Polywell Poly 880XP-1900

WHAT'S HOT: Our Poly 880XP-1900 came with a 1.6-GHz Athlon XP 1900+ CPU and 256MB of DDR memory. The system scored 116 on PC WorldBench 4-average for systems of its configuration running Windows XP Professional, and a very fast score overall. Some credit for its performance is likely due to its use of two 40GB drives configured into one volume with the use of an IDE RAID controller.

The 15-inch LCD monitor accompanying our test system displayed crisp, legible 12-point Arial text; even gray text on a black bar (which shows up poorly on many CRT displays) was easy to read. Images had good detail, and colors remained consistent from all normal viewing angles. The silver-gray monitor bezel matches the desktop chassis's color. Toward the bottom of case are two useful front-mounted USB ports tucked behind a small, clear plastic flip-open door.

WHAT'S NOT: As configured, this Polywell configuration costs $2350, so it isn't a budget system. And while the Matrox G550 dual-head graphics board offers DVI output for digital displays, the Nfren LCD doesn't support DVI, connecting instead via the standard analog monitor port. (Digital LCD flat-panel monitors tend to have an edge in display quality over analog LCDs.)

WHAT ELSE: Opening the large tower entails removing two thumbscrews; the somewhat flexible side panel then slides off and back on with little effort. Even with the extra cables from the RAID setup and the front-mounted USB ports, the interior is neat and all slots are unobstructed, with cables are bundled and pulled out of the way. The unit has two open PCI expansion slots, and you'll run out of connections on the motherboard before you run out of available drive bays: An additional hard drive cage mounted on the bottom of the tower contributes to the seven open bays--four externally accessible and three internal. But thanks to the 82GB hard drive and the CD-RW drive, only a user who deals with exceptionally large files (such as video) would need more storage devices.

The system's blue-and-gray keyboard is narrower than most, but that doesn't hamper its the usability. The keyboard has 12 convenient multimedia and Internet shortcut keys. Typing on the keyboard was smooth and quiet, although the keys felt a bit sluggish.

The Poly 880XP-1900 comes with thorough documentation for individual components, plus a spiral-bound system manual containing a wealth of information. Though it applies to all Polywell PCs, it has a detailed glossary and a long chapter on troubleshooting.

Lotus SmartSuite, is the only application included with this model. Both a V.90modem and an ethernet adapter come standard, so buyers can choose how they want to connect to the Internet. With a 16X DVD-ROM drive and Creative Labs' Inspire 5300 Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound speaker system, this Polywell model works as a presentation machine, too.

UPSHOT: The Poly 880XP-1900 offers speedy performance and enough extras to justify spending a little extra.

SUMMARY

Polywell Poly 880XP-1900 PC WorldBench 4 score of 116, 1.6-GHz Athlon XP 1900+ CPU, 256MB of SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows XP Professional, 2 40-GB hard drives connected by a RAID card, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, Matrox Millennium G550 graphics card with 32MB of DDR SGRAM, Nfren NF-1500MA 15-inch monitor, SoundBlaster Live CT4830 sound card, Creative Inspire 5300 5.1 speakers, network adapter, V.90 modem, midsize tower case, Lotus Smart Suite. Three-year parts and five-year labor warranty; free, unlimited, 24-hour daily tech support. $2350 800/999-1278 www.polywell.com