NuTrend Kila 2

The NuTrend Kila2 carries a low price--quite attractive, considering some of the goodies you get in this box. Most systems in its price range rely on integrated graphics and, at most, a paltry set of 2.1 speakers. The Logitech Z-640 speaker set (consisting of four satellites and a subwoofer --the database says this is a 5.1 system) provided hearty audio when we connected them to the system's Realtek AC97 integrated sound. When we watched a racing scene in a DVD movie the speakers sent out strong, but not overpowering, bass. Vocal tracks sounded crisp and clear.

Equipped with 512MB of DDR333 SDRAM, our test unit earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 125, very close to the score earned by a system with the same memory and graphics, but a 2.8-GHz Pentium 4 CPU.

Our review unit arrived with the 17-inch Samsung SyncMaster 735DF CRT, which uses a flat shadow-mask picture tube. Its image quality was acceptable overall, but unexciting compared with that of other CRT's we've seen. Colors in our test photos, for example, weren't particularly bright or vivid, and we saw fuzzy edges in small fonts on a newsletter. NuTrend offers 15-inch LCDs from Hitachi and Sony for an extra $209 and $265, respectively; or you can a go big with a 21-inch Samsung LCD for $1180 more.

Before you can open the midsize tower case, you must remove two thumbscrews on the rear. Inside, the neatly bundled cabling is tied up and moved out of the way to give you plenty of room to work. A couple of nice case features: A metal railing that spans the desktop's side sends air thorough the case to the CPU, and back-mounted clips lock down PCI cards, so you don't need to fiddle with screws before adding or replacing cards.

A large binder organizes software and documentation; it also holds manuals for individual components, a handy setup poster, and a user's manual that, while not specific to this system, provides some details on setup, upgrading, and troubleshooting.

Upshot: This NuTrend Kila provides great performance and nice features for the price. For the best multimedia experience, however, buy it with a different monitor.

Mick Lockey