How to spot a good PC
Take a look at practically any computer advertisement and you’ll find a seemingly endless barrage of acronyms and specifications the advertisers hope will make you pick their machine of that of their competitors. And you may have wondered why several machines, all claiming the same processor speed, same-size hard disk, and other superficially similar specs can have prices (and performance characteristics!) that vary so widely. For example, let’s take a look at some recently advertised products....
ADDAX Computer Inc. (ever notice how many company names start with the letter "A"?), on Bridgeport Rd. in Richmond, the $385 price on the HP 7200i CD-Writer is an amazing deal -- if you can still get one. It’s being phased out in favour of a newer model dubbed the 8100i. The 8100i model is faster (in fact, much faster) when it comes to formatting CD-RW discs. The new 8100 series drives have an improved method of formatting CD-RW discs, which allows the discs to be prepared for writing in minutes instead of the hour or so it took previous models. Additionally, the 8100i writes to CD-R discs at 4x speeds and read at 24x, roughly twice as fast as the previous 7200 series models of the HP CD-Writer Plus. The new drives read CD-RW discs at 8x and write to them at 2x speeds, too. Note that ADDAX, like several other vendors, offers both OEM and retail versions of certain products. For example, you can get an OEM version of the Diamond Monster 3D II for considerably less money than a retail pack, but you miss out of some of the bundled goodies in the boxed version. "Boxed" CPUs, too, are usually configured differently than their OEM cousins. OEM processors are typically paired with a fan and/or heat-sink by the system builder, while boxed versions include a good-quality fan as a standard component. Hard drives are another component available in both OEM and retail packs. Some people prefer to save money with OEM versions; we happen to prefer and recommend the boxed products. That way, you know exactly what you’re getting.
Another Richmond-based company, at 1780-4311 Hazelbridge Way, is ICI Computer Inc. Other vendors would do well to study its methods: it lists virtually all of the components and their respective manufacturers in its ads. This is a great help in narrowing down your list of possible suppliers, and it really shows that ICI’s systems are based on quality components. For example, its PII-350 "ServerMax Pro" is based on the Asus P2BS, one of our favorite motherboards with a versatile and powerful array of no less than three onboard SCSI connectors, providing 80MB Ultra SCSI 2, Wide and Narrow connectivity for hard drives, CD-ROMs, tape backups or other SCSI devices. Users looking to minimize the hassles of "no available IRQs" should definitely consider a motherboard with onboard SCSI. With performance in our tests second only to the Aopen AX6B Plus (a version of the AX6B mentioned earlier, plus onboard SCSI), this is a leading choice in the BX motherboard category. There’s also a dual-CPU version of the Asus P2BS. Dubbed the P2BDS, its adds about $180 to the price of the system (plus a second CPU, if desired).
We were also impressed with ICI’s configuration known as the "Studio Max Pro." Presumably intended to appeal to users of the Kinetix program known as 3D Studio Max and other 3D programs, this computer includes the Seagate Medalist Pro – a Technical Excellence award winner for performance, and a professional-level 3D graphics card known as the Diamond FireGL 4000 (not the fastest card in the $1500-and-up category of graphics cards, but no slouch, either). Such a system is expensive, but for 3D graphics enthusiasts who demand serious OpenGL performance, this one can handle it.
3D enthusiasts who want to take performance even further are probably best advised to visit a specialist like IC Technology. The company sells Intergraph workstations optimized for graphics tasks. And perform they do. For example, the company’s latest Intense 3D Wildcat 4100 graphics card performs some 3D tasks at over triple the rate the above-mentioned FireGL 4000 (and at the price it sells for, it should!). Indeed, PC-based systems are beginning to become serious alternatives to much more expensive workstations. In fact, 1998 saw Intel-based systems for the first time surpass the speeds of SGI workstations in a type of benchmark known as CDRS-03. This is the most often-quoted test in a suite of application-based benchmarks known as ViewPerf. IC Technology also sells video editing and 3D software, including educational versions of programs like 3D Studio Max at substantially reduced prices to qualifying individuals or institutions. The company also sells Kinetix’s Character Studio, a 3D Max add-on we reviewed favorably in our report on 3D character animation.
