Xi MTower PCIe 965

On the PC World Test Center's WorldBench 6 benchmark test suite, this system earned a score of 153--dominating most comers (including some PCs that bested it on graphics performance) by 10 to 20 percent. The Xi's Cooler Master Centurion case isn't the worst-looking chassis in the world, but it's no spring chicken design-wise. The grilled front of the case offers a glimpse of the inner blue LED fans, but the texture looks out of place given the placement of the system's dual optical drives (an Lite-On DVD burner and a Sony Optiarc DVD-ROM drive).

The system's internal expansion options are excellent, with one PCI slot, one PCI Express x4 slot, and two PCI Express x16 slots awaiting future upgrades. There's also room for two additional hard drives and two 5.25-inch devices; the internal wiring is a bit messy, however, and may slow down your tweaking.

The Mtower PCIe 965 comes with a slew of ports. At the rear are eight USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, one eSATA port, integrated 5.1 surround sound, and dual Gigabit ethernet ports. The chassis falls short on front connectivity, though, with two USB 2.0 ports, a single FireWire 400 port, and a media-card reader.

Our review unit came bundled with Logitech's wireless MX3200 keyboard and MX600 mouse combination. The keyboard provides ten additional function buttons for launching applications, putting your computer to sleep, and launching VoIP calls, among other things. An included LCD screen offers scant details such as the time and the date, but it's unimpressive compared to the offerings on Logitech's fancier devices. The smooth, contoured finish of the wireless MX 600 mouse feels great to the touch. Two side buttons are ideally placed for back-and-forth Web browsing, and three buttons on top of the mouse let you zoom your display back and forth.

It's hard to find a faster general-purpose PC than the Xi Mtower PCIe 965. But you'll pay for that speed: This $3796 power PC is one of the most expensive models in its category--and one of the poorest performing on graphics. In addition, the system's adequate connectivity and bundled input devices only partially offset its stale chassis design.