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If you've been holding off on buying a fast, new Pentium III system until the cost becomes more palatable, wait no longer. This month, we tested two new PIII-500 machines priced to be digestible, especially given their meaty feature sets. Of these, the MicroFlex-5B from Micro Express earned the top performance score among budget PCs running Windows 98, and its $1599 cost includes a 4X DVD-ROM drive and a capacious 18GB hard drive. For those on a leaner budget, Quantex offers the Celeron-based M466c. At $1249, it's the least expensive new system this month and features a fast DVD-ROM drive and the most room for expansion of any PC on the budget desktops list.
This Month's Best Buys
BEST BUY 1. head Micro Express MicroFlex-50C
PRO: Speedy and feature-packed
CON: No removable storage
Last month, the MicroFlex-50C caught our eye with a fast processor and a very nice multimedia setup. This month, a $300 price drop-- which makes the MicroFlex-50C the least expensive Pentium III-450 system here--and some upgraded features help this machine rise to the top of the chart.
The PIII-450 processor boosts performance to a relatively impressive PC WorldBench 98 score of 222. The system comes with an ATI Rage 128GL graphics card packing 32MB of RAM--an amount matched by only one other budget-chart unit. Paired with a 5X DVD-ROM drive, a good 17-inch monitor, and a decent set of Altec Lansing ACS44 speakers, the MicroFlex-50C comes ready to rock.
The 18GB hard drive is among the largest we've seen on a budget system. You don't get any removable storage at this price, but you can add an internal Zip drive for $100. The system has plenty of space for expansion, with four free external bays and six open PCI slots. They're covered by a rugged case that we found easy to slide open without having to use tools. Inside, cables are well-organized, but drives could be easier to access.
Micro Express backs the system with a four-year warranty on parts and labor and provides around-the-clock technical support. But in our anonymous calls to the company's support line, we found the representatives abrupt and standoffish.
BEST BUY 2. head Dell Dimension XPS T450
PRO: Good manuals and support, terrific company reliability and performance