Review: Top 10 power PCs

Dell's Dimension 8100 desktop includes four Intel Pentium processors starting at 1.3 GHz

From...

By the PC World staff

(IDG) -- It's what's inside that counts. Take, for instance, the Gateway Professional S 1500, which grabs the top spot this month. This 1.5-GHz P4 machine exhibits imposing performance on our PC WorldBench 2000 tests and features an intuitive tool-less design that makes upgrading as easy as using a Lego set. Another PC equipped with a 1.5-GHz P4 also debuts on the chart this month -- the spiffy-looking Polywell Poly 850GB-1500, which divides 60GB of storage between two hard drives connected by a RAID controller for extra speed. The Poly comes onto the chart at number four.

Also of note

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that last month's number one system (the Gateway E-4600XL Deluxe) is nowhere to be found on this month's chart. Because the specifications of that system are so close to those of the new Gateway Professional S 1500, we did not include it. When we're presented with two extremely similar machines from the same vendor, we sometimes remove the older one. In this case, the two machines share the same CPU, memory, and other features, but the E-4600XL Deluxe is designed more for corporate environments (with a number of remote-management features) while the Professional is aimed at small and home offices, where the system won't be managed by an IS department.

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In contrast, the two Polywells that made the chart--the Poly 830K7-1100 and the Poly 850GB-1500--are dissimilar systems equipped with different processors, memory types, and prices. As a result, each earns its own place on the chart.

Top 10 power PCs

1. Gateway Professional S 1500: The Professional S 1500 is a powerful performer. With its excellent display and IEEE 1394 ports, it would work well as a digital video processing machine. Its strong software bundle makes this workhorse Gateway ideal for any small to medium-size office.
2. Polywell Poly 830K7-1100: Any work environment, large or small, could benefit from the Poly 830K7-1100's combination of speedy performance and attractive features.
3. Dell Dimension 8100: This solid Dell computer, with top-of-the-line components, has the goods for any power user willing to pay a high price for the latest technology.
4. Polywell Poly 850GB-1500: If you can afford this beautiful and powerful system, you'll be rewarded with the envy of all your office mates.
5. Sys Performance 1100T: Brag to your friends that you've got the only faster-than-1-GHz processor that hasn't been recalled.
6. Xi Computer 1100K MTower SP: The Xi 1100K MTower SP would make a fine system for businesses that need a combination of power and presentation options.
7. HP Vectra VL800: The VL800 offers blazing speed and excellent display quality for the corner office in a well-heeled corporation.
8. Tangent Medallion Pro: At only $1795, the Medallion Pro is powerful and upgradable, making it a good value for small-business owners.
9. ABS Performance Ultra: Experienced power users should appreciate this fast Athlon-1100 system. You'll want to add a network card for most small office applications, however. And in light of the short support hours, you should look elsewhere if your business will suffer if the PC suddenly goes haywire while you're working late some evening or over the weekend.
10. HP Vectra VL400: A powerful system with excellent management, security, and networking tools, this Vectra would be a near-perfect PC for a high-end environment.

Are driver updates a quick way to speed up your PC?

Getting the latest version of a device driver -- the software that communicates between a piece of hardware and your operating system -- can make your PC run faster, improve its stability, and even add new features. But look before you leap: Some new drivers cause more problems than they solve.

Updating your graphics card driver can enhance video performance. For example, NVidia's Detonator 3 graphics board drivers, released late last year, extensively improved almost every card. "In some cases performance increased so much it was as if the end user got a completely new board," says Andrew Fear, software product manager at NVidia. We've seen definite speed increases in some graphics cards after installing new drivers. When we retested a Hercules 3D Prophet II MX graphics card with updated drivers, we saw an overall performance improvement of more than 10 percent.

Most of the time, however, it isn't necessary to upgrade the drivers on your system. If everything is working and you're happy with the speed, don't upgrade. But if your system is unstable or you need a particular new feature (such as DirectX compatibility or support for a new program), you should check the latest available drivers to see whether they fix the problem.

System manufacturers such as Dell and Compaq provide drivers and updates that are specific to their systems through their Web sites. Intel offers a generic driver that works with any system incorporating an Intel chip set, but Intel spokesperson George Alfs recommends using the system manufacturer's driver in preference to the generic one, since some vendors alter the drivers to work better with their machines.

Web sites such as Driver Zone and Totallydrivers.com can be good places to find direct links to drivers for your particular system.

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Chart: Top 10 power PCs
(PCWorld.com)
Chart: Updated prices for power PCs
(PCWorld.com)
Chart: Power PC test report
(PCWorld.com)
Top 10 value PCs
(PCWorld.com)
Top 15 home PCs
(PCWorld.com)
Top 15 notebook PCs
(PCWorld.com)
Top 10 21-inch monitors
(PCWorld.com)
Top 10 digital cameras
(PCWorld.com)

Driver Zone
Totallydrivers.com

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