WHAT'S HOT: Using AMD's latest 2.167-GHz Athlon XP 3000+ processor, the Sys Performance 3000+ packs a powerful punch. It racked up an extraordinary score of 136 running our PC WorldBench 4 benchmark, making it the fastest system we've tested to date. Code-named Barton, the new Athlon XP has twice the Level 2 cache (512KB versus 256KB) of its Athlon XP predecessors.

The system's audio performance was also impressive. The Creative Labs 6.1 6600 speakers and Audigy 2 sound card included with the Performance 3000+ played games, movies, and music well. The high-end sound set pumped out robust bass notes and crisp, clear trebles. And in our screening of the Star Wars Episode I DVD, we heard extremely powerful engine roars in the pod-race scene. An S/PDIF port is a nice extra for connecting an audio device capable of receiving digital sound signals.

Other pleasing extras include a spacious 180GB hard drive and a front-mounted media reader for SmartMedia and CompactFlash cards. The ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card delivered midrange frame rates (compared with competing systems) in Return to Castle Wolfenstein; its frame rates were toward the front of the pack in Unreal Tournament. We saw no visual glitches in either game.

WHAT'S NOT: Setting up the speakers took time. An instruction card helped us plug them into the sound card, but to get them to work we had to configure a software audio panel, fiddle with the sound jacks, and make an adjustment on the subwoofer. Directions for that part of the task would have been a big help.

WHAT ELSE: The image quality on the Sys 17-C-MT 17-inch LCD monitor was mixed. Text looked extremely sharp at all font sizes, but colors appeared unnaturally mottled on a test photo screen. (Adjustments made using the monitor's on-screen controls had no impact on overall color quality.) The panel has built-in speakers, but they're as superfluous as training wheels on a Porsche, given the speakers that came with the system.

In the configuration we received, the system's midsize tower case offers respectable room for future upgrades, including three open drive bays (one for removable media drives, two for hard drives), one open memory socket, and two open PCI slots. (A third unoccupied slot can't be used without removing a slot cover that has three FireWire ports.) The interior isn't as neat as we've seen in other Sys Performance systems, but accessing components shouldn't pose much of a problem.

The large, wide Logitech wireless (RF) keyboard has 20 hot-keys--you can use them to launch Web-based applications or run other common tasks, such as cutting and pasting or adjusting volume settings. A separate bank of buttons is dedicated to navigating audio controls. And the keyboard has a few hot-keys we don't typically see--including, for example, buttons for launching a Webcam and for accessing an instant messaging application. Typing on the keyboard felt terrific: The keys were responsive and nearly silent.

The Performance 3000+ is bundled with software for business and for play. Titles include the Corel WordPerfect Office 2002 Productivity Suite and the games Eidos HitMan2 and ActiVision Soldier of Fortune. Sys Technology's documentation includes a spiral-bound user manual with sections dedicated to setting up the system, upgrading and troubleshooting components, and performing basic maintenance.

UPSHOT: Though pricey at nearly $3000, the 3000+ delivers top performance and above-average sound.

SUMMARY

Sys Technology Performance 3000+ $