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Top 20 Budget Desktops

Pentium IIs surge onto the chart, with entries from Unicent and Midwest Micro. But PCs with alternative chips challenge, including a $1349 Micro Express midtower based on AMD's K6-233.

  


SUMMARY
Midwest Micro Pro 300


PRO: Superfast, with good speakers and monitor
CON: Expensive, no modem


Last month NEC made a splash by putting the first Pentium II-300 system on our budget chart. Now four PII-300 powerhouses grace our list, including the capable Midwest Micro Pro 300. This $2169 home-and-office machine put together a terrific PC WorldBench score of 269, without skimping on any of the amenities that home users want.

There's a lot to like about this attractive midtower, including a large 6.4GB hard disk and the highly regarded ATI 3D Rage Pro graphics card. The MAG DJ717 monitor features the nifty JAG dial, which provides mouselike control of on-screen menus. The system also comes with the Microsoft Office 97 Small Business Edition software suite. One unfortunate oversight: The Midwest Micro Pro 300 lacks a modem.

Midwest Micro did a nice job on the manuals, with useful illustrations, step-by-step upgrade procedures, and ergonomic tips for new users. The company offers a five-year warranty on the CPU and RAM, a three-year warranty for other components, and a three-year labor warranty. Midwest Micro also offers 12 hours of technical support each weekday, plus additional Saturday hours.

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