Good components were also a hallmark of the "ACT PremiumII Series" computers at Anitech Computers, at 2607 Kingsway. Here, too, we found the unsurpassed Medalist Pro hard drive, Abit or Asus BX-class motherboards, and the Matrox G200 graphics card that PC Magazine awarded its Editors’ Choice award for Business Graphics in its December 1, 1998 issue. A genuine US Robotics 56K modem, a Creative Labs PCI sound card, a robust 250W power supply and a 19" case with two fans all add up to a well-rounded, mega-expandable system.
However, if business graphics just ain’t your bag, then you might like to know about Anitech’s aggressive $179 price on the Creative Labs Riva TNT – as mentioned earlier, the hottest 2D/3D chipset currently available in terms of price/performance. It’s a gamer’s delight and a better overall investment than a Voodoo2 board, which accelerates only full-screen 3D games using the proprietary 3Dfx "Glide" drivers; the TNT accelerates 2D, 3D, DirectX games, even OpenGL applications.
Nu-Age Computer Plus (#6-1128 W. Broadway, Vancouver; 604-739-0883) features eleven desktop systems based on four basic designs. The least expensive systems, based on the so-called Super7 type of motherboard (an Asus P5A-B, to be precise), use a AMD K6 II-3D processor. This processor is a very good value, providing about 90 percent of the performance of a similarly rated Pentium II system for several hundred dollars less. Note, however, that this system cannot be upgraded to a Pentium II or Celeron type processor in the future, without replacing the entire motherboard. Note, also, that the Super7 units do not include the Creative Labs PCI soundcards or ATI graphics cards that are present on the better systems. Nu-Age uses Asus motherboards, a very well respected manufacturer. Asus are renowned for having high-quality documentation – a boon if you value having manuals that are easy to understand. It pays to shop around, though. The company also stocks a number of components that will appeal to upgraders. We noticed that some of the items listed in its "Multi Media World" section (sound cards, in particular) were priced quite a bit lower than the same products at, say, Future Shop, while other prices (DVD, CD-RW) were, at this writing, higher.
Atcron (www.tntcomputer.com), which has stores in Surrey, Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond, lists several categories of system in its ads, and an even larger array of add-ons. Its low-end Super7 systems, with all but the lowest performer featuring AMD processors, are based on the Asus P5A motherboard that an article I wrote recently characterized as "one of the most trouble-free and well-equipped Socket 7 board tested." It also sensibly places the CPU socket out of the path of expansion cards -- just the ticket for those planning to add one or more 7" expansion cards. We also liked the system’s sound capability, which includes a game-port connector. Supplied port-cards provide a PS/2 port, AT and XT serial, and a parallel port. An optional card adds USB connectors and IR capabilities. Best of all, this board fully supports fan-off during ATX sleep mode. Atcron’s high-end Celeron and Pentium II systems are based on Abit BH6, or if desired, Asus P2B motherboards. If your budget allows, we’d recommend going with the 350 MHz version of the system known as the "Ultra TNT." In addition to having a truly kick-ass AGP graphics card based on the hottest 2D/3D chipset currently available – the Nvidia Riva TNT – this system’s BH6 board provides 5 PCI slots (2 ISA) and a truly innovative feature sure to be popular with performance buffs. You see, the BH-6 is unique in its ability to set the core voltage for the CPU, while providing software control over the status of a signal that, simply put, allows 66 MHz Slot 1 (Intel Celeron, Celeron-A and Pentium II) processors -- even recent chips that normally disable this feature -- to be easily and effectively overclocked. While we don’t officially recommend this practice, there are many people who want to push their PC’s performance to the limit, and this is the board that can do it. We recommend getting the special faster type memory of known as "PC100 SDRAM" (included with the Ultra TNT) if high-performance computing is your bag. This is the type of memory that some vendors, such as mail-order PC kingpin Dell, lists as "100 MHz SDRAM." Refer to our glossary online at www.vancouvercomputes.com/walkabout for descriptions of these and other common acronyms.
