ADI Systems Performance 1333TD

WHAT'S HOT: A 1.33-GHz Athlon system with 256MB of 266-MHz DDR SDRAM, the Sys zipped to a score of 237 on our PC WorldBench 2000 tests--one of the highest scores ever posted by a Windows 2000 system. The Matrox Millennium G450 DualHead graphics board lets you hook up two monitors at once to create one big desktop display. The 19-inch ViewSonic PF790 monitor delivered deep, rich colors and legible text even at its maximum resolution of 1600 by 1200. The 1333TD packs a 61.5GB hard drive, a 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive for swift backups, and a slot-loading 16X DVD-ROM drive.

WHAT'S NOT: Like other Sys systems, the Performance 1333TD ships with documentation for the third-party components but no overall system manual.

WHAT ELSE: To get inside the beige midsize tower, merely loosen two thumbscrews and slide the sturdy side panel out on guide rails. The tidy interior has four open PCI slots and four open drive bays (two for removable-media drives, such as tape backup or hard-disk cartridge drives). The Microsoft Internet Keyboard has ten multimedia and Web hot-keys. A loop-style case lock protects the interior.