Quantcast
PCWorld.com is upgrading some back-end systems. Some site features, such as user registration, may be temporarily unavailable.

NEW Reviews Beta Feedback

  • Print

ADI Systems Sys Taskmaster 1000T

ADI Systems Sys Taskmaster 1000T Review

by Joel Strauch

This entry-level system from Sys won't overburden your budget.

WHAT'S HOT: With a 1-GHz Athlon CPU, 256MB of PC133 SDRAM, and Windows 2000, the TaskMaster posted a score of 109 on PC WorldBench 4. That's just 2 points shy of a Tangent Valera carrying a 1.2-GHz Athlon CPU and the same complement of memory, and it's 2 points faster than a 1.5-GHz Pentium 4 Micro Express MicroFlex 1500A system we tested with the same OS and quantity of RAM.

The PC we tested came with Sys's admirable 15-inch LCD monitor, the 1510P, which produced rich colors and sharp, readable text at its native resolution of 1024 by 768.

WHAT'S NOT: The TaskMaster 1000T lacks a comprehensive system manual, but comes with manuals for individual components.

WHAT ELSE: To open the standard beige Sys minitower case, you merely loosen two thumbscrews and then pop off the somewhat flexible plastic side; getting all the tabs in the right spots to reattach the side can take a bit of work, however. You can use the loop-style case lock to secure the side.

The interior of the TaskMaster 1000T we tested was fairly neat for a minitower, but some of the cables were bunched up behind the two open drive bays. Thumbscrews simplify adding expansion cards to the system's two open PCI slots.

System peripherals include a Plextor PlexWriter 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, a network interface card, and a dial-up modem.

Word Perfect Office 2002, a serviceable office suite, is the only application bundled with this system. The Sys keyboard has convenient hot-keys for Sleep, Wake Up, and Power; crisp feedback made typing on it a pleasure.

UPSHOT: A basic small office system, the TaskMaster 1000T couples powerful performance with a good LCD monitor at an affordable price.


SUMMARY
Sys TaskMaster 1000T



PC WorldBench 4 score of 109, 1-GHz Athlon CPU, 256MB of SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows 2000, 41GB hard drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, Gigabyte GA-GF1280-32E graphics card with 32MB of SDRAM, Sys-1510P 15-inch LCD monitor, integrated Creative CT5880 sound card, Altec Lansing AVS300W speakers, network adapter, modem, minitower case, Variable-year parts warranty, five-year labor warranty; free, unlimited, daily tech support.

$1253
800/613-9963
www.sys.com

People who looked at the ADI Systems Sys Taskmaster 1000T also looked at:

Latest Desktops Playing in PCW Video

Latest Desktops News, Reviews, How-To's

  • Bugs & Fixes: LaunchBar Causes an Unexpected Surprise Step 1: Take one of the best utilities ever created for the Mac; one that I use every day. Step 2: Enhance its latest version with a promising new feature. What...
  • Upsized Apple Stores Coming Soon Apple may have only opened 26 stores throughout the 2009 fiscal year which ended in September but get ready because they're about to unleash between 40 to 50...
  • Apple Launches ITunes Preview iTunes. You know it. I know it. We all have some sort of a relationship with it, whether it's love for the things it does or hate for how bloated it has become.
  • FTC Files Contempt Complaint Against Computer Financing Firm The U.S. FTC asks for a contempt order against computer financing firm BlueHippo after the company allegedly did not deliver computers to everyone.
  • MacUpdate Desktop 5 Adds Smart Scanning, Drops Price MacUpdate recently released a major upgrade to its MacUpdate Desktop application, which allows you to keep abreast of updates available for every third-party...