You can get a lot of office pizzazz and power in one purchase with a sleek flat-panel monitor. Take a trio of 15-inchers just out from Philips Electronics NV, Eizo Nanao Technologies, and Sony Corp.. In my tests, these handsome LCD monitors delivered terrifically crisp text in Web pages, word processing documents, and spreadsheets.
SAN FRANCISCO (06/23/2000) - NVidia Corp.'s latest chip set, the GeForce2 GTS,
debuts this month with two new cards. The 3D Prophet II GTS from Hercules
turned in the fastest 3D performance we've measured, with ELSA's Gladiac hot on
its heels. Unfortunately, both cards also set new highs in price. The speedy,
affordable Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd.'s Millennium G400 Max moves up a
notch to first place. Next month, we review 3dfx's hotly anticipated card, the
Voodoo 5.
You may wonder what happened to systems with the heralded 1-gigahertz processor, as none appear on our chart. Last month one 1-GHz system, the Gateway 2000 Inc. Select 1000, edged into a spot, but it has dropped off due to a price increase. Taking its place at number ten is NuTrend Computer Products Inc.'s Athlon Ultra, a newcomer that offers acceptable CPU performance and top-notch features. The Dell Computer Corp. Dimension XPS B800r holds steady in the top spot.
Of the 17 new systems we tested this month, only two join the budget elite. Though pricey, Sys Technology Inc.'s new TaskMaster 600A offers solid performance and five open drive bays, no less. Micron Electronic Corp.'s diminutive ClientPro Cf, on the other hand, has no open bays or slots, but it squeaks onto the chart on the strength of its high-end corporate features. For the third month in a row, Micro Express's MicroFlex 600A retains its top-of-the-chart position.
SAN FRANCISCO (06/23/2000) - Internal modem prices continue to decline--with
the average price falling from $60 to $50 over the past year. On the other
hand, PC Card modem prices reflect the cost of such enhanced mobile
functionality features as controller-based circuitry, direct cellular
capability, and digital-line voltage protection. Zoom Telephonic Inc.'s latest
PC Card follows the mobile trend, but its price undercuts the competition and
its performance is first-rate.
Two new systems jostle their way onto the chart this month. The ABS Multimedia VL earns third place with an attractive blend of solid speed and the lowest price in this Top 10. It's a good choice if you are not looking for the extensive software bundles offered by vendors such as Dell Computer Corp. The NuTrend Computer Products Inc. Sierra LE also debuts; its performance closely matches that of the ABS, and it adds a few more features, but it also carries a higher price.
SAN FRANCISCO (06/23/2000) - Six models on the chart cost under $400, so now is
the time to find a bargain 19-incher. Of the three new monitors that debut this
month, ViewSonic's GS790 climbs highest, thanks to its bold graphics and
reasonable price. MGC's 997SN, at number six, offers impressive image quality,
and Optiquest's Q95, number nine, is the cheapest, at $325. Models from ADI,
Hitachi Data Systems Corp., and NEC Corp. fell short. Next month, we return to
17-inchers.
SAN FRANCISCO (06/23/2000) - Lexmark International Inc.'s lively new Z52 Color
Jetprinter supplants the Z51 at the top, earning a Best Buy thanks to its
speedy text, strong print quality, and reasonable $179 price. Hewlett-Packard
Co.'s new DeskJet 842C leaps onto the chart at number six. At a low $149, the
DeskJet 842C turns in slower speeds than other HP models, but produces good
output. Meanwhile, new inexpensive printers from Epson America Inc. and Canon
Inc. didn't quite cut the mustard.
Bigger, better, faster. We all want the best available, whether it be houses, cars, or our desktop PC. This month for the first time, the Top 100 looked at 1-gigahertz PCs, and found out that more isn't always better. At least, not yet.
Those who thought that shelling out big bucks for a Pentium III-600 or Athlon-600 machine last November placed them securely at the front of the power-user pack might want to look twice at this month's Top 10 Budget PCs chart. Three new systems with chips that run at 600 MHz or faster (the MicroFlex-600A from Micro-Express, the NuTrend Athlon Force 2, and the Quantex M650) make the budget list.
Don't have the cash for a premium image editor?
PhotoStudio 2000, the latest upgrade to ArcSoft Inc.'s flagship package, boasts
many powerful tools that are typical of high-end editors--including multiple
layers, batch processing, and customizable brushes--for a fraction of the cost.
The $39 PhotoStudio has a built-in link to PhotoIsland (www.photoisland.com),
ArcSoft's photo-storing and -sharing Web site, so you can post images to the
Web with a click of your mouse. Unfortunately, you won't get sufficient color
control: The software lets you work in only two color modes (RGB and HSV), and
the color palette is small. But for powerful image editing and Web storage and
display on PhotoIsland, PhotoStudio 2000 shouldn't disappoint. ArcSoft,
800/762-8657, www.arcsoft.com.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. bills its 15-inch SyncMaster 570p Plus TFT analog LCD monitor as a multimedia powerhouse. That may overstate the case, but the 570p Plus is easy to use and includes features--such as advanced image adjustment controls and video input ports--that used to be the province of higher-priced LCDs. At $1254, it's still far from cheap, but it costs $200 to $400 less than comparable 15-inch products and should please image and video editors with flexible budgets, or home users with money to burn.