WHAT'S HOT: Powered by a budget 1-GHz Duron CPU and 128MB of PC133 SDRAM and running Windows 2000, the TaskMaster matched the baseline score of 100 on our PC WorldBench 4 test. The Matrox Millennium G450 Dual Head graphics board can drive either two monitors or one monitor and a TV simultaneously. The 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drive provides a good way to back up data and to burn data and audio CDs at a respectable speed.

WHAT'S NOT: Sys does not offer a comprehensive system manual for any of its TaskMaster PCs, but it does provide thorough documentation for individual components.

WHAT ELSE: Our TaskMaster shipped with a 19-inch Optiquest Q95 monitor. It delivered adequately rich colors and sharp text; our 12-point Arial font text began to blur slightly only at the maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200 in our tests.

The small Sys minitower includes a loop-style case lock and has clearly labeled, color-coded rear ports. Removing the flexible plastic side panel required loosening two thumbscrews; the side panel pulled off easily but took some force to replace. Although the minitower's interior is understandably on the small side, there is room enough for two available externally accessible drive bays and two open PCI slots. You can access the latter without tools by removing a thumbscrew-attached panel.

A network interface card allows users to connect this system to a network or broadband modem, and the system is Wake-on-LAN enabled for use in enterprise settings. Our system also shipped with the standard Sys keyboard, a smooth, quiet-typing keyboard with hot-keys for sleep, wake-up, and power.

UPSHOT: Sys delivers respectable budget performance and an above-average 19-inch display, plus some extras--the CD-RW drive and dual-head graphics card--that add nicely to the ensemble.

SUMMARY

Sys TaskMaster 1000D PC WorldBench 4 score of 100, Duron-1000 CPU, 128MB of SDRAM, Windows 2000, 41GB hard drive, 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drive, Matrox Millennium G450 graphics card with 32MB of SDRAM, 19-inch Optiquest monitor, Creative Labs CT5580 sound card, Altec Lansing AVS300W speakers, network adapter, minitower case. Three-year parts warranty (five years on CPU and RAM), five-year labor warranty; free unlimited 24-hour tech support. $1222 800/613-9963 www.sys.com