AOpen XC cube edition
In the ever bloating world of mini barebones PCs there is a wide range of build quality and internal design to be witnessed. AOpen has been in the market for a while now, and the XC cube edition is one of the better designed systems in an area where quality can vary wildly from brand to brand.
Intel Pentium 4 Prescott 3.2GHz
The latest iteration of the Pentium 4, code named Prescott, is an interesting development for a few reasons. First off, it represents Intel's entry to the world of 90nm (90 nanometre, or 0.09 micron) fabrication for processors. For the uninitiated, all this means is the size of individual components on the processor core have been shrunk to even smaller levels. It's a natural part of processor evolution to shrink the size of components, as it allows more transistors to be packed into a smaller space, reduces heat and resistance, and this all leads to faster CPUs.
Acer Aspire T310
'Absolute consistency' are the words we'd use to describe the performance of the Aspire T310. A solid all-rounder, this machine is just as at home gaming as it is doing 2D tasks, such as productivity applications, anti-virus scanning or media decoding. And, as shown by its impressive 4,271 PCMark04 score, it's not short on horsepower.
Apple eMac SuperDrive
In the sub-$2,000 category, we thought it would be negligent to leave Apple, and its popular eMac, out of the running. While we can't benchmark it head to head with the PCs, at least we can compare the features and see what alternatives there are to mainstream PCs in the world. Interestingly, the eMac (as its prefix implies) was originally intended for the education market, but it proved to be such a success it was cut loose into the broader retail market.
Australia IT N2 series
While this system may not be the highest performer overall in the group, it still represents very good value for money, as demonstrated by its above average 112 Value score.
DigitalStar IntelliPro 3000GX
In an unusual combination of styles, DigitalStar has used a silver Cooler Master Centurion full size ATX case, but coupled this with a black optical drive and floppy disk drive. If you're finicky about that sort of thing, there are additional face plates available that attach to the front to keep the colours consistent.
Digitime AMD Xtream
Scoring marginally below average in each of the testing criterion, Digitime's AMD Xtream system performed around the middle of the pack.
Friction/SATO Draco-M3
We were hoping we'd have at least one small form factor system submitted for review, and SATO and Friction came together to supply the Draco-M3.
GarageBand
GarageBand very much fits the mould of a very simplified and intuitive approach to something that is traditionally quite complex - it's to music editing what iMovie is to video editing. The interface for GarageBand is very straight forward, and most functions are ready to hand. Setup is also very simple, with little need to worry about things like MIDI in/out/through or ASIO drivers and such.
Hallmark Viewmaster Raven
The experience of buying a computer can be a harrowing ordeal -- with the amount of jargon and information being thrown around, inexperienced users or people purchasing their first PC may find it all a bit daunting.
Labs roundup: Sub-$2,000 PCs: Labs Introduction
Are you kicking around an old clunky PC that looks like a relic from the Stone Age? Google Zeitgeist (www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html) tells us that while Windows XP accounted for 46 percent of the OSs used to search Google during February 2004, 24 percent were still using Windows 98 and Windows 95, indicating there are still a lot of late-1990s PCs kicking around. Even if you’re running something from the 1GHz days, it’s probably time to think about an upgrade. But it can easily get to the point where you’re upgrading just about every component. In that case, you should seriously consider looking at the excellent bargains available in new PCs today.
Labs roundup: Sub-$2,000 PCs: Performance Analysis
Benchmarking PCs is a tricky business. You need to ensure that you stress the systems, but also that the results you get will be relevant in the real world. Previously we have relied heavily on BAPCo's SYSmark2002 for simulating home and office use, with programs such as Excel, Word, Outlook, and web content through Adobe Premiere and Macromedia Dreamweaver. However, due to SYSmark's history of instability as well as the sheer length of time it takes to complete a run, we have put it on the backburner in favour of PCMark04 for this Labs.
Motorola MPx200 (smartphone)
This is the second Smartphone we've reviewed (O2's Xphone, March 2004, page 55) but, unlike the Xphone, the Motorola MPx200 features a clamshell design. Smallish, black and sleek, the MPx200 is a Tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 phone with GPRS which enables email, SMS, MMS and WAP capabilities.
PC QUEST Grande Series
Here at PC Authority we see a lot of computer systems. Not surprising really, it’s what we do. But it’s not often we see a system this carefully assembled. Every precaution has been taken to ensure the system has clear airflow to help regulate the temperature and keep it cool.
Protac Excel G736
The Excel G736 notebook from Protac is a desktop replacement, and as well as better-than-normal notebook specifications it also comes with the other traditional trapping of a desktop replacement notebook: it's big, it's chunky, and it's heavy.
QDI - Alacritas 520-K8
Although the mobile marketplace has been changing in the face of Centrino and the slow but gradual tablet PC adoption rate, large form factored (greater than single spindle) notebooks are still the order of the day.
WD Media Centre
Combing a 250GB 7,200RPM hard disk drive, 8-in-1 card reader and USB hub, there's not much this unit can't do. It can be operated in either an upright or lying down position, while the USB hub function allows you to plug in a removable USB device such as a memory key or digital camera directly without fiddling with USB extension cables or reaching behind your desktop or notebook.