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Top 5 Penryn & Phenom Power Desktops

The first high-end systems with Intel's new Penryn CPUs prove markedly faster than a similarly priced system using a new AMD Phenom processor--but in general not much faster than systems configured with Intel's previous-generation processors.

Danny Allen

Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 10:00 PM PST
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What Our Ratings Mean • How the Charts Work • Service & Reliability Methodology
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Rank Name PCW Rating
1
BEST BUY
CyberPower Power Infinity Pro
CyberPower Power Infinity Pro
CPU: 3-GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650
Graphics Adapter: EVGA 8800 GTX
Monitor Model: Sylvania SK2201W-B
Total HD Size (GB): 1800
WorldBench 6 Word Score: Superior
Price When Reviewed: $4299
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Bottom Line: This Penryn-based PC packs a big punch in gaming performance, but it'll also wallop your wallet.
(Last Rated: January 03, 2008)
Full Review • Test Report
83.9Very Good
2
Dell XPS 420
Dell XPS 420
CPU: 2.83-GHz Core 2 Quad Q9550
Graphics Adapter: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT
Monitor Model: Dell SP2208WFP
Total HD Size (GB): 640
WorldBench 6 Word Score: Superior
Price When Reviewed: $2729
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Bottom Line: A solid performer that costs considerably less than Dell's QX9650-based XPS 420 configuration.
(Last Rated: January 03, 2008)
Full Review • Test Report
82.9Very Good
3
Dell XPS 420
Dell XPS 420
CPU: 3-GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650
Graphics Adapter: nVidia GeForce 8800 GT
Monitor Model: Dell SP2208WFP
Total HD Size (GB): 640
WorldBench 6 Word Score: Superior
Price When Reviewed: $3729
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Bottom Line: A handsome PC with strong performance, but lacking the expandability of other high-end power desktops.
(Last Rated: January 03, 2008)
Full Review • Test Report
81.4Very Good
4
War Machine M1 Elite
War Machine M1 Elite
CPU: 3-GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9650
Graphics Adapter: EVGA e-GeForce 8800 Ultra
Monitor Model: Samsung 226BW
Total HD Size (GB): 1050
WorldBench 6 Word Score: Superior
Price When Reviewed: $4485
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Bottom Line: This exceptional performer's extreme expandability will appeal to power users with serious storage requirements.
(Last Rated: January 03, 2008)
Full Review • Test Report
80.2Very Good
5
Polywell Poly 790FX
Polywell Poly 790FX
CPU: 2.2-GHz Phenom 9500
Graphics Adapter: ATI HD 3850
Monitor Model: Samsung 226BW
Total HD Size (GB): 650
WorldBench 6 Word Score: Good
Price When Reviewed: $2999
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Bottom Line: The Phenom-based Poly 790FX has the latest AMD CPU and ATI graphics, but is too expensive for the performance it delivers.
(Last Rated: January 03, 2008)
Full Review • Test Report
77.2Good
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Top 5 Penryn & Phenom Power Desktops
Top 5 Desktops Under $750
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