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PIII-600s: Fast, All Right

Quantex system runs 7 percent ahead of typical PIII-550 models in PC WorldBench tests--and costs $2399.

By PC World staff   

You'll soon see a selection of PIII desktops that are well suited for the most demanding applications. Clearly, Intel hopes to push a few laps ahead of Advanced Micro Devices' next-generation Athlon, formerly known as the K7. AMD says the Athlon will be available in 500-, 550-, and 600-MHz versions.

Quantex is shipping one of the first PIII-600 systems. The SM 600SE carries an estimated street price of $2399. It comes with 128MB of memory and a 19-inch monitor.

First PIII-600 Tests

Initial testing found the Pentium III-600 is not dramatically faster than its immediate predecessor, the PIII-550.

The Quantex SM 600SE, with 128MB of memory and a 512KB secondary cache, earned a PC WorldBench score of 260. That is 7 percent faster than PIII-550 systems, based on the average scores of four PIII-550 systems, which came to 242. Under PC WorldBench, the PIII-600 was 13 percent faster than systems running its PIII-500 sibling, which scored an average of 230.

Stay tuned for comparisons with Athlon PCs, arriving next month.

Although the early PIII-600 systems may not show a huge speed boost, they do offer a bargain. For example, many PIII-500 systems were priced at more than $2800 on their debut. The Quantex's price is $400 less.

Celeron-500: Performance, Cheap

But more striking bargains may be found in Celeron-500 systems. PC WorldBench tests on prerelease systems found Celeron-500 posting average scores of 214--neck and neck with many PIII-450 models.

Pair that performance of this 500-MHz "budget" chip with the typically lower price for Celeron systems, and the bang for your buck is tempting, notes Rob Enderle, analyst with Giga Information Group.

"The Celeron's pretty hot, and makes for some hot little boxes, now that it's hit 500," Enderle says. "It toasts pretty much any Pentium-II out there." Until now, Enderle adds, Celeron and PII systems have been close in clock speed.

Celeron systems typically offer built-in a Universal Serial Bus, Ethernet adapters, sound, and video on the motherboard. They're often not as expandable as Pentium systems, but may serve many home and some business users well.

Enderle views the PIII-600 systems as the high end, above the mainstream Celerons. "A 600-MHz machine will come with a bigger hard drive, a better video subsystem. It's really become the Cadillac of the line, while the Celeron is a respectable, high-end Chevy."