Top 10 Power PC's

Xi Computer 1400 MTower SP Athlon

WHAT'S HOT: Xi's 1400 MTower SP includes an AMD Athlon-1400 processor with 256MB of 266-MHz DDR SDRAM, and 82GB of storage space available on two hard drives connected to an IDE RAID card. All this led the 1400 MTower SP to a PC WorldBench 2000 score of 242, the highest we've seen yet for a Windows 2000 system. Xi supplies a Leadtek WinFast GeForce3 board for high-end graphics. The 19-inch ViewSonic PF790 monitor displayed vibrant colors and crisp text in our test images; its maximum resolution is 1600 by 1200.

WHAT ELSE: Three open PCI slots and six open drive bays (four readily accessible external bays and two internal bays) account for the expansion room. The 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive permits speedy data backups. The system comes with the Small Business Edition of Microsoft Office XP (this version, sold only with new systems, includes Microsoft Publisher 2002). The manual lacks illustrations or system-specific information, but it contains lots of upgrading tips. Six fans (one on the CPU, one inside the power supply, two for the chassis, one on the graphics board, and one more on the motherboard) help keep the inner workings cool. 

BEST USE: This AMD-powered Xi system delivers more punch than Xi's P4-based MTower SP, at a lower price. Video editors will appreciate the performance boost that the RAID-connected drives bestow.

Buying Information

Xi Computer MTower SP Athlon 1400 $2949 (Check for current price) PC WorldBench 2000 score of 242, Athlon-1400 CPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows 2000 Professional, two 41GB hard drives, 12X/8X/32X CD-RW drive, Leadtek WinFast GeForce3 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch ViewSonic PF790 monitor, integrated sound, Altec Lansing ACS21W speakers, network adapter, tower case, three-year parts and labor warranty, free unlimited 24-hour tech support. 800/432-0486 www.xicomputer.com

From the July 2001 issue of PC World magazine
Copyright © 2001 PC World Communications. All Rights Reserved.