SAN FRANCISCO (02/01/2000) - Lots of new talent joins the power chart this month--half the players are rookies. Coppermine-based systems lead the way, with Gateway 2000 Inc.'s GP7-700 taking the top spot and Micron Electronics Inc.'s Millennia Max 667 slipping in at a respectable third, just behind last month's first-place Dell Computer Corp.'s Dimension XPS T700r.
1 GATEWAY GP7-700
WHAT'S HOT: With a PIII-700 processor and Windows 98 SE, the GP7-700 earned a searing 295 on our PC WorldBench 98 tests. The 17-inch EV700 monitor produced sharp text and deep, rich colors in our test images. The $2198 price covers an Iomega Zip 100 drive and an APC surge suppressor that protects eight outlets and two phone lines. Getting inside the system is simple, thanks to a side panel that slides off smoothly after you twist a couple of thumbscrews. And the GP7-700 includes both a modem and network card.
WHAT'S NOT: You get just two open expansion slots to go with five open drive bays, and interior cabling obstructs access to memory upgrade slots. The 10GB hard drive is puny by power-chart standards.
WHAT ELSE: Documentation includes a detailed setup guide and a system manual with many color illustrations. The two-speaker Cambridge SoundWorks SBS52 system sets up easily and pumps out rich midrange sound. The solid keyboard allows smooth and fairly quiet typing.
BEST USE: For small to midsize businesses, the GP7-700 nicely combines the right office-ready features and raw power.
2 DELL DIMENSION XPS T700R
WHAT'S HOT: What happens when you cross Intel's new enhanced 700-MHz Pentium III processor with Windows NT? You get the fastest system we've ever seen, with a PC WorldBench 98 score of 373. The 17-inch, Trinitron-based Dell UltraScan P780 monitor adds beautiful display quality to the mix. Our test images had rich, vibrant colors, and text was sharp up to the maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200. A network card, a 4X CD-RW drive, and an Iomega Zip 100 drive round out the package.
WHAT'S NOT: Performance doesn't come cheap. This $2759 PC remains the most expensive system on the power chart. The side of the tower pops off easily, but getting it back in place requires finesse.
WHAT ELSE: The Dimension XPS T700r contains a detailed system manual with extensive troubleshooting information plus a quick-setup guide. The Altec Lansing ACS340 speaker set provides crisp sound with powerful bass. You get adequate expansion room, with three open PCI slots and three open drive bays, but an internal crossbar and poorly organized cabling impede your access to them.
BEST USE: Corporate users will appreciate this swift, reliable unit's many backup options and its high-capacity hard drive.
3 MICRON MILLENNIA MAX 667
WHAT'S HOT: Thanks in part to the GeForce 256-powered graphics card, our test images and text looked gorgeous on the unit's 19-inch Micron 900LX monitor. The flat, metal-clad Monsoon MM-700 speakers sound and look great. This PIII-667 Micron romped to a 293 on our PC WorldBench 98 tests, faster than all but one Athlon-700-based system we've tested.
WHAT'S NOT: Though it qualifies as average for a power system, the Millennia Max 667's $2424 sticker price may deter some people. The side of the midsize tower case pops off easily, via a handle in back, but we had to do some careful maneuvering to replace it. The interior is a tad cluttered.
WHAT ELSE: The large interior offers four open PCI slots and four open drive bays. The 8X DVD-ROM drive produces excellent images on the large monitor. The system manual offers useful troubleshooting and system-care information, and you also get a handy quick-setup guide.
BEST USE: With its excellent multimedia features and modem (instead of a network card), the Millennia Max 667 would make a great all-around performer for a small, graphics-oriented office.
4 CYBERMAX ENTHUSIAST A700W
WHAT'S HOT: Following a $100 price cut, the $2199 Enthusiast A700W--is a great deal. The system's CyberMax CX-900N 19-inch monitor displayed vibrant colors in our test images. The 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV graphics board delivers crisp images and includes a TV tuner, a digital VCR, and an FM tuner. The Aureal Vortex2 sound card and Altec Lansing ACS33 speakers generate clear sound with solid bass. For storage, you get a 27.3GB hard drive and an Iomega Zip 100 drive.
