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Top 20 Budget Desktops

Older systems of 300 MHz or more dominate the budget list. Gateway's $2125 G6-300b steals the top spot, thanks to a 17-inch monitor, 8.4GB drive, and terrific performance.

  

Great performance and good components help the Gateway E-3110 300 stand out. A Best Buy on the power chart just a month ago, the machine notched a PC WorldBench score of 172--very peppy for a PII-300 system. The Gateway E-3110 also includes hot add-ons for corporate PCs like an SMC EtherPower II 10/100 network interface card to support an easy high-speed network connection, as well as DMI-2 client management software that lets LAN administrators track changes and upgrade the system remotely.

Outfitted with a 17-inch monitor for the budget chart (it was configured with a 19-inch monitor the previous month), the reconfigured E-3110 300 costs $1999, $586 less than last month. The system comes with an 8.4-GB hard drive, a Gateway EV700 monitor, and an ATI 3D Rage Pro Turbo PC2TV graphics card that includes 8MB of SGRAM and video ports. Also surprising for a corporate box: an Ensoniq Audio PCI sound card and reasonably good-sounding Altec Lansing ACS41 speakers. Like most other PCs sold specifically for hookup to a LAN, the E-3110 does not come with a modem.

Color-coded cables and ports make attaching peripherals easy. The cover is a breeze to remove too: Just twist off the two large screws with your fingers, and you can slide back the side panel to reveal the orderly interior. Gateway's support policies are terrific, including a three-year parts and labor warranty and 24-hour toll-free technical support.


SUMMARY
Gateway E-3110 300


PRO: Easy-off external case, bundled LAN adapter and client management software, top-tier support policies
CON: Curved case top makes stacking external components difficult


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