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Top 15 Desktops

Two new Dell Dimensions--the 8400 and the 4700--rise to the top of our rankings.

Richard Baguley

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Dimension 8400 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

1. Dell Dimension 8400

3.6-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, Two 160GB RAID hard drives, 19-inch LCD monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon X800 XT graphics, 12X DVD+RW and 48X CD-RW drives, Price when ranked: $2999

Bottom Line: This PC's new Intel processor and chip set, top-performing graphics card, and attractive LCD monitor are a winning combination.

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Aurora Extreme PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 24, 2004

2. Alienware Aurora Extreme

2.4-GHz Athlon 64 FX-53 CPU, Two 74GB RAID hard drives and a 250GB drive, 22-inch CRT monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 XT graphics, 8X DVD±RW and 48X CD-RW drives, media-card reader, Price when ranked: $4562

Bottom Line: Quick, gaming-centric, and very pricey; this Aurora?s sci-fi-themed case is exotic without being horrendously gaudy.

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Presario 8000z PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: April 28, 2004

3. HP Presario 8000z

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 3400+ CPU, Two 80GB RAID hard drives, 17-inch LCD monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon 9600 Pro graphics, 8X DVD+RW and 48X CD-RW drives, Price when ranked: $2154

Bottom Line: The 8000Z sped through our tests; but the model we reviewed lacked open drive bays to boost storage.

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Mtower 64FX PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

4. Xi Computer Mtower 64FX

2.4-GHz Athlon 64 3800+ CPU, Two 74GB RAID hard drives and a 250GB drive, 19-inch LCD monitor, 256MB Asus V9980 Ultra graphics, 12X DVD±RW and 16X DVD-ROM drives, Price when ranked: $3636

Bottom Line: This swift system comes with a great selection of software, has room for expansion, and offers wireless support.

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Microflex 34A PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 02, 2004

5. Micro Express Microflex 34A

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 3400+ CPU, 250GB hard drive, 19-inch LCD monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 XT graphics, 8X DVD±RW drive, media-card reader, Price when ranked: $2699

Bottom Line: A generally well-equipped system, with USB 2.0 ports on the top of its chassis, It earned low scores for sound quality.

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VAIO PCVRS630G Desktop PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

6. Sony VAIO PCVRS630G Desktop

3.2-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 250GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, 128MB ATI Radeon 9200 graphics, 8X DVD±RW and 16X DVD-ROM drives, media-card reader, Price when ranked: $2069

Bottom Line: Though a bit sluggish in our performance tests, this PC has some nice features, such as the ability to record and play back TV.

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Vision FX PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

7. Velocity Micro Vision FX

2.4-GHz Athlon 64 FX-53 CPU, Two 36GB RAID hard drives and a 120GB drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 256MB EVGA NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics, 12X DVD±RW and 52X CD-RW drives, Price when ranked: $3745

Bottom Line: This model shines in every category, especially case design and documentation. It's a little expensive, though.

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Dimension 4700 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

8. Dell Dimension 4700

3-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 160GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, Integrated Intel Media Accelerator 900 graphics, 16X DVD-ROM and 48X CD-RW drives, Price when rated: $1574

Bottom Line: This update of a previous Best Buy uses a new Intel chip set to provide better integrated graphics and sound.

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VAIO PCV-RS520 Desktop PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 24, 2004

9. Sony VAIO PCV-RS520 Desktop

3-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 160GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, 128MB ATI Radeon 9200 graphics, 8X DVD±RW and 16X DVD-ROM drives, media-card reader, Price when rated: $1600

Bottom Line: Stylish design and competitive performance are undermined by inferior keyboard and tinny-sounding speaker ssytem

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Dimension 2400 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: March 29, 2004

10. Dell Dimension 2400

2.67-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 80GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, Integrated Intel 845GL graphics, 16X DVD-ROM and 48X CD-RW drives, Price when rated: $699

Bottom Line: A large CRT monitor and a generous, home-oriented software bundle highlight this bargain system.

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MiniBox PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: August 23, 2004

11. Polywell MiniBox

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 3000+ CPU, Two 80GB RAID hard drives, 19-inch CRT monitor, 128MB ChainTech SA5900X graphics, 12X DVD±RW drive, media-card reader, Price when rated: $1399

Bottom Line: This small system offers good performance and plenty of ports, but it has extremely limited expansion options.

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Back to School 64 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 02, 2004

12. IBuyPower Back to School 64

2.2-GHz Athlon 64 3400+ CPU, 80GB hard drive, 19-inch CRT monitor, 256MB ATI Radeon 9800 XT graphics, 8X DVD±RW drive, media-card reader, Price when rated: $1694

Bottom Line: Though this machine performed well in our tests, its outlandish front panel might give even gamers pause.

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Sys Performance 64-3200 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 02, 2004

13. Sys Technology Sys Performance 64-3200

2-GHz Athlon 64 3200+ CPU, 120GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, 128MB PNY FX 5900 SE graphics, 8X DVD±RW drive, media-card reader, Price when rated: $1695

Bottom Line: Nondescript black tower has a terrific software bundle and an attractive balance of features, speed, and price.

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DX 2000 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: May 25, 2004

14. HP DX 2000

3-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 40GB hard drive, 15-inch LCD monitor, Integrated Intel 865GV graphics, Combination 16X DVD-ROM and 52X CD-RW drive, Price when rated: $1198

Bottom Line: No-frills, attractively priced business system performs sufficiently well for light to moderate duties.

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Max 3000+ PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated: July 29, 2004

15. Amax Max 3000+

2.167-GHz Athlon XP 3000+ CPU, 120GB hard drive, 17-inch LCD monitor, Integrated NVidia GeForce4 MX graphics, Combination 16X DVD-ROM and 52X CD-RW drive, Price when rated: $1389

Bottom Line: Model works as a low-profile desktop or thin tower; silver-gray design fits nicely in most business or home settings.

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All systems are tested or retested under our WorldBench 5 test suite.

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