Top 15 home PCs

From...

By Sean Captain

(IDG) -- New systems, price drops, and fresh reliability and service ratings shake up our value chart this month.

The top spot goes to Dell's new Dimension 4300, a handsome system that finally ends Dell's beige-box days. Like the Dimension 8200's case, the 4300's swings open to provide easy access. The 4300 is also the first home system we've seen with Intel's 845 chip set, which allows a Pentium 4 processor to work with standard SDRAM rather than pricier RDRAM. Another new Dell, the Dimension 2100, takes ninth place.

Polywell's Poly 815TS-1133H wowed us with a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 187. Packing Intel's Pentium Processor-M III-1133 (originally intended for notebooks), this new number three beat all Pentium III and Pentium 4 systems we've tested with Windows Me. A less-muscular offering from ABS captures the seventh spot.

We bid farewell to three discontinued models: HP's Pavilion 9820 and ABS's Multimedia System 2 (last month's Best Buys), and IBM's NetVista X40i, which IBM will replace with a P4-based system.

Gateway's Profile 3 CX -- a nimble, attractive, and pricey system with a built-in LCD monitor -- slips in at number ten. Another Gateway, the Performance 1800, vied for a spot on the power chart. Despite being the quickest Pentium 4 home system we've tested, it failed to unseat any of the incumbents, including the Athlon-based Gateway Select 1400.

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Regrettably, several vendors slide in our support ratings: Compaq, Dell, HP, and MicronPC each drop a notch following our latest PC reliability and service survey.

Top 5 power PCs for the home

1. MicronPC Millennia Max XP2: This Millennia Max XP2 is a fully stocked system for gamers or home-office number crunchers.
2. Alienware Aurora DDR: The Aurora DDR is a well-crafted, handsome power machine for gamers and digital-media fans who are willing to foot the hefty bill.
3. HP Pavilion 9800: This system offers multimedia professionals and enthusiasts an attractive multimedia package with adequate performance on office applications for SOHO users, but if you expect to view a lot of text, upgrade to a better monitor.
4. Gateway Select 1400: The Select 1400 is a handsome, network-ready system that's well equipped to perform as a home workstation.
5. Compaq Presario 7000Z: Newcomers to the digital-imaging realm should take a serious look at this well-priced, well-stocked, and easy-to-set-up system.

Top 10 value PCs for the home

1. Dell Dimension 4300: The Dimension 4300 is a good-looking, well-designed system that will serve families who don't demand cutting-edge performance.
2. NuTrend Athlon Special 2: It's no video behemoth in this reviewed configuration, but the NuTrend Athlon Special 2 runs office applications admirably, making it a fine choice for simple office tasks or as a second home PC. If you plan to purchase this speed demon, though, make sure to upgrade to a better graphics card.
3. Polywell Poly 815TS-1133H: The Polywell Poly 815TS offers tremendous raw speed for a low price, but don't expect many extras.
4. HP Pavilion 9800A: The Pavilion 9800 is an average machine that may appeal to people who feel bigger is better.
5. Gateway Performance 1400: The Performance 1400 is a good-looking, well-constructed system for first-time home PC buyers, but its sluggish performance and second-rate components don't make it compelling for a family looking to replace a fairly recent system.
6. Polywell Poly KLX-850D: A PC-savvy user -- especially a gaming fan on a tight budget -- will make the most of this budget home system. Spending a little more to upgrade the keyboard and monitor would be money well spent.
7. ABS Performance 3: With a better monitor, the ABS Performance 3 would be a practical -- and still relatively inexpensive -- system for Web surfing and home-office tasks.
8. Compaq Presario 5000: This Presario 5000 is an attractive starter system for basic e-mail and Web surfing or for light-duty home-office chores, but intermediate or advanced PC jockeys should look into beefier Pentium- or Athlon-based models.
9. Dell Dimension 2100: The Dimension 2100 is an inexpensive and attractive compact system that may suit first-time buyers or families seeking a second PC for light-duty computing.
10. Gateway Profile 3 CX: The Profile 3 CX is a handsome, space-saving PC with a lot more kick than its all-in-one predecessors offered.