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Top 15 Desktop PCs

New power systems enjoy pumped-up performance from AMD's new 3200+ 64-bit processor--a boon for gaming and other entertainment apps.

Alexandra Krasne

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Awesome 6300 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 02, 2003

1. 3Dlabs Awesome 6300

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51, 240GB (RAID) hard drive, 19-inch LCD monitor , 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW, 16X DVD-ROM, Flash media reader (SD/MMC, CFI/II, MS, SM), Price when ranked: $3600

Bottom Line: Packed with lots of extras, the pricey Awesome 6300 is one of the fastest systems we've tested in business applications and in games.

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Dimension 8300 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: September 02, 2003

2. Dell Dimension 8300

3.2-GHz Pentium 4, 250GB hard drive, 18-inch LCD monitor, 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics, DVD+R/RW, 16X DVD-ROM, Price when ranked: $3128

Bottom Line: Pricey machine offers a beautiful LCD monitor and good speed. The case interior can be accessed easily, sans tools.

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Gateway 710XL PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

3. Gateway Gateway 710XL

3.2-GHz Pentium 4, 500GB (RAID) hard drive, 18-inch LCD monitor, 256MB NVidia GeForce FX 5900G Ultra graphics, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW, 48X/16X/40X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $3500

Bottom Line: Tons of storage space, solid performance, and FireWire ports make this model a good choice for video editing.

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Millennia 920i Creative Studio PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 06, 2003

4. MPC (Micron PC) Millennia 920i Creative Studio

3.2-GHz Pentium 4, 250GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 128MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW, 48X/24X/48X CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo, Price when ranked: $2831

Bottom Line: Roomy interior; unit includes a dual-format DVD burner and Pinnacle's Studio 8.5 for video editing and DVD authoring.

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Aurora Extreme with 2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

5. Alienware Aurora Extreme with 2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51, 160GB (RAID) hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW, 52X/32X/52X CD-RW, Flash media reader (SD/MMC, CFI/II, MS, SM), Price when ranked: $4113

Bottom Line: Outstanding performer is a great choice for gamers who want a system that can effortlessly render complex graphics.

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Poly 900NF3-FX1 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: December 02, 2003

6. Polywell Poly 900NF3-FX1

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51, 322GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 256MB Gainward GeForce FX 5900 Ultra graphics, DVD-R/RW/+R/RW, 52X/24X/52X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $3279

Bottom Line: This system sailed through our gaming tests with sky-high frame rates in Unreal Tournament 2003, tying for the fastest model.

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MicroFlex 30A PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: April 25, 2003

7. Micro Express MicroFlex 30A

2.167-GHz Athlon XP 3000+, 120GB hard drive, 19-inch LCD monitor, 128MB ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro graphics, DVD-R/RW, 52X/24X/52X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $1999

Bottom Line: Reasonably priced and fairly quick, the unit comes with a TV tuner.

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Dimension 4600 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: November 07, 2003

8. Dell Dimension 4600

2.8-GHz Pentium 4, 80GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, 128MB NVidia GeForce4 FX 5200 graphics, 16X DVD-ROM, 48X/24X/48X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $1675

Bottom Line: This Dell produced solid frame rates in our tests, making it ideal for work and play. The LCD was stellar, too.

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HP Compaq Business Desktop d325 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 08, 2003

9. HP HP Compaq Business Desktop d325

2.13-GHz Athlon XP 2600+, 40GB hard drive, 15-inch LCD monitor, Integrated NVidia GeForce4 graphics using main memory, 24X-48X CD-ROM, Price when ranked: $924

Bottom Line: Bare-bones business system has room for expansion and dual VGA inputs, but it lacks a CD-RW drive.

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MicroFlex 32A PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: September 02, 2003

10. Micro Express MicroFlex 32A

2.2-GHz Athlon XP 3200+, 120GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 128MB ATI Radeon All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro graphics, 16X DVD-ROM, 52X/24X/52X CD-RW, Flash media reader (SD/MMC, CFI/II, MS, SM), Price when ranked: $1399

Bottom Line: A strong performer, the 32A blazed through our 3D graphics tests, pumping out fast frame rates at 1280 by 1024 resolution.

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Poly 880NF2-2800 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: September 02, 2003

11. Polywell Poly 880NF2-2800

2.08-GHz Athlon XP 2800+, 80GB hard drive, 17-inch CRT monitor, Integrated NVidia NForce2 graphics using main memory, 16X DVD-ROM, 52X/24X/52X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $990

Bottom Line: This model has good speed and room for additional storage. A window on the side of case lets you see the interior.

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Pavilion A250n Desktop (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-DF253A) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 06, 2003

12. HP Pavilion A250n Desktop (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-DF253A)

2.6-GHz Pentium 4, 120GB hard drive, 15-inch LCD monitor, 64MB NVidia GeForce4 MX 440 graphics, DVD+R/RW, 24X-48X CD-ROM, flash media reader (SD/MMC, CFI/II, MS, SM), Price when ranked: $1480

Bottom Line: Well-designed minitower features clear labels and easy-to-access ports. The 15-inch LCD showed crisp text and vibrant graphics.

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Value Pro PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: June 23, 2003

13. IBuyPower Value Pro

2.67-GHz Pentium 4, 80GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 64MB GeForce4 MX 440 graphics, 52X/24X/52X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $849

Bottom Line: Bargain-price system has plenty of expansion room, but lacks Firewire ports. This PC's budget graphics board yielded low frame rates in our tests.

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M2000 DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER 2.8GHZ 160GB DVD RW/CD RW (ViewSonic-M2000) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 04, 2003

14. ViewSonic M2000 DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER 2.8GHZ 160GB DVD RW/CD RW (ViewSonic-M2000)

2.8-GHz Pentium 4, 160, 19-inch LCD, 64MB NVidia GeForce4 MX 440, DVD-R/RW/RAM drive, media reader (SD/MMC, CFI/II, MS, SM), Price when ranked: $1648

Bottom Line: ViewSonic's first PC is small enough to fit onto your TV cabinet. Like other Media Center PCs, the M2000 offers TiVo-like functionality, records and plays digital music, and manages your digital images.

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Presario S4000T PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: October 08, 2003

15. Compaq Presario S4000T

2.4-GHz Pentium 4, 120GB hard drive, 15-inch LCD monitor, Integrated Intel 845G graphics , DVD+R/RW, 16X DVD-ROM, 48X/16X/40X CD-RW, Price when ranked: $1160

Bottom Line: Low-cost system comes with an excellent software bundle, including Microsoft Office XP.

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All systems are tested or retested under our PC WorldBench 4 test suite.

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