Three of life's certainties: You can never be too healthy, you can never find too many tax deductions, and you can never, ever, have too much hard disk space. Despite the proliferation of double-digit-gigabyte hard disks, the amount of data you need to store can quickly expand to fill your available space.
Home is where the power is: Dell Computer Corp.'s Dimension XPS B866r fends off new systems from Hewlett-Packard Co. and ABS to remain our number one power system. The Dimension's chart-best PC WorldBench 2000 score of 158 is likely a product of its quick PIII-866 processor rather than its expensive RDRAM--PC World tests have shown RDRAM doesn't have a substantial effect on speed at current processor clock ratings. The new ABS Performance 1 is US$8 less than the Dell and two points slower on our PC WorldBench 2000.
New systems from Hewlett-Packard Co. hit both the power and midrange charts this month, along with debuts from Axis Systems Inc. and Tiny Computers. The US$2115 HP Pavilion 9600A-850 lands at number two on the power list with a zippy PC WorldBench 2000 score of 152 and many extra features, such as CD-RW and DVD-ROM drives and a network card. HP nabs second place on the midrange list as well, with the $1699 Pavilion 9600A-700, which has the power to handle just about any application. Its somewhat poorly designed interior makes adding cards and drives difficult, however.
People say a PC never has too much memory or processing power. Windows 98 users can add display space to that list. If you don't mind the cost and the configuration hassles, you can add up to nine monitors with Win 98. Certainly, anyone who continually jumps from browser to e-mail to spreadsheets to databases to other applications will find adding at least one extra screen a boon to productivity.
Dell Computer Corp. dominates the chart this month, thanks to quick performance, easy setup, and great reliability and service. Dell's new Dimension XPS B866r and Dimension L500cx cap the power and budget charts, respectively, while the holdover Dimension XPS T600r continues to rule the midrange chart. Neither newcomer could be called bargain priced, however--particularly the B866r, which lands just south of $3000. New systems that missed the chart include Axis Systems' $1599 Terra AXB, an inexpensive PC that lacks support for beginners, and Polywell's $2650 Poly 800K-7 900 AMD, which performed very well on our tests and produced fast, smooth game play but doesn't offer enhancements we would expect at its price.
Two sections of the Top 15 accept new entrants this month, while price drops shake things up even more. Dell Computer Corp. Dimension systems continue to dominate the power and midrange divisions, but the budget chart has a new leader. The Quantex Corp. M650 earns a spot at number one with a $250 price cut from last month that shifts it from the midrange to the budget level.
Last month, I discussed keeping your laser printer in top form. This month I address how to maintain an ink jet printer.
Laser printers are as temperamental as 2-year-olds. Sheets of paper can jam, complex graphics can cause your printer to sleepwalk, and stray particles can smear and smudge your precious output. Here's how to diagnose your laser's malaise and return it to good health.
Half of the PCs in our power and midrange ranks are new. Two debuting Dell Computer Corp. offerings--the Dimension XPS B733r and the Dimension XPS T600r--take the Best Buy in each category. Meanwhile, Gateway 2000 Inc.'s Select 850 broke the home-PC speed record with a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 150, thanks to an Athlon-850 CPU. For less money, consider Quantex's speedy GX800 or its workhorse M750.
Sure, you can tell a lot about people from the way they look. But to find out what makes 'em tick, you need to do some serious psychoanalysis. Your enigmatic PC is no different. Beneath its colorful screens and fancy pull-down menus lurks the BIOS--a bit of software that acts as the subconscious of your PC. And just as your subconscious controls your behavior, your PC's BIOS exerts a powerful influence on the machine's performance.
You'll find lots of fresh faces on our charts this month, all tested under our new PC WorldBench 2000 test suite. Four systems debut on the power list, including the Best Buy Gateway Inc. Select 800, the first AMD Athlon-800-powered home PC we've tested. Meanwhile, Dell Computer Corp.'s compact and affordable WebPC nabs the budget Best Buy, thanks to easy setup and an LS-120 SuperDisk drive.
There's action this month on the midrange chart, as two new systems debut. One of them, Dell Computer Corp.'s Dimension L600r, grabs the top spot; it's an excellent choice if you need fast performance, a good monitor, and superior reliability. If space constraints and a tight budget limit your options, check out Gateway Inc.'s $799 Astro, which remains our number one pick in the budget category.
The most pernicious threat to your PC's data isn't a dead hard drive, a rogue virus, or a stray bolt of lightning. It's human nature. The only surefire way to protect your files is to back them up. And that takes time and money, two things most people don't like to spend. Here are a few ideas that can speed the task of backing up while keeping costs to a minimum.
If you're short on space and money, check out Gateway Inc.'s Astro. Its all-in-one case combines the CPU, monitor, and speakers in a tidy package. And its $799 price can't be beat: You get a decent-performing system with a 15-inch monitor and a 4.3GB hard drive. But thrift has its limitations. If you want top speed and flashy features, consider one of the systems on our power chart.
Keep Your PC Clean to Keep It Running