Bang for the buck continues to expand rapidly: All but one of these 90- and 100-MHz systems had faster Windows performance than the fastest 66-MHz systems. (The exception was the Hewlett-Packard Vectra XU 5/90C, which provided Windows speed that was essentially the same as that of the Cornell Pentium Power Pak, the fastest 66-MHz Pentium we tested for Windows.) The average price for the high-performance class was about $6900, with one solid performer selling for about $5000.
Not surprisingly, a 100-MHz system, the Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S, won the Best Overall honors. Among the runners-up, Tangent's PCI 5100, the only other 100-MHz system in our sample, stands out for performance and expandability. The Tangent system runs Windows significantly faster than the 90-MHz competitors
, and its large tower case provides space for up to nine drives.
The Tangent PCI 5100 is unique in this roundup for having both VL-Bus and PCI local-bus slots available. Tangent says that it offers both types of slots to give users as much flexibility as possible. As the market matures, however, users may be more likely to standardize their purchases on one local-bus type or the other. We note with dismay that the PCI 5100's CPU fan blocks three potentially full-length slots, so that these slots are serviceable for only half-length cards.
The 90-MHz Dell OmniPlex 590 is a desktop design with an EISA bus and a SCSI hard drive. Although this system is slower than the 100-MHz Pentiums ranked for Best Overall, its Windows speed ranked near the top for 90-MHz computers. What's more, the OmniPlex is among the easiest-to-use Pentium systems we tested. The documentation is comprehensive, with numerous charts and diagrams, and there are step-by-step instructions for installation. Also, an expansion-card
chassis lifts out from the system to provide easy access to the SIMM sockets on the motherboard. Side latches release drive rails, which makes installing and removing drives a breeze. Adapter slots are free of obstructions.
Dell also plans to introduce a low-cost Dimension XPS P90, which we tested but didn't rank because it was a prerelease model. With a projected list price approximately $2000 lower than that of the OmniPlex, the ISA-bus Dimension can be configured with a 1-GB Connor IDE drive. Windows performance for the two Dell units was equivalent, although the Dimension ran significantly faster in the DOS tests.
The HP Vectra XU 5/90C does not stand out for performance, but this system reveals some impressive engineering. Its design is remarkable: integrated SCSI, IDE, and high-resolution video, which saves slots, cable, and aggravation (see ``Honorable Mention'' on page 176 for more details). HP's integration and sophisticated power-supply design also cut power consumption.
Rankings For This Category
WINDOWS
PERFORMANCE 60%
FEATURES 30%
EASE OF USE 10%
When only the fastest Windows speed will do...
BEST OVERALL
Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S
Unmatched in this roundup for Windows speed, this 100-MHz system also ranked as having the best set of features of any system we evaluated. It comes with 256 KB of secondary cache and a Matrox video accelerator connected via the VL-Bus. An NCR SCSI controller resides on the motherboard. The documentation is easy to understand (and it's written in several languages) and helps make the system easy to configure. Able to function as a network server, the huge tower design offers seven 32-bit (EISA) slots and 10 drive bays. The PCE-5S may frustrate some users who need to reach the mother-board, which lies hidden behind modules that require keys, screwdrivers, and even information from the manual to access.
CASE PERFORMANCE
EASE OF FEATURES
PRICE TYPE WINDOWS DOS USE SCORE
BEST Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S $9149 *** 8.57 9.79 4 4
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 $5621* *** 8.36 9.14 4 3
RUNNER-UP Gateway P5-90 $5014 *** 7.45 7.68 4 3
RUNNER-UP Dell OmniPlex 590 $7386 *** 7.44 7.69 3 3
RAM (MB) HARD DRIVE
BUSES STD./MAX. (MB, TYPE)
BEST Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S EISA, VL 32/512 1000, SCSI
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 ISA, VL**, PCI 32/128 2048, SCSI
RUNNER-UP Gateway P5-90 ISA, PCI 32/128 1000, SCSI
RUNNER-UP Dell OmniPlex 590 EISA, PCI 32/192 1024, SCSI
WARRANTY
(MONTHS) VIDEO
BEST Siemens Nixdorf PCE-5S 36 Matrox MGA
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 12 Diamond Power9000
RUNNER-UP Gateway P5-90 36 Matrox MGA
RUNNER-UP Dell OmniPlex 590 12 ATI Mach32 68800AX
* Without monitor
** VL-Bus
KEY
Ease of Use:
Excellent 4
Good 3
Fair 2
Poor 1
Case:
Tower ***
Desktop ****
Mini-tower *****
Need economy at the high end?
LOW COST
Gateway P5-90
Among systems priced under $6000, the $5014 P5-90 stands out as the most economical high-performance system we ranked. Its Windows performance was near the bottom for this class of high-performance systems but was still fast enough to beat any of the 66-MHz systems we tested. Although the interior of this tower system is spacious, the location of the SIMM sockets prevents using a full-size board in one of the slots.
CASE PERFORMANCE EASE OF FEATURES
PRICE TYPE WINDOWS DOS USE SCORE
BEST Gateway P5-90 $5014 *** 7.45 7.68 4 3
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 $5621* *** 8.36 9.14 4 3
RAM (MB) HARD DRIVE
BUSES STD./MAX. (MB, TYPE)
BEST Gateway P5-90 ISA, PCI 32/128 1000, SCSI
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 ISA, VL**, PCI 32/128 2048, SCSI
WARRANTY
(MONTHS) VIDEO
BEST Gateway P5-90 36 Matrox MGA
RUNNER-UP Tangent PCI 5100 12 Diamond Power9000
* Without monitor
** VL-Bus
KEY
Ease of Use:
Excellent 4
Good 3
Fair 2
Poor 1
Case:
Tower ***
Desktop ****
Mini-tower *****
BYTE BEST: High-Performance Windows
