Artwork: Rick Rizner, John Goddard

A major complaint about desktop PCs is that they tend to sprawl on the desk. For those users looking to minimize clutter, the all-in-one Gateway Profile 5 offers a tantalizing solution. It integrates an LCD monitor--your choice of a 15-, 17-, or 19-inch version--with the desktop computer itself. The design reduces the footprint of the monitor, leaving only a small base to take up space.

Our test system, the Profile 5XL, had an integrated 19-inch monitor. It used a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 CPU and 1GB of DDR RAM to earn a score of 122 in our PC WorldBench 4 tests, a result that puts it slightly below average for systems with this configuration. Its NVidia GeForce FX5200 graphics card, with a modest 64MB of memory, produced mediocre frame rates.

To remove the lid and access the interior, you must remove four screws embedded in the back of the computer. Inside, the vertically installed motherboard sits behind the LCD monitor. All the components are neatly organized, with cables tucked and stretched properly, but make no mistake--as with some of its small-system cousins, expansion in the Profile 5 is limited. You can't add an extra optical drive, but a rewritable DVD drive sits in the one 5.25-inch bay. A floppy drive occupies the lone 3.5-inch bay.

Six USB 2.0 ports and two FireWire ports allow you to connect peripherals such as cameras, printers, and MP3 players. The system's volume control sits squarely on the front, near the floppy drive, as do a microphone and headphone jack. Speakers are neatly integrated into the desktop base, though they deliver subpar sound; separate speakers, such as the Diamond Storm 2.1 included with our model, improve audio entertainment dramatically. The integrated 19-inch monitor displayed rich colors and clear, crisp text in our tests.

The Profile 5 is perfect for users with limited computer experience. Because of the integrated monitor, setting the PC up for the first time requires little effort, much like when users of laptops first turn on their systems. One adapter powers both the monitor and the desktop, eliminating one cord from a typical desktop setup. At first glance, the $2286 system may be steeply priced, but a 19-inch monitor alone would be worth about $800 on average.

Upshot: The Gateway Profile 5 is a space-saving desktop best suited for everyday office tasks.

Roy Santos