Vanco Computers, in the 1890 block of Vancouver’s "Computer Alley" on Broadway, promises the best deals in the Lower Mainland, and vows to match or beat any advertised prices. So, what’s the catch? Well, for one thing, the Houston motherboards in the low-end systems are among the least expensive boards on the market and, well, let’s just say they don’t win many performance awards. Fortunately, the company sells many better motherboards. You’re better off to pay a little extra here and ask for a motherboard such as the Aopen AX59Pro (Super7) or AX6B (Slot 1). Also, consider upgrading the standard monitor in the advertised packages to a better model from Mitsubishi, Viewsonic or Sceptre. The Viewsonic Cybervision C72 17" model won our Technical Excellence award back in August. The Sceptre D73A was rated highly in that issue, as well. Definitely great prices on components, though. We noted several items priced almost 20 percent below Future Shop’s advertised prices.
Another store on Broadway we didn’t mention in last issue’s Walkabout is CNS Technology. This company sells a number of systems and components, but the chipset used on some of the company’s $99 motherboards caught our eye and is worth mentioning, if only for its dubious heritage. The TXPro chipset, you see, is from PC Chips – a company www.motherboards.org characterized as having "…the worst reputation in the chipset community." What’s worth mentioning here is that this harsh comment was made in regard to PC Chips’ older VXpro product. The TXpro is, in fact, a re-badged ALI (Acer Labs) Aladdin IV chipset and is actually pretty good. So, if there’s a lesson here, it’s "don’t believe everything you read on the Internet." Compare prices carefully, though – when we checked, the company’s prices on some components (NEC E500 and Sony ES monitors, for example) were substantially higher than at ICI and elsewhere. As their website address (www.cns-notebook.com) implies, the company has a good selection of notebook systems and accessories, too.
Yet another new store in Computer Alley, at 561 W. Broadway, is Aspert Technologies. The company, which also has a location in Richmond at 11100 Bridgeport Rd., does not include the price of the operating system in its system prices, however, so if you want Windows 98, you’ll have to tack on $149 for the CD. Of course, not being forced into buying a product from Bill Gates and Company might be just the thing for those who plan on running Linux or some other non-Microsoft operating system. As we mentioned earlier, be sure to check component lists carefully here – the manufacturers of some items are not listed in the ads.
Speaking of Linux, be sure to check out Multimedia Technologies at 365 W. Broadway while you’re in the area for what must surely be the city’s best selection of Linux software (and Windows software, too), or visit www.softwarebc.com.
Strider Computers (where, my sense of journalistic integrity requires me to mention, I once worked) at 7915 120th Street in Delta is one of several dealers across the city selling desktop and portable computers from Acer. (Arete, at 8th and Cambie in Vancouver, is another.) In fact, Acer makes very high-quality cases and consistently rates among the best in reliability and compatibility with its products. The "Aopen" division of the company makes its own motherboards, modems and numerous other components. In our tests, we rated the Aopen AX6B as having "the second-best score of all Slot 1 boards tested… about 2 percent faster than the Abit BH6." (For the record, the Iwill BS-100 board was the performance champ.)
As you might expect from a company that is a major player in the internal modem market, the AOpen motherboards have better-than-average support for modems. Although most current motherboards feature "modem ring on" support, the AX6B Plus board, provides a "patent applied for" feature the company calls Zero Voltage Modem Wake-up. This feature, as the name implies, wakes up the computer from a true power-off condition (when the fan of the power supply is off). Thus, it is possible to have the system totally powered off, and wake up to automatically answer a phone call with a computer-based answering machine or send/receive a fax. Not surprisingly, AOpen produces its own MP56 modem for modem wake-up operations. Acer/Aopen's manuals are among the best, with hardware installation, troubleshooting info, and FAQs -- plus a quick installation guide in several languages. For Apple fans, Strider’s Simply Computing division is one of the leading Mac outlets.
