Need more horsepower? We pick the fastest 120-MHz and 133-MHz Pentium desktop PCs using our new Windows 95-based tests
Anthony J. Lennon and John McDonough
You can never get enough horsepower on your desktop. The 90- and 100-MHz Pentium PCs were okay for a while, but if you're still looking for more power, you'll want one of the 16 Pentiums we tested for this report. These speed demons are equipped with 120- and 133-MHz Pentium processors that add a new level of performance. Plus, they can really excel at running the new Windows 95 applications.
Intel's 0.35-micron, 3.3-V Pentium chips are designed for high-end desktops and high-performance servers. As a point of reference, Intel says the 133-MHz processor is twice the speed of the original 60-MHz Pentium i
ntroduced in March 1993. Indeed, Intel's Pentium drive is well under way, with 75- and 90-MHz Pentiums now at the entry point of vendors' product lines and 100- and 120-MHz Pentiums filling the mainstream.
We rank these Pentium PCs in two categories based on their performance, features, and usability: There are seven 120-MHz systems and nine 133-MHz models. Overall, these systems cost an average of $4320 with monitors. It may seem strange that, on average, the 133-MHz desktops cost $250 less than the 120-MHz systems. However, the three highest-priced units in the 120-MHz category average $5217, and the 133-MHz category includes more systems from second- and third-tier vendors, who tend to put lower price tags on their machines. In any case, you can now get a good deal on a high-performance Pentium.
All the tested systems feature Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) local-bus video that provides at least 1280- by 1024-pixel resolution. Most have a minimum of 2 MB of video memory. The units are c
onfigured with 32 MB of RAM, at least 1 GB of hard drive storage, and an MPC 2-compliant quad-speed CD-ROM drive (except for the Compaq Deskpro XL 5120, which comes with a dual-speed drive). A minimum of 256 KB of secondary memory cache reduces or eliminates wait states on memory accesses.
The Polywell Poly 133T5, IPC Austin PowerPlus 133, and S.A.G. STC 133 provide the top overall performance. All three of these 133-MHz units contain SCSI Wide hard drive subsystems that provide data transfer rates of up to 20 MBps. The similarly configured S.A.G. STC 120 easily outperforms the remaining systems in its class.
This is the first BYTE Lab Report in which we assess the performance of systems running under Microsoft Windows 95. Windows 95 offers significant speed enhancements over its 16-bit predecessor, such as dynamically configured virtual-memory settings, optimized video-driver code, and a revised file system that has newer 32-bit protected-mode mini drivers. Although the 120- and 133-MHz Pentiums
buzz through our suite of low-level InterMark and application-based benchmarks, remember that we use 16-bit applications in our tests. The next time we test Pentium machines, you should see a more noticeable gain in performance when we add 32-bit applications to our suite of Windows benchmarks.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
We determine the best Pentium system in the 120- and 133-MHz categories. Systems are listed in descending order based on their overall ratings. Performance is our most heavily weighted evaluation criteria (60 percent), followed by features and ease of use (20 percent each).
Price (w/Monitor):
List price of the as-tested configuration with monitor. All the systems have 32 MB of RAM, at least 1 GB of hard disk storage, CD-ROM drive, and PCI-based video with minimum 1280- by 1024-pixel resolution.
Overall Performance:
We put each Pentium through a battery of low-level and application
-based tests under Windows 95. Performance ratings are derived from the weighted average of the indexes of individual tests. Higher scores indicate faster performance.
Features:
Scores reflect the presence of key elements for expandability, flexibility, and reliability. Higher scores indicate more capabilities. See the Roll Call on pages 166-167 for a complete head-to-head features comparison.
Ease of Use:
Indicates how easy it is to configure and upgrade a system; also assesses the documentation.
Inside a Speed Demon
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16 Pentiums High On Win 95
