Compaq Deskpro EN 6500X

Compaq Deskpro EN 6500X

SUMMARY

PRO: Very fast, good design CON: Pricey; weak features, support, and manuals

Compaq's Deskpro EN 6500X targets IS managers looking for a brand-name Pentium III-500 system. This $2869 workstation chalked up a 232 score on our PC WorldBench 98 tests--on par with similarly configured PIII-500s--putting the 6500X only 5 points behind the fastest Windows 98 systems on the power chart. However, it costs $212 more than the average PIII-500 PC here. That, as well as minor compromises in features and substandard documentation, caused this Deskpro to fall well short of a Best Buy.

On the positive side, Compaq bundles an ethernet card--making this desktop ready for your local area network--and a 14.4GB hard drive that sets aside plenty of storage space for most users. But we've listened to clock radios that produce better sound than this PC's integrated speakers manage to put out. Though we liked the keyboard's quiet, solid feel, the mouse lacks a handy finger-wheel for on-screen document scrolling. And whereas most PCs include at least three free drive bays, the Deskpro EN 6500X offers only one.

In the area of documentation, Compaq disappoints: You get only a foldout setup guide and a smattering of component manuals. With our test system, Compaq included a Windows 95 manual instead of one for Windows 98, the OS that came with the unit. These shortcomings aren't major hurdles for sharp IS people, but they needlessly complicate matters for do-it-yourselfers.

Compaq offers competitive after-sale policies, including a three-year parts warranty and around-the-clock phone support, but our survey respondents gave Compaq's support quality only a tepid rating. In our own anonymous calls to tech support, most hold times lasted a scant few minutes, but we did encounter one horrendous 43-minute wait due to problems with Compaq's phone system. Our readers also rated the company's system reliability as only fair.