Micro Express Microflex 64KB

Micro Express's MicroFlex 64 KB is one of the first desktops we've tested to carry AMD's recently launched 64-bit, 2.0-GHz Athlon XP 3200+ processor; the CPU came paired with a gigabyte of DDR400 SDRAM. Our review unit posted an excellent score of 141 on our PC WorldBench 4 test suite, placing it among our top performing desktops. In fact, its score is only a point less than that of the ABS Awesome 6300 and the Polywell Poly 900NF3-FX1--two systems running AMD's faster 2.2-GHz Athlon 64 FX-51 processor.

Along with its fast processor, this MicroFlex also flexes multimedia muscle. The 19-inch ViewSonic VP191B LCD monitor that accompanied our review system displayed good-looking hues and sharp details in our photo test. Fonts of all sizes looked crisp, too. We also saw satisfying color on games and during a screening of the DVD version of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The display supports both analog and digital signals, and includes a smorgasbord of ergonomic adjustment options, including swivel and height adjustment, as well as the ability to rotate from landscape to portrait mode.

The ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics board, with 128MB of SDRAM, complements the other components nicely, delivering good frame rates in test games running at 1280 by 1024 resolution with 32-bit color depth (the LCD's native resolution).

We liked the look of Micro Express's new case: It's all black and much more attractive than other MicroFlex models we've seen. The interior is neat with cables tied and out of the way. And there's room to upgrade; our test system had four open PCI slots (out of a total of five) and five open drive bays (out of eight total).

The 4X Toshiba DVD-R/-RW recordable drive is good for burning video to DVD media, but it's a single-format drive (many power systems we see these days come with a versatile dual-format drive), and our test system lacked FireWire ports, video-editing software, and other software applications.

If you want a robust audio system, you won't be happy with this PC's integrated sound from Realtek AC97. The Creative SBS 560 5.1-speaker set, which consists of five small satellites and a subwoofer, send out appreciably loud surround sound, but its quality doesn't match the output from beefier setups such as the Klipsch Pro Media 5.1 or the Logitech Z-680. The system has a SPDIF port for connecting devices such as stereo amplifiers.

Micro Express's documentation consists of individual component manuals, a thick tome dedicated to Windows XP Home Edition, and a user manual; but the manual isn't much help--especially to intermediate or advanced users--because it devotes too much space to explaining basic computer terms that most people are already be familiar with.

Upshot: The MicroFlex 64 KB offers terrific speed at an attractive price, but some of its components resemble those you'd find in value-priced package.

Mick Lockey