WHAT'S NOT: It's not much of a knock, but this Athlon-700-based machine's PC WorldBench 98 score of 288 is only a few points above the average score for all Athlon-650 systems we tested.
WHAT ELSE: The 8X DVD-ROM drive, complete with software MPEG-2 decoder, automatically played our test movie smoothly. With four available slots (three PCI and one ISA) and five open drive bays, the interior offers generous expansion room. Unfortunately, the bundled cabling obstructs access to the RAM slots.
BEST USE: The modem-equipped Enthusiast A700W will win strong support from small-office users.
5 COMPAQ PROSIGNIA DESKTOP 330 PIII-700
WHAT'S HOT: This unit's 19-inch Compaq S900 monitor delivered deep, rich colors in our test images and sharp text up to the maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200 (though the screen image wavered a bit at this resolution). Running on a PIII-700 CPU, the unit earned a 289 on PC WorldBench 98--fine for its class.
The system's 34GB hard drive is the largest ever on a power PC chart maker.
WHAT'S NOT: At $2736, this is the second-costliest machine on the chart. The floppy eject button on our test system wiggled like a loose tooth. With three open slots and one open drive bay, the PC has limited expansion room. And two thick audio cables extend across the interior, partly blocking access to expansion slots.
WHAT ELSE: The Desktop 330 includes a 10X DVD-ROM drive and a 4X/2X/24X CD-RW drive--a combination far more useful to a business than a DVD-ROM drive alone.
After loosening two large thumbscrews, we pulled off the side of the case with little effort, but the panel is trickier to replace. The Altec Lansing ACS233 three-speaker set produces crisp sound and booming bass response.
BEST USE: Its network card and bundled Microsoft Office 2000 suit the Prosignia for small to midsize businesses.
6 AXIS SYSTEMS ORION CXV PIII-600EB
WHAT'S HOT: Speed sells, and the Axis Orion CXV PIII-600EB is a racer. Its score of 270 on PC WorldBench 98 exceeds that of any other Pentium III-600 system we've tested under Windows 98. This Orion's 10X DVD-ROM drive and 4X/2X/24X CD-RW drive make it a power PC bargain at $2107 price.
WHAT'S NOT: You have to remove four screws and take off the entire case to get inside; once you're there, cables and wires hinder access to its four open slots and two open drive bays. Hardware components are amply documented, but there's no printed manual for the system (an electronic manual is loaded on the machine).
WHAT ELSE: The Adobe Acrobat PDF manual packs lots of useful information on troubleshooting and setup, and myriad illustrations. The three-speaker Altec Lansing ACS33 set delivers crisp sound and powerful bass in concert with the SoundBlaster Live card. The unit ships with a ViewSonic E790 19-inch monitor, but due to scheduling constraints our test system used a now-discontinued monitor.
BEST USE: This Orion will work best as a standalone PC for making presentations.
7 IBM PC 300PL
WHAT'S HOT: At $2081, the IBM PC 300PL is the least-expensive system on the power chart. Its 13GB hard drive and Iomega Zip 100 drive provide plenty of storage space, though less than some competitors offer. IBM bundles its own ViaVoice dictation software and Lotus SmartSuite with the system.
WHAT'S NOT: IBM's tech support has improved but still isn't first rate, to judge from our anonymous calls. Reaching a rep can be difficult, but we found them to be knowledgable once we got through.
WHAT ELSE: This midsize tower includes a built-in ethernet connection and has two open drive bays and five open PCI expansion slots. The system's PC WorldBench 98 score of 232 is average for a PIII-500 machine running Windows 98.
BEST USE: The PC 300PL should work well as a presentation PC or multimedia development system for business users in a networked office setting.
8 POLYWELL POLY 800K7-650
WHAT'S HOT: At $2250--$45 less than last month--the 800K7-650 is cheap for a power system. Neatly bundled wires allow easy access to all components inside the case. The expansion options include four open slots (three PCI, one ISA) and three open drive bays (one of the occupied bays holds an Iomega Zip 100 drive).
