Last-minute holiday PC bargains

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by PC World Staff

(IDG) -- Budget keeps getting better. This month's low-end Best Buy, the HP Pavilion 8705B, packs components that would have made a strong showing in our midrange lineup just a few months ago--a Pentium III-800EB processor, a 17-inch monitor, and a 16X DVD-ROM drive. At 64MB, the memory is a bit skimpy, but the system still managed an impressive PC WorldBench 2000 score of 143, within striking distance of midrange systems. In contrast to the 8705B is its stripped-down cousin and last month's Best Buy, the Pavilion XE763, which delivers much slower performance, but at a significantly lower price.

Three other newcomers vied unsuccessfully for spots on our midrange chart. The ABS Performance 3 and NuTrend Athlon Mega 2 performed respectably, but they failed to offer anything over their nearly identical siblings, the ABS Multimedia System 2 and NuTrend Athlon Ultra 2. The latter rises to the top spot in place of Dell's Dimension 4100 PIII-800, which Dell has discontinued in favor of models with faster processors. We'll evaluate new Dimension 4100 systems in coming months. Meanwhile, Tiny's Millennium Power Image 800 failed to make the chart because it couldn't deliver performance commensurate with its price.

Finally, PC World's latest reader survey shows modest gains in PC reliability and service--with Dell, Micron, and Sony posting improved ratings.

Dell Dimension XPS B1000r

WHAT'S HOT: Let the games begin! Boasting a GeForce2 GTS graphics card with a generous 64MB of DDR SDRAM and a 1-GHz Pentium III processor, the Dimension XPS B1000r is a stellar gaming machine, earning the highest overall score in our graphics tests. While not the fastest power system in our lineup, the Dimension XPS B1000r still scored a very respectable 158 on our PC WorldBench 2000 tests.

WHAT'S NOT: For $2570, it would have been nice had Dell included a network card and a better sound system than the merely respectable Harman Kardon HK-595 speakers and subwoofer. The 19-inch Dell P991 Trinitron monitor displayed rich, full colors but lacked crispness and blurred small fonts at 1280 by 1024 resolution--performance atypical of Dell's usually excellent monitors.

WHAT ELSE: The system includes a Microsoft Internet Pro keyboard with seven programmable buttons. Dell has included a reference and troubleshooting manual to cover the basics, and backs that up with a comprehensive online help system.

BEST USE: The XPS B1000r is a great home or home office system for gaming and graphics aficionados.

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Gateway Select 1100 Deluxe

WHAT'S HOT: This system has great sights and sounds. It shares top honors on our 3D gaming tests with the Dell Dimension XPS B1000r. And the 19-inch Gateway VX920 monitor looked sharp at all resolutions; even very small text blurred only a bit at 1600 by 1200. The Boston Acoustics Digital BA7500G sound system's four satellite speakers and huge subwoofer punch out full, clear sound. A bundled copy of Microsoft Office 2000 Small Business Edition gets the work done.

WHAT'S NOT: The PC's $2938 price means that you have to bleed for all that speed. The same configuration with a slightly slower CPU would cost a lot less.

WHAT ELSE: The keyboard has four programmable buttons as well as complete audio and CD player controls. The system provides two free PCI slots and two open internal bays for expansion. Setting up the Select 1100 Deluxe is a breeze, thanks to a clearly illustrated poster and an easily comprehensible manual.

BEST USE: This workhorse can handle any load, from games and multimedia to spreadsheets and databases.

Polywell Poly 830KR-1000

WHAT'S HOT: With a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 167 and a price of $2299, the Polywell Poly 830KR-1000 is the fastest and least-expensive power system here.

WHAT'S NOT: Small text was readable at 1280 by 1024 resolution, but it wasn't as sharp as we'd expect from a 19-inch monitor. The system has no DVD-ROM drive and minimal documentation.

WHAT ELSE: The Poly 830KR-1000 comes with a CD-RW drive and dual 30GB SCSI hard drives in a RAID configuration--providing plenty of high-speed storage for music, graphics, and video files.

BEST USE: Plenty of power, nice graphics, and ample storage make this system a good choice for a demanding home office user or a multimedia jockey.

Sony VAIO Digital Studio RX280DS

WHAT'S HOT: The VAIO Digital Studio is built for multimedia apps. Its Pentium III-1000 CPU helped it produce a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 164--one of the highest we've seen for a home system--giving it plenty of speed to crunch out graphics or play DVD movies on the vivid, colorful 17-inch Sony Trinitron monitor. Sony bundles a full suite of user-friendly software for capturing, storing, and editing digital video and still images.

WHAT'S NOT: In light of the system's hefty $2700 price tag and multimedia orientation, we were disappointed by its integrated sound and small pair of Sony speakers, which are wholly inadequate for anyone interested in high-quality audio.

WHAT ELSE: Game play was smooth on all our 3D gaming tests. The front of the VAIO's stylish lavender case features a USB port for digital cameras or other peripherals and a rarely seen IEEE 1394 (FireWire or iLink) port--a high-speed connection used mostly for importing footage from digital camcorders. You can store hours of digital video and thousands of songs on the system's capacious 61GB hard drive, or use the 8X/4X/32X CD-RW drive to store it on CDs.

BEST USE: This great family PC lets you work with home videos and pictures.

Compaq Presario 7000T

WHAT'S HOT: The Presario 7000T dazzles with great graphics and a full set of features. Its 1-GHz Pentium III processor and fast GeForce2 GTS graphics card with a generous 64MB of DDR SDRAM for video memory helped it produce good scores on both our PC WorldBench 2000 and our 3D game tests. The front of the case offers two USB ports, plus an IEEE 1394 port for downloading digital video. You will have no problem storing video or MP3 files on the vast, 75GB hard drive or, alternatively, by using the 8X/4X/32X CD-RW drive. The 7000T's ethernet card can accommodate a home network or a high-speed Internet connection.

WHAT'S NOT: The $2816 total price is a lot to pay for any PC these days--especially one with a weak sound system. The twin JBL Platinum speakers fall far below the level of performance we would expect on a system at this price.

WHAT ELSE: Compaq's 19-inch MV940 monitor displayed rich colors, accurate images, and sharp small text up to a resolution of 1280 by 1024. Beginners and intermediate users will appreciate the well-illustrated setup guide and the good, albeit basic, manual.

BEST USE: The 7000T can manage anything you throw at it: games, big spreadsheets, databases, or multiple teenagers with thousands of music files.

Click here for an unabridged version of this story.

FTC: Watch out for 'free' holiday PCs
November 24, 2000
Top 15 home PCs
August 18, 2000
Top 10 17-inch monitors
August 11, 2000
Top 10 budget PCs
August 8, 2000
PC repair undercover
July 6, 2000

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Gateway Inc.
Polywell Computers Inc.
Sony Electronics Inc.

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