Meanwhile, MapleOak Computer Solutions, in downtown Vancouver and Coquitlam, tends to focus more on networked systems, specializing in network support and service and targeting users primarily interested in solutions based on Windows NT, Novell NetWare and so on. Of course, we doubt they’ll turn away the rest of us, and their advertised prices on several items (Creative Labs sound cards, for example) were even lower than those at Vanco. Because the package systems advertised by MapleOak don’t include details as to which brand of motherboard, hard drive, monitor, mouse, etc., are included, it is important that you obtain this information before attempting to make an "apples-to-apples" comparison with systems at other dealerships. We were also intrigued by the rental program this company offers. You can, for example, rent a CD Recorder for $45/week. This could be just the thing for those who aren’t sure whether a CD-R unit might be a better choice than, say, a lower-capacity (100MB) Zip drive. One thing’s for sure: A 650MB CD-R disc sure costs a lot less per megabyte.
ATIC, characterized in detail in our previous Walkabout, promises "reasonable systems with high end parts" and, despite the complaints we hear from other dealers, there is reason to believe that’s true. The company’s agressively priced 350 MHz Pentium II system, for example, sports the aforementioned Abit BH6 mainboard, a SoundBlaster AWE64 (value edition, although the ad doesn’t mention this fact), and numerous other highly regarded components listed in earlier sections of this article and the previous Walkabout's PC shopping advice.
The Rage Pro chipset in the ATI Xpert98 isn’t the greatest choice for playing games (but that’s easy to solve by adding a Voodoo2 card!), but it is a solid and reliable choice for day-to-day tasks. In fact, I have one in my own system, and I’m very pleased with it. Similarly, the Fujitsu keyboard, Microsoft mouse, Motorola modem, and other components are all of decent quality. The high refresh rates (producing minimal flicker at 1280x1024) and crisp, clear picture of the optional Daytek DT-1726D monitor yielded a "very good" rating in our tests, however, you can upgrade to a better monitor for a little more money. We also recommend upgrading the default hard drive to a Quantum EL 10.2 drive. We gave this 10.2GB drive a Technical Excellence award for having both a reasonable price and the best performance of all 5400rpm drives tested.
Out in Surrey, at 10269-128th Street, is Golden Top Computer Systems. This company pursues the value-conscious buyers with low-end, used and refurbished products. Be careful, though. Don’t be too surprised if a $20 motherboard exhibits BIOS problems related to the year 2000 (problems that, we should add, are usually fairly easy to solve. See the page at www.tcp.ca/y2k for more info), or if a $70 used monitor doesn’t have the clarity or capability of a new one.
While you’re in Surrey, also check out System-Pro Computers Ltd. The company offers both custom-built clones (based primarily on Asus motherboards), and pre-configured "big-name" systems from IBM and Umax. Pre-built, name-brand models, as we noted in the PC shopping advice section of Walkabout part 1, typically offer a little less flexibility and/or raw performance for the money in exchange for better service, support and reliability. As the saying goes, there’s good, quick and cheap: and you can have any two of the three.
Also adhering to that seemingly immutable law of computers, selling used systems and various upgrades is Computer Lovers Centre Inc., at 555 Clarke Rd. in Coquitlam. The company’s price on the 9.1GB Seagate Medalist Pro hard drive is excellent – over $100 less than the price offered by some of its competitors. The Medalist Pro, with its speedy 7200rpm spindle, has a rated transfer speed of 194 Megabits per second (compared to the above-mentioned Quantum EL’s speed of 162Mbits/sec.), earning a Technical Excellence award for performance.
In the next Walkabout, we’ll continue our tour of Greater Vancouver’s computer stores with looks at Elitech, Primex, IO Express, VMAX, CE Computer Outlet, RPC, Nantron, Roger Computer Inc., Computer Depot, Fly Computers, Tricera, and more. And, please, don’t forget to tell dealers you heard about them from PC Buyer's Guide.
For Further Reading:
Post new comment