we gave the performance scores a hefty 60 percent weighting when determining
our Best Overall winner.
Of course, performance isn't the whole picture. To differentiate their systems, vendors try to add value in the form of features such as universal serial bus (USB) ports and extra drive bays. Problems during installation and setup of these machines, as well as the ease of access and future upgrading, are also important considerations. We allocated 20 percent of the Best Overall score to features and 10 percent to usability, which, when combined with the 5 percent weighting for value, results in an Implementation score. The final 5 percent rates the system's innovativeness.
The Best Overall winner was the Gateway 2000 P5-200. Although it didn't turn in the top marks on any single benchmark test or category, its rating was consistently near the top in every category. This gave it enough of an edge to push it into first place by a hair.
The Polywell Computers Poly 5200Tx placed second, turning in top scores in both the Excel and Word benchmarks. The Mic
ro Express MicroFLEX-MMX/200's steady performance and slightly better feature score put it in a virtual tie with the Polywell system.
The sole K6 system we tested, XI Computer's Xi K200 MTower, turned in a composite performance score nearly identical to that of its MMX Pentium counterparts. On individual tests, the K6 system performed better in primarily integer environments, such as when running Word, FoxPro, and video-subsystem tasks. We took this system and swapped out the K6 for an MMX Pentium; this configuration performed better when running Excel and the MMX benchmark.
Frankly, we were surprised to see such a wide variation in the scores for Intel's MMX benchmark. The results had no discernible correlation to the video system or processor speed. One vendor indicated that many current BIOS and chip-set implementations failed to execute some video-acceleration techniques, such as VGA frame buffering, partially negating the advantage of the MMX instructions. Systems built around these component
s may fail to deliver full MMX potential, even when new applications are available. Digital Equipment has apparently conquered that particular problem. Its Celebris FX-2 5200M LP turned in the best MMX benchmark score, but it was only sixth overall.
Cutting Costs
We may be lured by blistering performance and tempted by fancy features, but price brings us back to reality. The competition among PC vendors for your business is fierce. Three systems in this roundup illustrate that high performance on a rock-bottom budget is an attainable goal.
In picking a low-cost winner, we shifted our priorities to emphasize price. It determined 50 percent of the overall score. We based 20 percent of the overall score on features and another 20 percent on performance. Usability made up the remaining 10 percent.
Not unsurprisingly, the systems with the lowest price came over the line one-two-three. The Polywell Poly 5200Tx's $1750 price tag and second-place finish in the Best Overall category make it
clearly the best value for the dollar. Just behind it -- in essentially a statistical dead heat -- the DTK Computer Quin-55M/PM200 takes honors as the second-best bargain of the group. Finally, the Xi K200 MTower, the sole K6 machine, ameliorated its indifferent feature and usability scores with a bargain price.
Best Overall: Pentium MMX Systems
