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A step up from the HP Business Desktop D325 Microtower, the Business Desktop D330 packs a faster Athlon processor in place of the D325's Pentium 4 processor. The black-and-silver D330 minitower's components probably won't appeal to people looking for an edge in performance or for top-shelf components, but what's here can certainly handle office applications and light graphics.

Equipped with a 3-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor and 512MB of 400DDR memory, the D330 turned in a respectable 123 score on PC WorldBench 4. Its performance didn't match that of many power systems, but it fell well within the acceptable range for this configuration.

Popping the case's front panel off is easy after you press the tabs located inside the chassis's side; and this design feature grants you access to the hard drive without your having to dig around or push aside a tangle of wires. The D330 is a minitower, but that doesn't rule out future expansion. Our unit had three open drive bays, three available PCI slots, and room for two more memory modules.

Colors displayed on the 15-inch HP L1502 analog LCD at its default settings looked too dark to us, especially for watching a DVD movie. But after we adjusted the RGB controls and increased the brightness levels, colors looked better. The L1502's text quality was good overall, though small letters seemed a bit fuzzy at the edges.

HP puts Microsoft Works 7.0 in the software bundle; home office users will appreciate the included templates that streamline creating brochures or newsletters. HP throws in a trial version of Norton Antivirus 2003 that expires after 30 days unless you opt for the full version (Norton Antivirus 2004 costs $50).

HP's documentation consists of a PDF-based manual rather than a printed version. Burned on a CD, the information is comprehensive, but we prefer the convenience of a printed version.

Upshot: The HP Business D330 assembles a good set of components primed for business basics.

Mick Lockey