WHAT'S HOT: The Poly KLX-850D proves that processing power doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Priced at $925, this Duron-850 system flew through our PC WorldBench 2000 tests, turning in a score of 141, which doesn't fall far short of the average marks posted by Athlon-800 and Pentium III-800 systems we've tested. The Poly KLX-850D posted above-average frame-rate scores in Quake III, and scenes looked particularly striking during game play--a rare occurrence with PCs in this price range. Also impressive is the Poly KLX-850D's roomy interior. With two open PCI slots and four open drive bays (three externally accessible and one internal), the system offers plenty of room for future hardware additions.

WHAT'S NOT: The Poly KLX-850D lacks amenities found in PCs from bigger manufacturers. For example, it includes no illustrated instruction sheet for setup, no user-friendly manual, and no noteworthy software titles. (To be fair, technically savvy users will find a useful collection of manuals covering the motherboard and each individual component.) We found the floppy drive difficult to access, too, because its opening is so deeply recessed. Warm colors in the red-to-yellow spectrum appeared a bit washed out on the 17-inch Optiquest Q71 monitor; and small text, which looked clear at 1024 by 768 resolution, started to blur at 1280 by 1024. We found the no-frills keyboard too light and flimsy for our taste.

WHAT ELSE: DVD movie playback looked quite sharp, with strong color contrast. Movies benefit from the ample sound produced by the Cambridge SoundWorks PC Works speakers and subwoofer. Due to insufficient data, Polywell is not ranked in PC World's Reliability and Service survey, but in our most recent anonymous tech support calls, Polywell received an overall rating of Fair.

BEST USE: A PC-savvy user--especially a gaming fan on a tight budget--will make the most of this budget home system. Spending a little more to upgrade the keyboard and monitor would be money well spent.

SUMMARY

Polywell Poly KLX-850D PC WorldBench 2000 score of 141, Duron-850 CPU, 128MB of SDRAM, 64KB L2 cache, Windows Me, 30GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, Leadtek WinFast GeForce2 MX graphics card with 32MB of SDRAM, 17-inch Optiquest Q71 monitor, VIA Embedded AC97 sound, Cambridge Soundworks PC Works speakers, V.90 modem, network adapter, midsize tower case. Three-year parts warranty, five-year labor warranty; unlimited, 24-hour toll-free tech support daily. $925 800/999-1278 www.polywell.com