Mick Lockey

Polywell Poly 7205G-3000

The Poly 7205G-3000 came to us with a number of high-performance components, including Intel's 3.06-GHz Pentium 4 processor, twin 80GB hard drives connected to a RAID controller card, and a graphics board outfitted with NVidia's GeForce4 Ti 4600 chip set and 128MB of DDR SDRAM. With all that horsepower, it earned a respectable score of 123 running PC WorldBench 4--above-average for a PC in this processor class. In our gaming tests the system produced fairly high frame rates and good-looking images. The PC's front panel provides slots for SmartMedia, Secure Digital, CompactFlash, and Memory Stick storage cards, so you can conveniently transfer data to and from digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, and other digital devices. Along with the media reader, the system has six USB 2.0 ports (two located on the front of the case) and two FireWire ports on the back.
An overzealous paint job covered the labels under the card-reader slots, making them difficult to read. The basic-beige (and bulky) 19-inch AOC 9Glr CRT monitor that arrived with the Poly displayed blurry text at smaller font sizes. It did, however, produce bright hues and sharp detail in a test photo screen.
Our Polywell's spacious interior had four open PCI slots, two unused memory sockets, and five open bays (three for hard drives and two that can also accept removable-media drives); all were easy to access. Two of the occupied bays held a 16X DVD-ROM drive and a 48X/24X/48X CD-RW drive--a fairly standard offering on a high-end PC these days.Polywell included Cambridge SoundWorks CSW320 speakers, an impressive set of two satellites and a subwoofer that delivered thumping bass and loud, crisp trebles during our DVD movie playback and audio tests. The six-channel integrated sound processor includes an S/PDIF-out port for connecting digital audio devices.Polywell's basic-black keyboard felt sturdy and somewhat springy to type on. It includes three buttons for audio settings and three others to launch applications.The bundled software favored fun over work, consisting of a few games and CyberLink Power Director 2.1, a video editing application. Polywell included comprehensive documentation, with a setup guide and a generic spiral-bound manual providing general overviews common to all PCs and text-heavy chapters on upgrading and troubleshooting systems.
Inexpensive for a PC with Intel's top-of-the-line Pentium 4, this modern-looking system would make a great machine for digital media users who want room to upgrade.

Buying Information

Polywell Poly 7205G-3000 PC WorldBench 4 score of 123, 3.06-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 512MB of DDR266 SDRAM, Windows XP Professional, 80GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 48X/16X/48X CD-RW drive, NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch AOC 9GIr monitor, integrated sound, Creative Labs Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 speakers, network adapter, midsize tower case; CyberLink Power Director 2.1. Three-year parts, five-year labor warranty; lifetime 24-hour weekday and 4-hour Saturday and Sunday toll-free support. $ 2350 PC WorldBench 4 score of 123, 3.06-GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 512MB of DDR266 SDRAM, Windows XP Professional, 80GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 48X/16X/48X CD-RW drive, NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch AOC 9GIr monitor, integrated sound, Creative Labs Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 speakers, network adapter, midsize tower case; CyberLink Power Director 2.1. Three-year parts, five-year labor warranty; lifetime 24-hour weekday and 4-hour Saturday and Sunday toll-free support. http://www.polywell.com 800/789-8027