300MHz Machines for Multimedia Mavens
Both machines use hardware for DVD decoding. The HP machine uses a combination of SoftDVD with ATI's accelerator.
The Packard Bell uses Cube.
Owen Linderholm and James E. Powell
02/01/98
Windows Magazine
Page 108
Copyright 1998 CMP Publications Inc.
This year signals the arrival of a new class of multimedia computer-systems with 300MHz (or higher) processors, very large hard disks and DVD -ROM drives that are as capable of running complex personal productivity applications as they are of running blockbuster entertainment titles in full stereo sound. Loaded with features and reasonably priced, these systems are very appealing-especially to enthusiasts on the bleeding edge. You know-the people who want DVD incorporated into a system now.
The number of such systems on the market is just beginning to grow. In January, we reviewed the Dell Dimension XPS D300, a 300MHz DVD -equipped system, which made it to our WinList of recommended products. This month we look at two more-the HP Pavilion 8190 and the Packard Bell 5100.
HP Pavilion 8190
Hewlett-Packard's new Pavilion 8190 is loaded with the latest technology: a Pentium II 300MHz processor, a Quantum Bigfoot CY 6.4GB (nominal) hard drive, 512KB of level 2 cache, 32MB of RAM (expandable to 192MB), and a second-generation DVD -ROM drive capable of reading CD-Recordables. Also included are an ATI RAGE PRO AGP video card equipped with 4MB of SGRAM (with support for MPEG II and full-motion digital video display) and a K56flex modem-all for just under $2,500 (excluding monitor).
This system is a mixed bag of components: A generic 56Kflex modem and an Analog Devices sound card (with hardware wavetable and full duplex speakerphone support) are joined by Polk Audio speakers (with subwoofer) and a Hitachi GD-2000 DVD -ROM drive. There's also Dolby Digital sound, and S-video and composite video output from the DVD drive.
The HP Pavilion 8190 comes with an excellent keyboard, with buttons that allow you to connect to the Internet with a single keystroke; the buttons also control audio and entertainment DVD operations. The usual ports are present, including two serial, one parallel, one game, two PS/2 and two USB ports. The Pavilion 8190 ships with Windows 95, Microsoft Works and some Internet sign-up packages, but no application software is included.
Upgradability has been the hallmark of other Pavilion models, but this computer has limited expansion capabilities. There are no free ISA slots, so you'll be limited to one of three PCI expansion slots. That could pose a problem, since many peripheral manufacturers still ship only ISA controller cards. There's also only one free internal and one free external bay.
Documentation for the Pavilion 8190 is more generic than it should be-a criticism we've had of other models in the Pavilion line-although online documentation is good. A nice feature provided by Hewlett-Packard is the recovery disk. If Windows 95 starts behaving strangely and you can't resolve the problem, save your data and place the disk in the DVD drive. The recovery program can reformat your hard drive and return it to the original factory contents.
The Pavilion 8190 achieved a WinScore of 128-23 percent slower than the Dell Dimension XPS D300 on our WinList, but a good score for a DVD -equipped system with 32MB of memory. Its performance, coupled with its great price and Hewlett-Packard's solid reputation, earn the HP Pavilion 8190 a spot on our WinList of recommended products.
Packard Bell Platinum 5100
Packard Bell has pulled out all the stops for its new top-of-the-line $2,399 Platinum 5100. Hardware components include a 300MHz Pentium II with 512KB of level 2 cache, 32MB of RAM (expandable to 192MB), a Quantum 6.4GB (nominal) hard drive and a Hitachi GD-2000 DVD -ROM drive capable of reading CD-Rs.
You also get an ATI 3D RAGE PRO video card with 2MB of memory, and topflight Cambridge SoundWorks MicroWorks (a subwoofer and two satellite speakers). The Aztech Labs audio card driving these speakers is an integrated DSP-based card that doubles as a 56K voice modem. This excellent sound system, the DVD -ROM drive and the optional $599 17-inch monitor make for an excellent DVD experience.
Inside the rounded, two-tone mini-tower are three free external drive bays, one available ISA slot and four free PCI slots. In the back, there are two USB ports, two serial ports, a parallel port, a monitor port, S-video-out, composite video-out, audio-in, audio-out, and microphone and telephone jacks.
You also get a keyboard with adjustable wrist rest and special buttons to control the PC as a CD player and answering machine. The software bundle includes Microsoft Works, Word 97 and Money-and a slew of games.
This is the first sub-$2,400 DVD -equipped, 300MHz desktop we've seen, and it has outstanding multimedia features. The Platinum 5100's total cost (including the optional monitor) is $2,998. Even though we really like this system, it doesn't quite measure up to the Dell D300 DVD (which costs $3,329) on our WinList of recommended products. Its 123 WinScore is substantially less than the Dell's score of 166. In addition, the Dell offers a more capable configuration-including a 9.1GB (nominal) hard drive and 64MB of system memory.
Excellent first tries
Both the HP Pavilion 8190 and the Packard Bell Platinum 5100 are tremendous first attempts at DVD multimedia systems. Hewlett Packard's solid reputation for quality products make its foray into this market more successful. (Hewlett-Packard was among the four companies rated as "Excellent" in the overall rankings for destop vendors in last summer's Tech Support Survey and had the lowest frequency-of repair rate of any vendor in the survey-see August, 1997). Consequently, the HP Pavilion 8190 joins the Dell Dimension XPS D300 on our WinList of recommended products.
--Quick View--
HP Pavilion 8190
Bottom Line: Good performance, with the latest technology under the hood
Price: $2,499 (excluding monitor)
Platforms: 95
Pros: Performance; good mix of components
Cons: Limited expansion options
Strongest Rival: Dell Dimension XPS D300
Hewlett-Packard Co., 800-752-0900. Winfo #554
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Packard Bell Platinum 5100
Bottom Line: Low cost, good performance and lots of features
Price: $2,399 (excluding monitor)
Platforms: 95
Pros:Price; features
Cons:Lackluster graphics performance
Strongest Rival: Dell Dimension XPS D300
Packard Bell NEC, 800-733-5858, 916-388-0101. Winfo #821 |
