powerful Core i7 or Ultra 7 CPU and maybe even a dedicated graphics card.

You can find complete mini PCs for super light work and display-signage tasks for less than $400, and perfectly serviceable small towers for $300 to $600. Gaming desktops with dedicated graphics cards start at around $700. You can also find all-in-one desktops, with the display and all of the computing components built into a single device, starting at around $400.

The thing with desktops is that opting for a cheap one does not carry some of the same risks you'd face with a like-priced laptop. A $250 Black Friday special or a steeply discounted refurbished desktop could perform just fine for basic computing, and you wouldn't need to worry about the wear and tear on cheap materials that you might with a laptop of a similar price. That inexpensive laptop would be subject to the vagaries of daily commuting and the occasional drop from a coffee table. The desktop, in contrast, would need to remain stationary and simply function.

At the top end of the market are business workstations, tricked-out gaming rigs, and magnificently engineered all-in-one PCs that cost several thousand dollars. Not only will a $3,000 gaming tower provide immense computing power today, but it should also come with ample room for expansion and potential upgrades. And then, of course, there's the world of custom PCs, complete with automotive-grade paint jobs, liquid cooling, and fanciful lighting and wiring. 

IT-manageable, security-conscious business desktops—most of which are now manufactured by Dell, HP, and Lenovo—have their own pricing dynamics and tend to cost more. That's because of their premium warranty or support plans, as well as the possible addition of enterprise-specific silicon focused on manageability or security. Sometimes, part of the cost premium of business desktops reflects the PC maker’s guarantee that it will stock replacement components and upgrades for that line of machines for a fixed future period. That allows IT pros to count on the ability to continue servicing a fleet of a given business machine over that period.

Many people considering desktops in the $200-to-$500 range should also consider a refurbished machine. In certain circumstances, they can be excellent values. 

Large corporations lease fleets of desktops for a few years at a time, after which third parties refurbish them and resell them on eBay and through retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, and TigerDirect. To find these systems, search or filter the product category pages for "off-lease" or refurbished systems. 

Refurbished PCs are often affordable, and you can usually find desktop towers, making them easy to upgrade or service if a component fails. They do come with drawbacks. Their components are usually several years behind the cutting edge, they may be in imperfect cosmetic condition (some refurbishers grade condition on an A-B-C scale), and different refurbishers can have varying levels of attention to detail.

Still, refurbs can be a good option if you're looking for a budget-friendly desktop. Just be sure to buy from a seller with a reasonable return policy in case you get a dud.

Most desktop manufacturers provide one-year warranties on parts and labor, with optional extensions available for up to five years at an additional cost. Before you pay to extend the warranty, though, check your credit card account benefits guide—your issuer might cover mishaps for a short period after you buy a new product and possibly extend the manufacturer's warranty, too. (For example, many MasterCard accounts include a doubling of the standard warranty period, up to one year.)

If your card issuer doesn’t cover you and you plan on keeping your desktop for several years, look into the cost of added coverage. Some manufacturers and resellers offer a wide range of extended warranties; expect to spend $100 to $300 for one of these options. Our rule of thumb is that if a warranty costs more than 15% of the desktop’s purchase price, you're better off spending the money on backup drives or services that minimize downtime and protect precious data that you can't replace.