WHAT'S NOT: The 19-inch DecaView G400 monitor produces fuzzy text and dull colors at all resolutions, though it's fine for standard business use.
WHAT ELSE: The one-piece cover opens without tools, but you must remove the whole thing to get inside. The Aiwa TS-CD40 speakers deliver adequate sound.
Video playback on the 6X DVD-ROM drive is smooth, even with other applications open, but movies didn't start automatically in our tests. Polywell bundles Lotus SmartSuite 97 business software with the system.
BEST USE: Even with its mediocre monitor, this powerful PC could meet the needs of most small offices.
9 SYSTEMAX VENTURE PVO-700A
WHAT'S HOT: This small business-oriented system includes both a network card and a modem. The solidly constructed keyboard supports smooth, quiet typing and includes many programmable buttons. This midsize tower offers nearly effortless access to the interior through a sliding side panel. You get a 4X CD-RW drive and a 10X DVD-ROM drive.
WHAT'S NOT: The system's interior is so cluttered that you can't see the RAM slots, though you'll find ample room to expand once you wade in. No DVD software player was installed with the DVD-ROM drive on our test system, though playback looked smooth after we installed a player.
WHAT ELSE: Text looks crisp on the AOC Spectrum 7Glr monitor at the maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200, but you probably won't want to crank the 17-incher up that high. Colors on our test images appeared rich but tended to be a bit dark. The Altec Lansing ADA305 three-speaker set delivers excellent treble and bass, and it permits on-screen control when connected through the USB port. A 283 PC WorldBench 98 score puts the Venture PVO-700A slightly below par for Athlon-700 machines, but quick enough for most office tasks.
BEST USE: With its CD-RW drive, modem, and network card, this PC is ready for any office that can pay the $2499 price.
10 SYS PERFORMANCE 600A
WHAT'S HOT: Equipped with a 600-MHz AMD Athlon chip, the Sys Performance 600A racks up a score of 345 on our PC WorldBench 98 test suite, easily outdistancing comparable Pentium III-600 PCs that run Windows NT. Two 9.1GB hard drives connect to a Promise UltraDMA 66 PCI card in a RAID configuration to speed up certain disk-intensive operations. Plug twomonitors into the Matrox Millennium G400 DH (dual head) video card, and you can view your desktop across both displays.
WHAT'S NOT: Faded colors and fuzzy text from the Sys Technology SPM17 MS display sandbag the system's graphics potential. One laser-printed setup sheet and a pair of component manuals for the CD-ROM drive and monitor make up the minimal hardware documentation. Sys cuts tech support from 24 hours daily to 9 hours on weekdays after the first year.
WHAT ELSE: At $2299, the Performance 600A is $100 cheaper this month than last--and relatively inexpensive for a power system. You need a screwdriver to get inside the all-metal case, but the side panel detaches quickly and slides back on easily--the fit and finish are impressive. The soft-touch keyboard comes with a removable wrist rest.
BEST USE: With a better monitor (or two), the Sys would make a killer 2D graphics workstation: You could keep work files on one monitor and tools on the other.
TECH TREND
A Modem and a Network Card: Do You Need Both?
MOST CORPORATE PCs come with a network interface card for office network hookup, while home-office systems usually ship with a 56-kbps modem for dial-up connectivity. But some machines (like this month's Best Buys from Gateway and Dell) have both a modem and a network interface card to handle any type of connection.
Do you need both? Probably not. If you use your corporate network for Internet and intranet access, modems just cost money and take up expansion slots.
Conversely, if your home office has a single PC, you don't need a network interface card because, well, you don't have a network. The strongest argument for buying a unit with both a modem and a network card is that you can connect to the Internet even if your network goes down. Also, some users like to separate their Internet access from the office network (for personal e-mail, bulletin board access, or direct access to a non-networked PC, for example). If you add PCs to your home office, you may want network cards to connect those machines.
Find out which networking tools are installed in the PC you're buying.
Rejecting an unwanted modem can save you $20 to $50, while forgoing a network card can shave $70 or more off the system's price.