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Does clock speed matter? AMD's newest Athlon processor, running at 1333 MHz, trails its Intel Pentium-4 rivals on paper. But on the desktop, 1333-MHz Athlon systems handily defeat their P4 rivals, including a new 1.7-GHz HP model that was too pricey for our chart. Top speed doesn't always make a top contender, though. Our new number one, Dell's OptiPlex GX400, wins with strong user support and lots of business-class extras.

Also of Note

HP's Vectra VL800MT, a 1.7-GHz Pentium 4 system, earned a score of 209 on PC WorldBench 2000, setting a new speed record for P4 systems running Windows 2000. We admired the 19-inch HP P920 monitor, which produced vibrant colors and sharp text. And HP's bevy of management software makes this an ideal high-powered corporate system. Aside from the integrated sound and the absence of a CD-RW drive, the only feature we disliked was the whopping $3999 price--higher than the price of any other PC in our pool of contenders, and nearly $200 more than the ninth-place Vectra VL800, which has a 21-inch monitor.

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