Artwork: Rick Rizner, John Goddard

In a way, today's high-end PC gaming is what street racing was to an earlier era. In both cases, top speed produces the bragging rights. Making a strong argument for those bragging rights this month is the Ultimate M5-64, a high-end gaming system from ABS. Powered by AMD's flagship 2.6-GHz Athlon 64 FX-55 processor, dual 74GB hard drives in a striped RAID 0 array, and a 256MB EVGA-E GeForce 6800 Ultra graphics card, the M5 took honors as the second fastest PC we've tested to date, turning in a smoking 107 on our WorldBench 5 tests. Only the Alienware Aurora 64 FX-55, which we tested at the same time, was faster, with a recording-setting WorldBench score of 110. The ABS also fell just behind the Alienware in graphics performance: In our Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Unreal Tournament gaming tests, both systems pumped out graphics at a blistering average of nearly 300 frames per second.

ABS equipped the $3899 M5-64 we tested with a dazzling 19-inch Samsung SyncMaster 910T LCD. This display impressed us with its sharp text and vivid photo reproduction, not to mention the flawless DVD playback's bright, sharp colors.

Every hot rod also needs a throaty engine: Our package included an outstanding combo of a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 SB0240 sound card and Logitech Z-680 5.1-channel speakers. We loved the clear, crisp sounds and the deep bass from the huge subwoofer. A 200GB hard drive (in addition to the two RAID drives) should provide enough room for almost anyone's digital music library.

Like any tricked-out street machine, the M5-64 looks sharp both outside and under the hood. The all-metal case is covered with ventilation holes, evoking an arty/industrial feel, and the wheels let you roll this heavy system into position for upgrades. The front panel includes one FireWire and two USB 2.0 ports, as well as a temperature gauge to monitor the CPU's Aquagate Liquid CPU Cooling System.

If you're looking for quiet, however, you won't find it here--despite the liquid cooling system, it still has relatively noisy fans. The cooling system also takes up two of the 5.25-inch bays. That, combined with the two installed optical drives, leaves no externally accessible bays open. Moreover, the two unused PCI slots are obstructed by other components.

Upshot: This system's attractions are more than skin deep. Its high-end components and top-end performance easily justify its nearly $4000 sticker price.

Scott Plamondon