ASUS Business Tower v500, Core i7-13620H, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Gray

A laptop chip in a desktop box. Fine for office work, but the integrated graphics and 180W PSU make it a dead end for anything else.

The 10-core i7-13620H surprised us a bit. It's a mobile processor, but it holds its own in our database, landing right around the middle of the pack for CPU performance. The 16GB of DDR5 and 1TB NVMe SSD keep things snappy for daily tasks. But the integrated graphics are a real weak spot, sitting near the bottom of our charts. Fine for Excel, useless for anything beyond Minesweeper.

Stack this against the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 and you'll see the problem. The Dell typically offers a more traditional desktop CPU and better expansion options for similar money. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a and HP OMEN are gaming machines, so they're not really in the same conversation, but they highlight what $900 can get you if you want any graphical capability at all. The Apple Mac mini M4 Pro is a different beast entirely, smaller, faster, and more efficient, but you're locked into macOS. For pure office work, the ASUS is fine, but it's not the best value in the room.

At $899 USD, this is a tough sell. You're paying for the ASUS name and a laptop processor in a big box. For the same money, you can often find a tower with a dedicated GPU or a more upgradeable platform. If you just need a basic office PC and don't care about graphics, it's fine. But you're not getting a bargain.

The ASUS Business Tower v500 is a no-nonsense office machine that puts a laptop chip in a desktop shell and calls it a day. The Core i7-13620H is a solid performer for spreadsheets, email, and the occasional video call, but don't expect any graphical fireworks. This is a workhorse, not a show pony.

If you're looking for any kind of gaming or creative work, this isn't it. Go grab a Lenovo Legion Tower 5a or HP OMEN instead. You'll get a real GPU and a power supply that won't cry if you plug in a graphics card.

Buy this if you need a reliable, quiet office PC and you find it on sale. At full price, it's a mediocre deal. The integrated graphics and weak upgrade path make it a dead end for anyone who might want to do more later. If you need any kind of GPU performance, look elsewhere.