Desktop Decisions

Compaq Deskpro EN 6450X

The Compaq Deskpro EN 6450X is ideal for most office LANs-it offers excellent performance and management features in an easy-to-service chassis. The unit performed well in most of our tests. Powered by an ATI Rage Pro Turbo AGP 2x graphics card, the Deskpro exhibits impressive graphics performance. The model's 2D performance trails only that of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Vectra, and its 3D performance was well above the competition.

The machine ships with Compaq Computer Corp.'s Intelligent Manageability, an umbrella technology encompassing a range of management software and hardware that provides the ability to deploy, configure, secure and troubleshoot Deskpro PCs from a single point. Insight Manager is the primary remote-management software. It enables functions such as hardware inventory, chassis intrusion detection, temperature monitoring and early problem detection of disk and memory subsystems. And it can flash a system's BIOS remotely, lock components and lock down its chassis.

Upgrading and repairing the Deskpro are extremely simple. The tool-free chassis slides off easily after depressing two release buttons. Internally, the clutter-free design enables easy access to all subsystems. A tiltable drive cage that lifts easily enables quick access for adding or replacing disk drives. One nice touch is the slide-out system board. Installing expansion cards is simplified with the removable expansion card cage, which has two lift levers. Our only complaint is that expansion is relatively limited compared with the other units in our review. Only two free drive bays are available, and there are only a few free slots.

The 19-inch monitor offers a sharp and crisp display. On-screen control for the monitor is done via an easy-to-use interface. The keyboard and mouse are standard Compaq models.

VAR FACT

Product: Compaq Deskpro EN 6450X

Price: $2,330

In Short: A desktop workhorse that's a little short on expansion, but offers good performance.

Vendor: Compaq Computer Corp., Houston, Texas, (800) 345-1518, www.compaq.com

HP Vectra VL

The HP Vectra VL managed desktop offers superior performance and excellent management capabilities. Overall performance of the unit slightly trails that of the Compaq Deskpro. Keeping the unit from the top spot is its lack of a proper OpenGL driver. We were, therefore, unable to run that portion of our benchmark.

The unit, however, shines on application-level testing. The Vectra outclassed all comers in the Word and Excel macro tests. In addition, the unit led the pack in 2D graphics performance.

Management capabilities of the unit are very good. It's preloaded with HP's TopTools 4.0, which provides functions such as Wake-on- LAN, hardware inventory, failure detection, chassis intrusion and voltage monitoring.

The Vectra's tool-free chassis makes expansion and repair simple. The cover slides off by unlocking two levers, and once off, there is easy access to the inside. The unit contains two PCI, two ISA and two shared slots. All slots-with the exception of one PCI slot used for an NIC-are still available. Two front-accessible 5.25-inch drive bays and one internal 3.5-inch bay are free, providing ample upgrade possibilities.

Our test unit included a Vectra Multimedia keyboard with programmable buttons that allow one-button launch of applications and was preprogrammed to launch applications such as the default mail client and Web browser. The mouse is a standard PS/2 mouse with a scrolling wheel.

VAR FACTS

%05Product: HP Vectra VL

%05Price: $2,125

In Short: A super all-around desktop unit in a full tower case with lots of room for expansion.

Vendor: Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif., (800) 544-9976, www.hp.com

Toshiba Equium 7100M

The Toshiba Equium 7100M is a well-balanced desktop that provides good performance with excellent functionality and management features. It came with a Pentium II 450, 128-MB SDRAM, a 10-GB disk drive and 32x CD-ROM. The internal PC Card reader and Iomega Zip drive are nice touches.

The tower unit provides an easy-to-upgrade platform and has a four-slot riser card with three PCI slots still open. Access to each slot is easy, but we did notice that space for one of the slots is tight because of its proximity to the CPU.

The included TekBright 700P 17-inch monitor provides a sharp and crisp image. Controls for the unit, however, require the user to move between buttons in front of the monitor and a rotating wheel on the underside.

