New in the Top 100
Pentium 4: Fast or Fizzle?Edited by Kalpana Narayanamurthi
For this month's reviews of systems and peripherals, click the links below.
On paper, Intel's Pentium 4 processor holds great promise. It combines the highest clock speed ever seen in a desktop-bound CPU, an astounding 42 million transistors, and Intel's first new chip architecture since the Pentium Pro arrived on the scene in 1995.
Intel expects the Pentium 4's attractiveness to extend beyond mere paper. According to company spokesperson George Alfs, the P4 targets consumer enthusiasts and business power users (in other words, the well-heeled). "It really will shine with 3D graphics, video editing, and entry-level workstation applications," he says. The chip maker introduced the P4 at clock speeds of 1.4 GHz and 1.5 GHz, but it should release a 2-GHz version by the third quarter of 2001.
Unfortunately, our tests show that--while it is a fast processor--the Pentium 4 isn't yet as impressive as its paper trail might indicate. This month we tested a Dell Dimension 8100 that featured a 1.5-GHz P4. Equipped with its brand-spanking-new processor and running Windows 2000 Professional, the system earned a fast score of 194 on our PC WorldBench 2000 test suite. That tally is 20 points above the average for 1-GHz Pentium III systems with the same amount of RAM and the same OS. That's a sizable increase, but not as large as you might expect, considering that the processor has a 50 percent higher clock speed. However, PC WorldBench 2000 emphasizes common business applications, and we've found that Intel's assertions about the P4's strengths running multimedia applications do ring true (see "Pentium 4: Boon or Bust?"). As more P4 systems come in and run the WorldBench gauntlet, we'll have a better sense of how well this next-generation processor performs.
In addition to having a P4 CPU, the Dimension 8100 boasts Intel's new 850 chip set. The 850 uses a 400-MHz front-side bus--providing a much fatter pipe for internal data transmission--plus four USB ports for added connectivity; it also supports the Ultra DMA/100 hard drive standard (for more about what Ultra DMA/100 does, see "Does Ultra DMA/100 Make a Difference in Your System's Performance?").
Athlon Athletics
AMD trails in the competition for highest clock speed, but its newest processor--a 1.2-GHz Athlon--powers some fleet systems and could be a powerful contender. The HP Pavilion 9720A-T1200, number three in the power section of the Top 15 Home PCs chart, used the new chip and Windows Millennium Edition to score a 162 on our PC WorldBench 2000 tests. That's just one point behind the average score of the three P4 systems we tested for our January news story. Those systems also used Windows Me, but they had 256MB of RAM whereas the Pavilion 9720A-T1200 carries just 128MB.
Our Top 15 Notebook PCs chart has a new midrange Best Buy: the Gateway Solo 5300. This $2274 laptop offers classy black-and-silver looks in a 5.1-pound package. Also new on the chart are the speedy but pricey IBM ThinkPad A21p, at number two in the power section, and the Dell Latitude CPTs 600ST, at number two in the budget section, which offers dual pointing devices and a modular bay that can hold up to eight different peripherals.
Freelance writers Dan Littman, Joel Strauch, and Carla Thornton--along with PC World editors Richard Baguley, Seán Captain, Lisa Cekan, Rebecca Freed, Kalai Murugesan, and Alan Stafford--contributed to the articles in this month's Top 100. Laboratory testing was performed by Curt Buehler, Ulrike Diehlmann, Matt Halloran, Robert James, Elliot Kirschling, Jeff Kuta, and Thomas Luong of the PC World Test Center.
Your Guide to the Top 100
Questions about our charts? The following information should answer them.
How do the charts work? Each month we test a large number of PCs, printers, monitors, graphics boards, and scanners, and compare them with previously reviewed products. Only the best products land on the Top 10 and Top 15 charts, which are refreshed monthly. System configurations are shown as tested. Vendors may have since changed components.
What does the overall rating mean? This 100-point scale reflects results from our hands-on evaluations and performance tests. A score in the 90s is exceptional, while one in the 70s is above average.
What does the PC WorldBench 2000 score mean? It's a measure of how fast a PC can run a mix of common business applications as compared with our baseline machine, an HP Pavilion 8380 with a PII-400 CPU, 96MB of RAM, and an 8GB hard drive. For example, a PC that scores 200 is twice as fast as the baseline system.
Where do the scores for reliability, support quality, and support policies come from? Reliability and support quality scores are based on surveys of PC World readers and on anonymous support calls made by PC World staff. The policies score is based on vendor support policies.
Top 10 Graphics Boards on hiatus: The graphics boards chart has been superseded by this month's comprehensive roundup. The graphics boards chart will be in its usual spot next month.