ABS Ultimate M6

ABS loads the Ultimate M6 with extras, including dual Western Digital 74GB Serial ATA hard drives connected in a RAID Level 0 array, plus an additional Maxtor 250GB ATA133 hard drive. This combination provides both speed (from the two 10,000-rpm drives connected in the RAID array) and capacity. A memory card reader handles Memory Stick, SD, CompactFlash, and SmartMedia memory cards.

The jet black aluminum case looks stylish: The drives are hidden behind a curved panel on the front of the case, and neon accent lights highlight the curvy exterior. Getting into the case is also easy: A few turns of the side panel's thumb screws reveals a roomy interior, although this loaded machine won't require many additions.

ABS's documentation shines: The Ultimate M6's well-organized binder holds a comprehensive user manual, along with recovery and emergency boot disks, and discs for the preinstalled software and drivers--all of which are neatly filed in clear plastic folders. You'll find extensive troubleshooting information, as well as an excellent quick-start poster for setting up the system.

Such power, of course, doesn't come cheap: You'll part with a whopping $4972 for this loaded system. For that price, you could buy the second-place MPC Millennia 920i Creative Studio and have $1900 left over in change. Or to put it another way, you could buy four of our value system Best Buy (the Dell Dimension 4600), and still have over $500 in change.

Upshot: High-end performance, modish design, great-looking graphics--you get it all with this system if you've got the money.

Scott Plamondon