Quantcast
PCWorld.com is upgrading some back-end systems. Some site features, such as user registration, may be temporarily unavailable.

Top 15 Office PCs

New PCs equipped with Northwood Pentium 4 processors register no performance boost over older P4-based systems in PC WorldBench 4 tests.

  • 0 Yes
  • 0 No

Two PCs with Intel's next-generation Pentium 4 chip--formerly dubbed Northwood--land on this month's power chart. Intel uses a .13-micron manufacturing process to build the new chip, so it runs cooler and consumes less power than its predecessors, according to the company. Northwood-based CPUs also have double the on-chip Level 2 cache of their predecessors, jumping from 256KB to 512KB. Elsewhere, we have described at greater length our first look at systems containing the new chip.

In spite of our initial impressions, we could not detect any extra speed boost in the second-place MicronPC Millennia TS Professional ($2575) or the number five Gateway 700XL ($2999); both systems, based on a new 2.2-GHz P4, were outperformed by competing PCs with AMD and older Intel processors on our PC WorldBench 4 tests. Potential buyers should be aware that systems with revamped 2-GHz processors (called 2A-GHz Pentium 4s) are also available, creating some overlap with earlier-generation 2-GHz Pentium 4 machines. Some vendors intend to carry both chips for the near future, so if having the latest CPU model is important to you, ask for it when ordering a system. For example, our power Best Buy, the Dell Dimension 8200 (which Dell opted not to retire, contrary to the report in our January issue), came with the original 2-GHz Pentium 4 at the time we reviewed it; Dell now offers a 2A-GHz version as well.

Also new to the chart this month: the Micro Express MicroFlex 1900A, the Sys Performance 1900+, the Systemax Ascent SA14, and the HP Vectra VL420.

  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Daily Deals

Special Offers for PC World Users

Featured APC Accessories

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC Smart-UPS Loaded with cutting-edge features, unique battery life predictor, unbeatable on-line efficiencies and software agents allowing remote UPS monitoring. Get 10% off your entire kart purchase!

People who read this also read:

  • Lenovo Laptop Showcase Find out how Lenovo IdeaPads and Thinkpads balance performance and portability. Visit the Lenovo Resource Center for more info...

PC World's How To Buy Laptops Guide

Sponsored Links