Top 15 Desktop PCs

New CPUs seem to emerge faster than doughnuts from a Krispy Kreme shop. This month we tested several systems based on Intel's new 2.8-GHz Pentium 4, and two are especially hot and tasty. The fastest of the group, the Sys Technology Performance 2800, earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 129--a new record--and captured third place on the Power side of our new Top 15 Desktop PCs chart; the Xi Computer 4286 MTower finished close behind with a score of 128, helping it take second place on our new Top 5 Entertainment PCs roster.

Most of the new 2.8-GHz systems get some help from 1.066-GHz RDRAM memory, known as PC1066, which transfers data 33 percent faster than PC800 RDRAM. Our tests suggest that PC1066 provides a minor overall system performance boost--about 5 percent--over the older RAM type, but it is also more expensive. In addition, early test results indicate that the Pentium 4 performs just fine with DDR SDRAM, which costs significantly less than either type of RDRAM.

Systems with slightly older processors capture the top two spots on our power chart. Equipped with a 1.67-GHz Athlon XP 2000+ processor, MicronPC's Millennia XP+ Xtreme has been going strong since our June issue, and it earns the power Best Buy this month. Its PC WorldBench 4 score of 123 closely matches that of systems with the newer Athlon XP 2200+ processor, such as the number four Polywell Poly 883VR-2200 and the Alienware Aurora DDR (number three on our Top 5 Entertainment PCs chart).

Number two on the power side, the new Gateway 500XL supplies the speed and hard-drive capacity needed for editing digital video. Two FireWire ports (including one on the front panel) let you import video from a camcorder, and a DVD-RAM/-R drive helps you create finished movies for DVD players. Unfortunately, though the included 17-inch LCD monitor is large, its text quality disappointed us.

On the value chart, the top-rated ABS Bravado 2300 is a bargain-priced model with a premium 5.1-channel sound system and a reasonably good 17-inch CRT monitor. The third-place Micro Express MicroFlex 1800B posted an unusually high PC WorldBench 4 score of 122, thanks to a slightly overclocked processor.

Some noteworthy new systems miss the chart. The well-constructed, silver-and-black 253R from Best Buy subsidiary Vpr Matrix earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 119 with its 2.53-GHz Pentium 4 processor and 512MB of 333-MHz DDR SDRAM. The biggest monitor Vpr Matrix offers is a 17-inch CRT, however, and the two tiny speakers that accompanied our test system put out some of the poorest-quality sound we've heard.

Another interesting desktop contender, the Amax Microplex ICube, packs a full system--including a 2.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor and a GeForce4 MX440-based graphics card--into a petite 11.5-by-7.8-by-7.3-inch case that has a convenient handle on top. The package might appeal to gamers who like to tote their PCs to LAN parties, but the ICube managed only fair frame rates in our performance tests.