Computer Essentials
Best Business Desktop PC
Dell Dimension XPS D
Series
Like scandal in the White House, Dell has been a virtual fixture
atop our power desktops chart this year. By keeping prices low and technology
high--64MB of SDRAM, roomy 8GB hard drive, AGP graphics, and more--Dell has
made its Dimension XPS D line an exceptional value.
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Runner-up: Micron Millennia Series.
This line is fast, support keeps improving, and Micron has pioneered
the use of some parts, like Zip drives, as standard.
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Best Home Desktop PC
Gateway G Series
Last year around the holidays, Gateway got our attention with its budget
G5 series, earning Best Buys from November 1997 to February 1998. These Pentium
MMX systems deliver enough power for most homes and sometimes come with an
ink jet printer--all for around $1500. Now the G6 series brings power and
value to the top of the charts.
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Runner-up: Dell Dimension XPS D Series.
For home buyers, Dell bundles its powerful D series with features like a subwoofer
and Microsoft Home Essentials 98.
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Best Sub-$1000
PC
IBM Aptiva E Series
Think all IBM PCs are
pricey? Think again. The $699 Aptiva E16 (without a monitor, which starts
at $199) isn't built for speed--it comes with an AMD K6-166 chip and 16MB
of RAM--but the well-designed package includes a 56-kbps modem, an ATI Rage
II 3D graphics card, and Lotus SmartSuite 97. Its faster sibling, the E26,
has also dropped well below $1000.
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Runner-up: Compaq Presario 2200 Series.
Arguably the first sub-$1000 PCs, Compaq's Presario 2240 and siblings deliver
high quality at low prices.
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Best Notebook PC
Dell Inspiron Series
You want speed? Dell's got
speed. The company has an uncanny knack for building really fast notebooks.
The $3199 Inspiron 3200 D266XT is the quickest of the bunch. It's sturdy and
has a brilliant 13.3-inch active-matrix screen. If only it came standard with
a modem, we'd never stop talking about it.
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Runner-up: Gateway Solo 2300 Series. They
stalked the top of our power notebooks chart from December 1997 to March 1998,
and now they're looking to lay claim to the budget chart. These babies use
a variety of CPUs to match any pocketbook, and their batteries keep going
and going.
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Best Monitor
Iiyama VisionMaster 450
Big, bright, and beautiful--that's the VisionMaster
450. This $765 display is the best argument yet for moving up to 19 inches.
Its sharp text and vibrant colors stand out, and with the extra viewing area,
you can see even more of your spreadsheets, Web pages, and other documents.
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Runner-up:
Mitsubishi Diamond Pro Series. These monitors consistently impress
us with their superior picture. Prices range from $1649 for the 21-inch Diamond
Pro 1000 to $549 for the 17-inch Diamond Pro 87TXM.
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Best Graphics Board
STB Velocity 128
It's been a big year for combination 2D/3D graphics boards. The $129 Velocity
128, with its groundbreaking nVidia Riva 128 graphics chip, proved that you
can have both fast 2D performance and good 3D image quality. And with its
price falling, it's the ideal choice.
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Runners-up: Creative Labs 3D Blaster Voodoo2 and Diamond
Monster 3D II. These 8MB 3D-only cards ($229 and $249, respectively)
are the best for playing 3D games on the PC.
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Best Sound Board
Creative Labs Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold
For
the sixth straight year, a Sound Blaster brings home the gold--and this year
the gold is literal. The $149 Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold appeals to audiophiles
with 64-voice wavetable MIDI, a great selection of audio software, and even
gold-plated ports for better output. The 4MB of MIDI samples from E-mu Systems
produce superior realism, and gamers can rest easy knowing the card is truly
Sound Blaster compatible.
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Runner-up: Diamond Monster Sound M80.
Creative Labs beware. This $99 PCI-based card may herald a changing of the
guard. It has impressive positional 3D audio effects and 32-voice MIDI playback.
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Best Hard Drive
Maxtor 8.4GB DiamondMax 2160
With so much important stuff living
on your hard drive these days--apps and files, cookies, cached Web pages,
even captured video--you need a hard drive you can trust. Our favorite is
this $279 unit (see "Godzilla-Size Hard Drives"). It's roomy (8.4GB), great
for multimedia apps, and backed by Maxtor's support with its stellar reputation.
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Runner-up:
Seagate MedalistPro 6451. If you can do with a little less space,
Seagate's 6.4GB drive will save you about $50. It's an outstanding general-purpose
drive; complete installation instructions are printed right on it.
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Best CD-ROM Drive
Plextor UltraPleX PX-32CSi
In practical terms, 32X isn't much faster than 24X. But if you spend
your days scanning CD-ROM databases, every bit of speed helps. Plextor's $249
SCSI CD-ROM drive is the fastest of this company's excellent line. For those
who need extra speed now and can't wait for DVD prices to drop, the upgrade
is worth it.
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