News article received, Saturday, May 22, 1999 6:22:32 AM EST
General Business Desktops -- Compaq Box Stands Out for Small Business
May. 21, 1999 (Windows Magazine - CMP via COMTEX) -- General business desktops come in all sizes,
from vendors of all sizes. This month we take a look at four midtower desktops-three from small vendors and
one from computer giant Compaq. Our roundup includes two 500MHz Pentium III-powered units-Axis
Systems' Orion 100C/SE and Polywell's Poly 800B5. Both cost well over $2,000. We also look at two
sub-$1,500 PCs, Compaq's 433MHz Celeron-powered Prosignia Desktop 310 and CyberDyne Micro's
400MHz K6-2-powered Centron 400AD.
Compaq Prosignia Desktop 310
Compaq is known for the quality of its hardware-those legendary Deskpros that take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. The Desktop 310, from
its Prosignia line of desktops for small businesses, is built just that tough, but what really sets it apart is Compaq's ongoing support
services and a configuration that lets you get right to work.
First, the hardware: Besides using Intel's new 433MHz Celeron processor with 128KB of on-chip level 2 cache, the Prosignia Desktop
310 also comes with a 9.1GB hard drive, an Iomega Zip drive, STB's Velocity 4400 video adapter with 16MB of RAM, a really good
17-inch monitor, a 24X CD-ROM drive and a V.90 modem. This combination provides good performance, too: Our preproduction unit
racked up a WinScore of 80, with good scores on our CPU, Excel and AutoCAD tests. Video throughput, at just 55% of our reference
system, was a bit disappointing. But overall, this Prosignia delivers about 80% of the performance of our 450MHz Pentium
III-powered Gateway reference system for just 57% of the price. No casual user would notice the difference in performance between
these two PCs.
As for software, Microsoft Office Small Business Edition and Norton AntiVirus come preinstalled.
The Prosignia line's real strong point, however, is in the special online services and financing packages Compaq makes available,
including e-commerce, online backup, online secure document delivery and more. You can also get onsite installation and training,
as well as add additional PCs to a lease at any time.
The Prosignia Desktop 310 earned a WINdex rating of 7.2, an excellent ranking for a PC this inexpensive, with high marks for out-of
box productivity, service and support, and component quality. Compaq provides a three-year parts, one-year onsite labor warranty.
Axis Orion 100C/SE
Axis Systems is a five-year-old Anaheim, Calif. company that packs its PCs with quality components. The 500MHz Pentium
III-powered Orion 100C/SE we tested came with a Microsoft IntelliMouse, a Key Tronic keyboard, an ASUS motherboard, a 14.4GB
IBM Deskstar hard drive and a good, nonbranded 19-inch monitor, as well as an Iomega Zip drive.
If you want to get inside the case, you'll need to keep a screwdriver handy. The four screws are a contrast to the toolless access the
Compaq provides. Inside, however, it's awfully tidy, with cables draped carefully out of the way and everything easily accessible.
There's room for expansion, too, with three free slots, two free drive bays and two free SIMM sockets. There's also a V.90 modem and
a 3Com 10/100 Ethernet card, so you're ready for the Internet, a network or a cable modem. The warranty is quite good, at three
years parts and labor with the first year onsite, plus there's 24-hour/7-day toll-free tech support.
This system is fast as blazes: It's one of the fastest PCs we've tested under Windows 98, earning a WinScore of 117. It did best on our
video throughput and Excel tests, but not as well on our raw CPU and DeBabelizer/Photoshop tests (though even here performance
was still quite respectable).
The low points? There's no suite of office applications installed, and even for a Pentium III, the Axis Orion 100C/SE is a bit pricey at
$2,498. These two elements contributed to a moderate 5.9 WINdex rating, despite its good showings for performance and service and
support.
CyberDyne Micro Centron 400AD
When we last evaluated a CyberDyne Micro PC (see Reviews, January), we complained about the system's inadequate shipping
cartons, which resulted in the CPU becoming dislodged and rattling around in the case. The company has done some work in this
area with its Micro Centron 400AD, but there's still a ways to go: This time, the secondary fan had come loose from its mounting and
rattled around inside when we unpacked the system.
This 400MHz K6-2-powered PC has some attractive components, such as a Microsoft Natural Keyboard. Corel WordPerfect Suite,
Quicken Basic and both Netscape and Internet Explorer come preinstalled. But it also has some skimpier components, such as a
6.4GB hard drive and a 15-inch monitor. The monitor was at least a good brand (MAG InnoVision) with a great image and excellent
one-knob digital controls.
