Polywell Poly 880NF2-2800

WHAT ELSE: The 17-inch, silver-and-black AOC 7F-SLK CRT monitor displayed crisp text and lifelike colors, making it a good choice for everyday computing tasks, although if you want to do high-resolution viewing, you'll need a bigger monitor. We also saw realistic skin tones and sharp detail in still images. Polywell paired up a Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 speaker set with integrated 5.1 channel 3D audio for this system; we found the results disappointing. The two satellites and subwoofer didn't take much effort on our part to connect, but the subwoofer sent out bass that was overpowering, while trebles sounded tinny and thin (a volume control can adjust the subwoofer, though). A midrange volume setting emitted the best overall sound quality, although it remained lackluster at best. Consider Polywell's other audio options, such as the Creative Inspire 5.1 5200 speaker set for an additional $34.

The wireless keyboard has eight hot-keys dedicated to audio functions, in addition to a separate bank of programmable buttons for launching Web browser and e-mail applications. Polywell's documentation consists of a manual with set-up information, but it was out of date (for example, the information on the print-out sheet didn't match the case design). The software bundle includes Lotus SmartSuite 9.7 Millennium Edition and the video editing program VideoStudio 6 SE from Ulead.

UPSHOT: This Polywell's brushed-aluminum case and above average performance will add panache to any home or office desktop, but you'll want to spring for a better speaker set if you need high sound quality.