WHAT'S HOT:

At the heart of the MicroFlex 18A beats one of the speediest processors around: AMD's 1.53-GHz Athlon XP 1800+. And there's no denying this system's red-hot performance: On our PC WorldBench 4 test, the MicroFlex 18A flexed its muscles to achieve a score of 127, tying the Sys Performance 1800+--another 1.53-GHz Athlon XP 1800+ system--for the high score among Windows 2000 PCs we've seen and beating the average for 2-GHz P4 systems running Windows 2000 by 12 points (about 10 percent).

Many users will appreciate the Microsoft Natural Keyboard, with its split-key design and smooth, quiet typing.

WHAT'S NOT: To get this system, you'll have to either request it specifically over the phone or search the Micro Express Web site for the MicroFlex 18A model name: Micro Express doesn't list it on its site. The 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 700ift monitor reproduced 12-point Arial text crisply at 1024 by 768 resolution and 1280 by 1024 resolution, but we saw some blur at the maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200 (although this is not uncommon on 17-inch displays). Color was another matter: Even after we experimented with the brightness and contrast controls, colors on our test images still appeared too light, almost washed out.

No business applications shipped with our test MicroFlex, but considering the system's price, that's a minor complaint. We received only the utilities bundled with the optical drives.

WHAT ELSE: Opening the familiar-looking gray-and-beige Micro Express midsize tower requires a simple three-step process: Remove a single thumbscrew from the back of the top panel, pop off the top panel, and then snap out the metal side panel. All three steps are just as smooth when performed in reverse. All the drive faces match the case, and the case and side panel feel sturdy.

On the inside, some of the cabling obstructs the drive bays, although overall the interior appears fairly neat, with plenty of room to reach the PCI expansion slots. The system is well equipped: A modem, a network card, and the Sound Blaster Live 5.1 sound card fill three of the five PCI slots, leaving you with two open slots for future expansion. Plus, the system has three open drive bays.

Micro Express's stock documentation includes a quick-setup poster; with it (and the clearly labeled and color-coded rear ports on the tower), getting the system up and running goes pretty smoothly. The spiral-bound system manual rests flat to an open page--which is useful when you're troubleshooting or following steps while typing. It also contains a thorough glossary and decent coverage of basic Windows and Internet-access issues. It's not specific to this particular system, however, so you may have to read between the lines occasionally.

Though not the fastest rewritable drive available, the 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive will suffice for making data backups or audio CDs. The CardExpert GeForce2 MX 400 graphics board provides an S-Video output port and comes with a cable so you can output presentations or other images to a TV. Generic modem and network interface cards--the latter with Wake-on-LAN capability--shipped with our test system.

UPSHOT: This system offers excellent performance for a great price of $1199, though the low cost reflects the use of some low- to medium-grade components. Our only major gripe is with the display; you can substitute a better monitor at additional cost.

SUMMARY

Micro Express MicroFlex 18A PC WorldBench 4 score of 127, 1.53-GHz Athlon XP 1800+ CPU, 256MB of SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows 2000, 40GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive, CardExpert GeForce2 MX 400 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 700ift monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Altec Lansing ACS48 speakers, V.90 modem, network adapter, midsize tower case. Four-year parts and labor warranty, free unlimited 24-hour tech support. $1199 800/989-9900 www.microexpress.net