The InTouch Multi-Function keyboard provided the most functionality of all the test units. It has preprogrammed keys for accessing Windows' media player and control of the CD-ROM drive. Its performance was above average.

VAR FACTS

Product: Toshiba Equium 7100M

Price: $2,098

In Short: Innovative packaging and a great keyboard, with good performance, garner it a VARBusiness recommendation, along with the Compaq and HP models.

Vendor: Toshiba Computer Systems Division, Irvine, Calif., (888) 800-9128, www.toshiba.com

HP Brio

The HP Brio desktop is designed for small-business buyers. It is a good fit for installations where manageability is not a top priority.

Our test unit arrived in a midtower case and is equipped with a 450-MHz Pentium II processor, 128 MB RAM, a 10.1-GB hard disk, a rewritable 24X-4X-2X CD-ROM drive and an on-board ATI 3D Rage Pro AGP 2X video chip. Unlike many of the others reviewed, the Brio unit did not ship with any management software. It was also unusual that the 10.1-GB hard disk was formatted for 2 GB.

Opening the Brio is tougher than it is with the competition; the midtower case is the only one in the roundup that is not tool-free. Inside, the unit is roomy and provides easy access to the three PCI, one ISA and one shared expansion slots. A ventilation duct that directs air to the processor keeps the unit running cool. There are two 5.25-inch and one 3.5-inch drive bays available, providing ample expansion. However, the cables in our test unit are a little more tangled than we would have liked to see. The interior of the machine made it look like it was assembled very quickly.

Attaching the unit to our test network took more work than any other machine as the network card that shipped with the unit was defective. We had to install our own network card and drivers, and then were able to make a network connection.

The Brio was shipped to us without a monitor. The keyboard is the same programmable multimedia keyboard as the Vectra machine, which also seems a bit unusual; for a machine that is supposed to be aimed at cost-conscious corporate buyers, we expected a less capable keyboard. The mouse is a nondescript Hewlett-Packard branded two-button type.

Performance is slightly above average. Particularly impressive is the category leading cached disk score of 333. In addition, the 157 seconds to finish the Word macro is also a bright spot.

VARFacts

Product: HP Brio

Price: $1,936

In Short: Slightly above average performance, but lacks manageability features.

Vendor: Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif., (800) 544-9976, www.hp.com

IBM PC 300 PL

The IBM PC 300 PL is a desktop designed with manageability in mind. The system is DMI 2.0 compliant and ships with IBM's proprietary Asset ID technology, which utilizes an EEPROM containing its serial number and configuration info of the unit and an internal radio antenna to communicate this information to a handheld device. In addition, the unit is packed with features such as Wake on LAN and LANClient Control Manager, which enables remote functions such as partitioning and formatting a hard disk, flashing the BIOS and changing CMOS settings.

The 300PL is preloaded with IBM's Universal Management Agent, which enables better integration with larger management packages such as Microsoft SMS by allowing the machine's DMI-based data to be fully accessible.

The unit is housed in a slimline tools-free desktop case that is among the easiest to open; simply slide it forward by lifting two tabs at the top-rear of the cover. Expansion slots are found on a vertical riser card. Two PCI, one ISA and a shared slot are all still available. A 10/100Base-T Ethernet card is integrated on the main board. The area around the expansion slots is spacious and provides easy access to memory and expansion slots. However, the slimline design limits the unit to only one internal drive bay. Furthermore, access to the bay is tough due to the tight fit of existing cables and drives, making it a bear to add a second hard disk. We also found it tough to slide the case back into place.

The 17-inch G74 monitor has an intuitive set of on-screen controls across the front. It provides a crisp and sharp image. The mouse is an IBM-branded two-button type, with a pointing stick-like controller that functions much like the scroll wheel of an Intellimouse. The keyboard is a standard Win95 keyboard with an attached wristrest.

Performance of the 300 PL trails that of the competition. Application performance is average with both Word and Excel scores that were middle of the road. Particularly disappointing is the sub-par disk performance.

