The Ajump Prive 336 is inexpensive, but it sacrifices performance and features to achieve its low price. At the heart of the $499 (as of November 6, 2006) Prive 336 is a 2.8-GHz Intel Celeron D processor and 512MB of RAM--a combination that goes a long way toward explaining why this system crawled to a WorldBench 5 score of 66, near the bottom among the 14 models tested for our January 2007 cheap PCs roundup.

The systems' graphics performance is subpar, too. In our test games, the system, which relies on integrated Intel 82865G graphics, sleepwalked its way to extremely low frame rates: In Doom 3, it managed just 3 frames per second at 1280-by-1024-pixel resolution--one of the worst frame rates posted by any unit in our cheap PCs cohort, and for too slow and jerky to sustain game play. The system failed our Doom 3 test with antialiasing enabled, and it failed our Far Cry tests with and without antialiasing.

The Prive 336 comes with very limited features. Our test configuration included an 80GB hard drive, a 16X DVD burner, and little else. Even the software bundle is bare-bones: You get an OEM version of Nero Burning ROM and of Ulead's older DVD MovieFactory 4, but no antivirus software and no office productivity software.

The monitor is a rather poor 17-inch CRT, the Impressions 7Plus, that delivered fuzzy text and flat, dull colors.

The system's construction left a similarly dismal impression: The large, generic white case dwarfs the small motherboard, which has only three PCI slots on offer, the case has three more unused expansion card covers. This translates into a lot of wasted space inside the chassis. The system has plenty of vacant drive bays, but the cables running inside the case are loosely tied, and they block access to the bays. You get an AGP slot and three PCI slots, but no PCI Express slots, a deficiency that greatly limits the range of graphics cards you can upgrade to later; only slower, older cards come with AGP-style connections.

The Ajump Prive 336 is a disappointing system, even with allowance made for its low price. It runs slowly, uses dated technology, and has a mediocre monitor.

Richard Baguley