In the Charts: Media Center 2005 PCs Take Center Stage Among Desktops

Photograph: Marc SimonThis month's Top 15 Desktop PCs chart highlights two trends: the emergence of powerful new gaming systems that have sophisticated style, and the rapidly growing selection of Media Center PCs, which expand PC-based home entertainment beyond gaming.

Examples of the former are two new Athlon-fueled machines that sit atop the power section of our chart: Alienware's Aurora 64 FX-55 and ABS's Ultimate M5-64. Both of these systems are visually appealing without shouting "I'm just for games." Not only are they the two fastest systems on the chart, but they also produced outstanding sound with their high-end Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 cards and their 5.1-channel Logitech speakers (the X-530 and the Z-680, respectively).

In our value section, there's a new game system for people on a strict budget. The CyberPower Gamer Ultra 7500 Elite is a bargain machine that costs just $999. This midsize tower has seven open bays and three free slots, and it received a Good score in setup and ease of use. The system's performance, graphics, sound quality, and appearance don't measure up to those of the power gaming models; but at that low price, it may be worth a look.

Last month we evaluated the new crop of entertainment PCs that run Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. With one of these systems, you can tune in favorite TV shows, watch and burn movies, play CDs, and show off your digital photos. Four of the January machines appear on the chart this month: Alienware's DHS 5 and HP's Media Center PC M1050y in the power section, and Sys Technology's MediaMax and Medion's M3Director 5100 among value models. The two power systems perform well but give new meaning to hefty pricing--mainly due to their outstanding wide-screen monitors. And the argument in favor of the value units? They cost one-third as much as the power machines.

Notebooks

A refresh of a thin-and-light IBM laptop that has a biometric security feature debuts this month at number five on the Top 15 Notebook PCs desktop replacements list. The new ThinkPad T42 has a fingerprint reader, a first for IBM. This device employs a state-of-the-art slide sensor, located in the right-hand palm rest of the notebook. A slide sensor requires more-precise finger placement than a postage-stamp-size sensor does, but it records more biometric information for enhanced security, according to IBM. The ThinkPad T42 is a classy portable capable of lasting 5.5 hours on a single battery charge, courtesy of the high-capacity battery that comes standard with the configuration we tested.

We also reviewed the Sharp AL27, a laptop with an unusual case color for a Windows PC: white. The AL27 stands out for its ability to serve as a USB hard drive when it is connected to another PC. Unfortunately, the AL27 scored too low to make our all-purpose notebooks list, due largely to its short 1.8-hour battery life.