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333 for the Masses

With new 350- and 400-MHz Intel CPUs expected, prices are plunging on current Pentium IIs.

By PC World staff, edited by Rex Farrance   

Buying a new PC is kind of like major-league pitching: It%squots all in the timing. Make your move at the right moment, and belt one out of the park; get a little off, and you%squotre either out in front or late on your swing. Of course, with the steady procession of new chips coming through the Silicon Valley turnstiles, trying to maintain bragging rights on the fastest or latest system would require a trade-in every few months. But if you keep your eye on the ball, you%squotll be ready when the industry does throw a fat pitch, making it easy for you to connect with an unusually good deal.

As we write this, the Pentium II-333 is the fastest processor available in Windows desktop systems. But you always have to pay extra for the most powerful equipment, right? Not if you pick your spots. Thanks to the pressure from the 350- and 400-MHz Pentium IIs Intel is expected to announce soon, prices are slipping quickly on both PII-300s and 333s.

The 333-MHz chip received an extra boost in late March, when Intel dropped its price to system vendors. The end result of all this cost-cutting is terrific buys on high-performance models. Many top-of-the-line systems would have cost hundreds more just a few weeks ago. In fact, 333-MHz models, which are already well-represented on our current Power Desktops chart, will be taking an even more prominent place next month

Expect to pay less than $2700 on average for a PII-333 with 64MB of RAM, an 8GB hard drive, a 17-inch monitor, sound, speakers ... usually with a fast modem and some apps thrown in. Similarly configured Pentium II-300s will cost about $200 less.

Goodbye MMX?
Systems based on Intel%squots Pentium MMX CPU are becoming more scarce, and before the end of the month at least one major system vendor is expected to announce an all-Pentium II desktop lineup. That means that all the Intel-based budget desktops will be relatively powerful. To gauge your needs, see our quick guide to evaluating the kind of system you need to match the work you do: %dquotHow Much PC Do You Need?%dquot (link to right).

If you decide you don%squott need all the moxie of a PII-333, the Pentium II price slide still puts you in the driver%squots seat. Budget Pentium II-266 systems are looking better than ever, with an average price of $2000 or less for a nicely set up system with at least 32MB of RAM, a 4GB or larger hard drive, a 17-inch monitor, sound, speakers, and often an office suite. As recently as the end of last year, these PCs would have been candidates for our Top 20 Power Desktops chart. Finally, don%squott be surprised to find PII-333s from some of the smaller system vendors showing up in some budget systems, although you%squotll have to pay a few hundred dollars more.

For more information and the full Top 20 Power and Budget Desktop reviews, check out %dquotPentium II-333s: The Next Great Deal?%dquot in the June issue of PC World magazine. What about newer and even faster Pentium IIs? We%squotll also have a report on these in our June issue: See Laurianne McLaughlin%squots %dquot400-MHz Pentium IIs: Do You Need the Speed?%dquot