One screw releases the top panel, which in turn releases the side panels for access to the interior. There's a lot of room inside: four
slots, four drive bays and one DIMM slot are free.
The Centron 400AD achieved a WinScore of 66-a low mark for a 400MHz box-scoring best on cached disk throughput and our
DeBabelizer/Photoshop test. Video throughput from its SiS6326 AGP video card with 8MB of RAM was disappointing, at just 40% of
the performance of our 450MHz reference system. Its WINdex rating of just 4.5 was helped by a good score for Cyberdyne's service
and support policies, but hurt by its relatively high price, small monitor and hard disk.
CyberDyne Micro backs the Centron with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty, with the first year onsite. There's also three years' worth
of 24/7 toll-free support.
Polywell Poly 800B5
The Polywell Poly 800B5 is like an old VW Beetle souped-up for drag racing. From outside it doesn't look like much-there are few
creature comforts-but it can really fly when pushed. Based on the 500MHz Pentium III, supported by 128MB of SDRAM and a
Diamond Viper V5500 2X AGP graphics card with 16MB of fast SGRAM, this system produced a WinScore of 116, among the fastest
we've seen.
Disk, video, Excel and AutoCAD performances were particularly good. The Polywell's lowest score was the Photoshop test, which was
still 4% faster than our reference system.
But apart from the great performance and a 2X DVD-ROM drive backed by MPEG decoding hardware, the rest of this system is very
plain. The 10.1GB hard drive is no longer enormous, merely big. An integrated V.90 modem, a 19-inch monitor with decent picture
quality and the usual complement of ports round out this system. Three drive bays are available; two PCI, one shared and one ISA
slot are free as well. Getting at the insides of the system is reasonably easy, but does require removing two Philips screws. Inside, the
ATX motherboard and cabling are very neat and tidy.
Polywell backs this system with a good array of basic support policies, including an unusual five-year parts, three-year labor warranty
with free 24-hour/7-day phone support for the first year. Onsite service costs extra. SmartSuite 97 and a couple of minor utilities are
included, but not preinstalled. The Polywell Poly 800B5 got poor scores for ease of ownership and out-of-box productivity, because
the company provides only a few ancillary services and software isn't preinstalled. The net result, despite the system's great
performance, was a middling WINdex rating of 5.2.
Down to business
The Axis Orion 100C/SE and the Polywell Poly 800B5 both offer blazing performance, but they're also a bit pricey, and you'll have to
pay for software for the Axis on top of that. The CyberDyne Micro Centron 400AD is just too expensive for what you get.
The Compaq Prosignia Desktop 310 is the clear winner in this group of business systems. Rugged construction, a great feature set,
good performance, and unique services and financing packages for small businesses make the difference here-and it's attractively
priced as well. This combination of attributes earns it a spot on our WinList of recommended products, where it replaces the
TigerDirect Tiger 350 3D.
--Quick View--
Compaq Prosignia Desktop 310
Bottom Line: Great hardware, coupled with Compaq's value-added services for small businesses
Pros: Quality components; online services
Cons: Only one free drive bay
Price: $1,499 Platforms: 98, NT
Compaq Computer Corp. 800-345-1518, fax 281-518-1442. Winfo #566
--
Axis Orion 100C/SE
Bottom Line: A well-constructed PC with excellent performance, but a
bit pricey
Pros: Quality components; performance
Cons: No office suite
Price: $2,498 Platforms: 98, NT
Axis Systems, 800-378-9014, 714-780-1788. Winfo #766
--
CyberDyne Micro Centron 400AD
Bottom Line: A budget system at a relatively high price
Pros: Microsoft Natural Keyboard; software bundle
Cons: Price; 6.4GB hard drive; inadequate packaging
Price: $1,199 Platforms: 98, NT
CyberDyne Micro Systems, 877-TO-CYBER, 718-382-5400. Winfo #767
--
Polywell Poly 800B5
Bottom Line: Great performance and a solid warranty, but few extras
Pros: Performance; MPEG decoding hardware
Cons: Lacks high-end features and added-value services
Price: $2,250 Platforms: 98, 95, NT
Polywell Computers, 800-999-1278, 650-583-7222. Winfo #768 |
