Fast, Wallet-Friendly Athlon XP PC

You want speed? With MicronPC's Millennia XP+ Professional, you get it--at the attractive price of $1707 (the number may drop lower by the time you read this). This PC has NVidia GeForce graphics and an NVidia NForce motherboard chip set (NVidia's first), in addition to AMD's latest processor, the Athlon XP 1900+. Along with the unit's 256MB of 266-MHz DDR SDRAM, these components helped the system earn top marks on our tests.

Although the Micron XP+ Professional's processor runs at 1.6 GHz, it adopts AMD's new naming scheme, which AMD says more accurately reflects the chip's performance in direct comparison to the Intel competition. Our tests support AMD's claim.

The Millennia XP+ Professional earned a score of 119 on PC WorldBench 4, handily beating the average mark of 108 for three similarly configured 2-GHz Pentium 4-based PCs (all running Windows XP Professional)--a difference you should notice when running general business applications. You won't, however, experience a similarly significant boost compared with a previously tested 1.4-GHz Athlon system from ABS: The Millennia's score topped the ABS's by only about 3 percent.

Good Graphics

Thanks to the integrated graphics (based on the NVidia GeForce2 chip), operating in tandem with the rest of the NForce motherboard chip set--which supplies various performance enhancements--we noted smooth action and outstanding detail on an Unreal Tournament demo. For even better 3D graphics to handle the most demanding games, however, you may want to upgrade to a GeForce3-based graphics card (for $318 more).

Our Millennia XP+ Professional came with a 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, a roomy, 40GB 7200-rpm hard drive, and a decent (but not spectacular) 19-inch MicronPC 910EX monitor. You also get a built-in ethernet port, a 56-kbps modem, and two reasonably good Altec Lansing 200W speakers (but no subwoofer).

The Millennia XP+Professional has plenty of room for expansion, with several unused drive bays and four free PCI slots. Most of the drive bays are accessible from the front of the system; a hinged cover hides them from view. Two of the unit's four USB ports are conveniently located on the front of the case.

The Millennia comes with a Microsoft optical mouse plus an Internet keyboard that has buttons for common browser functions (such as back or forward), and quick-launch buttons for bringing up e-mail, beginning a search, and accessing My Computer, among other functions. MicronPC makes setup easier with color-coded ports and a setup guide, and provides a recovery CD in case you run into trouble.

Highlights of the software bundle include Microsoft Office XP for Small Business, Pinnacle Studio 7 SE to handle digital video, and Ahead Nero Burning ROM 5.5 for making your own CDs.

Solid Desktop PC, Great Price

MicronPC provides a one-year warranty for parts and labor, which includes on-site service. All in all, the Millennia XP+ Professional is a very capable system, with plenty of power to perform your most demanding computing tasks, at a very attractive price.

SUMMARY

MicronPC Millennia XP+ Professional A top performer, with graphics muscle to run your games. Street: $1707