I made a list of things I looked for in a CNC router:

• Price around $600
• Precise enough to machine 0.5 module gears
• Powerful and Rigid such that machining soft metals is reasonably easy
• Compact to not take up much space and fit onto my cabinet
• fairly Silent

I wonder how far $600 gets me as this budget is for sure on the lower end of the desktop CNC market.