120-MHz Pentiums

Systems with 120-MHz Pentiums enjoyed a short run as the top-of-the-line Intel-based PCs. If manufacturers want their 120-MHz machines to compete against the newer 133-MHz units, they had better look at the price of their slower models. The average price of the tested 120-MHz systems ($4460) is $250 more than the average of the 133-MHz units. Also, prices for the 120-MHz systems range from a low of $2899 to a high of $5494 with monitors.

The S.A.G. STC 120 is the top performer in this category. It zipped through all nine of our Windows/DOS application-based benchmarks. The proficiency of the unit's SCSI Wide hard drive subsystem (which provides data transfer rates of up to 20 MBps) is clearly evident in our FoxPro benchmarks. For instance, in the DOS FoxPro test, the STC 120's geometric mean is 13 percent high er than that of its nearest competitor, the Compaq Deskpro XL 5120. The advantage of the STC 120's large secondary memory cache (512 KB) is evident in our low-level tests and in the WordPerfect benchmark, which stresses the processor and memory subsystem. The Triton-based unit also performs impressively in video-intensive tests with its Diamond Stealth 64 video adapter.

The AT&T Globalyst 630 and the Compaq Deskpro XL stand out in the disk-intensive database benchmarks and in the Excel and Word file I/O tests. The Digital Celebris XL 5120 does very well in tests that stress its processor and memory architecture (e.g., the PhotoShop and WordPerfect benchmarks). The Deskpro's QVision 2000 video adapter exhibits below-average performance in our low-level video benchmarks.

We gave the S.A.G. STC 120 high marks for usability. Its expansive chassis makes upgrades a breeze, and it has some unique features, such as a removable hard drive and a door that protects you from inadvertently turning off or reset ting the system. However, its overall usability rating is only average because of poor documentation.

The Digital Celebris XL finishes with the highest-overall usability rating in the 120-MHz category. The mini-tower's side panels slide off when the unit's keylock is disengaged, and there is plenty of room for upgrades. The Celebris XL has vendor-specific documentation that is comprehensive and indexed.

The Tatung TCS-5210 lacks a reset switch. You have to remove its 3-1/2-inch floppy drive to access the six SIMM slots on the motherboard, and drive-bay access and cabling is cramped due to the unit's slim-line design. The just-average documentation is not vendor-specific and lacks technical-support information.

The Tatung TCS-5120 and the Zenith Z-Station GT are the obvious choices for the space-conscious user. Their slim-line cases accommodate two 3-1/2-inch and two 5-1/4-inch mass-storage devices.

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And the 120-MHz Winner Is: S.A.G. STC 120

 The S.A.G. STC 120 is the clear winner in this category by virtue of
its excellent performance. It averages about $1000 less than the top
three runners-up, even with a removable 2-GB Quantum SCSI Wide hard
drive and an expanded (to 512 KB) direct-mapped write-back secondary
memory cache. With its video memory upgraded to 4 MB, the unit's
PCI-based Diamond Stealth video adapter supports up to 65,536 colors
at a maximum noninterlaced 1280- by 1024-pixel resolution. The
S.A.G.'s large tower chassis is mounted on four rollers and provides
ample room for upgrades. An FCC Class A rating (business only) and a
standard one-year warranty are limitations; on-site service and
extended warranties are available. The lack of vendor-specific
documentation and I/O connections that block an expansion slot
contribute to a below-par usability rating.

                           PRICE (W/     CASE        OVERALL
                           MONITOR)     TYPE      PERFORMANCE
=========================
=======================================
S.A.G. STC 120              $4200     Tower          ****
Digital Celebris XL 5120    $5307     Mini-tower      ***
AT&T Globalyst 630          $4849     Mini-tower      ***
Compaq Deskpro XL 5120      $5494     Desktop         ***
Zenith Z-Station GT         $5474     Desktop         ***


                                      EASE   RAM (STD./  INTEL TRITON
                          FEATURES   OF USE  MAX./EDO)   PCI CHIP SET
=====================================================================
S.A.G. STC 120              Good      Fair    16/128/Y       Yes
Digital Celebris XL 5120    Good      Good    16/384/N        No
AT&T Globalyst 630          Good      Fair     8/192/N        No
Compaq Deskpro XL 5120      Fair      Good    16/144/N        No
Zenith Z-Station GT         Fair      Good     8/128/Y       Yes


                          HARD DRIVE             VIDEO
                          INTERFACE             ADAPTER
========================
========================================
S.A.G. STC 120            SCSI Wide         Diamond Stealth 64
Digital Celebris XL 5120  Fast SCSI-2       Diamond Stealth 64
AT&T Globalyst 630        EIDE              S3 Trio 64
Compaq Deskpro XL 5120    Fast SCSI-2       Compaq QVision 2000
Zenith Z-Station GT       EIDE              S3 Trio 64



KEY:

Ratings from 1 to 4: * is the lowest; **** is the highest.

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STC 120 Won't Sag Under Heavy Use

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S.A.G. Electronics STC 120: Our top 120-MHz performer.