Quantex QP6/400 M-4x SE

Quantex QP6/400 M-4x SE

SUMMARY

PRO: Good expandability, extensive features CON: Average performance for its CPU class, on the expensive side

A good choice for any user with multimedia needs, this $1749 Quantex comes outfitted with an Iomega Zip drive, a 19-inch monitor, a 4.8X DVD-ROM drive, and management features. Though the M-4x SE is part of Quantex's Value Multimedia line, its price is the second-highest among all PCs on this month's chart. The M-4x SE's PC WorldBench 98 score of 203 is close to the mean for the 11 similarly configured PII-400 PCs we've tested.

Corporate users may appreciate the included Desktop Management Interface, but you'll have trouble taking advantage of this feature without an integrated ethernet card; our test PC came with a V.90 modem instead. On the plus side, Quantex tacked on the business-savvy 8MB Diamond Stealth II G460 graphics card, which features tools for customizing your desktop. (For example, you can create shortcut keys or bring up the Start menu by clicking anywhere on the desktop.) The system's Altec Lansing ACS45 speakers offer impressive sound quality, with wide-ranging highs and lows.

A look inside the M-4x SE's case reveals a well-organized interior with lots of room to grow, including two externally accessible and three internal open drive bays, and four open slots--a generous allotment considering that the system already carries a preinstalled Zip drive. The software bundled with the system includes Corel's WordPerfect Suite 8.

Quantex warrants its desktop systems for three years on parts and one year on labor, and provides around-the-clock toll-free technical support. In our most recent reader survey, the company's home systems received good ratings for both reliability and service.