VARFacts

Product: IBM PC 300PL

Price: $2,558

In Short: A very manageable desktop, although with somewhat disappointing performance. Where manageability is the top requirement, this is worth a look.

Vendor: IBM Corp., Somers, N.Y., (800) 426-7255, www.ibm.com/ibmpc

IBM PC 300GL

The IBM PC 300GL is configured like the 300PL. The unit is packed with manageability features such as DMI 2.0 compliance, Wake on LAN, remote management via LANDesk Client Manager, and IBM AssetID.

Our test unit was housed in a minitower case that opens easily via thumbscrews. Inside, the unit is more cluttered than the 300PL desktop unit. Unlike the 300PL, the unit does not have an AGP slot and in its place utilizes an on-board S3 Trio3D graphics chip. Expansion of the 300GL is even more limited than the space in its bigger sibling. There are 3 PCI slots; one is available, while the remaining are occupied by an Ethernet card and a 56k modem--as is a shared PCI/ISA slot. Access to memory and processor requires the removal of the power supply, accomplished by removing two screws and sliding the unit out. Furthermore, the computer has only one available internal bay that is relatively tough to access. We were pleasantly surprised, however, to find two free DIMM slots as the unit shipped with one 128-MB DIMM module instead of the two 64-MB module in the 300PL.

Performance of the unit is poor compared with the competition's as the unit posted scores that were consistently at the back of the pack.

The 300GL shares the same excellent 17-inch G74 monitor as the 300PL. The keyboard and mouse are the same as the 300PL, with the exception that the keyboard came without a wristrest.

VARFacts

Product: IBM PC 300GL

Price: $1,758

In Short: Similar to the PL, but it has less expansion capability, despite its micro-tower case.

Vendor: IBM Corp., Somers, N.Y., (800) 426-7255, www.ibm.com/ibmpc

NEC PowerMate 8100

NEC's PowerMate 8100 arrived in a slimline desktop case. The unit has a tool-free chassis and is equipped with good desktop-management support. Typical of other units reviewed, the PowerMate 8100 supports management features such as chassis-intrusion alarms, CPU over-temperature detection, remote boot and shutdown, and Wake-on-LAN. In addition, the unit ships with NEC Security, which provides floppy, serial-, and parallel-port disable functions.

Performance of the unit is mixed. Graphics performance is lackluster with the unit mired among the lower echelon performers. Application-level performance is impressive--due largely to the very fast disk installed--trailing only the HP Vectra in both the Word and Excel macros.

The small footprint of the unit leaves little room for expansion. Internally, the unit has a clean design with ample space for access to free slots. The unit houses only 2 PCI slots and one shared slot, but all are available due to integrated Ethernet and audio on the motherboard. Additionally, only one free drive bay is available. Of particular concern to us is the AGP slot that is built on the main board. Due to the design of the chassis, the slot requires the newer design graphics card with the notched corner to fit into the slot. While this design has no apparent effect on the shipping unit, it does seriously limit your options for a graphics card. Most cards, current and old, will not be able to fit in this slot design.

The monitor that accompanied our test unit is a 17-inch model that can act as a USB hub. The display is good and indistinguishable from most good displays. In addition to conventional on screen controls of the monitor, the unit includes multimedia controls in form of a volume control knob and a mute button. However, we were a little baffled by the design of the volume knob. Turning the dial on the knob controls the volume and it would seem logical that pushing the knob would mute the sound. But this is not the case. Depressing the knob will instead turn the monitor off and a separate mute button is provided.

The keyboard has an excellent feel and should satisfy most touch typists. An NEC branded Intellimouse with scroll wheel ships with the unit.

VARFacts

Product: NEC PowerMate 8100

Price: $2,778

In Short: Performance scores were in the middle of the pack, but the product is easy to open and upgrade, though not the easiest.

Vendor: NEC Computer Systems Division, Mountain View, Calif., (800) 456-9372, www.nec-computers.com