Sean Captain

MicronPC Millennia Max XP2

This XP2 blasted to a 193 on our PC WorldBench 2000 tests--one of the highest scores we've seen from a Windows Me-equipped home PC. Its power comes from cutting-edge components, including a 1.4-GHz Athlon CPU, 256MB of 266-MHz DDR SDRAM main memory, and a VisionTek GeForce3 graphics card with its own 64MB of DDR SDRAM. That card includes an S-Video-out port for sending images to a compatible television. Should you wish to add even more power components, Micron makes upgrades a cinch. The beige-and-silver case opens easily after you twist a thumbscrew and pull two levers. Inside, cables are neatly routed and tucked out of the way, allowing you access to the two free PCI slots, two open 3.5-inch externally accessible bays, and one free internal bay. You can do almost all the upgrade work without opening your toolbox. A cleverly hinged door snaps open to free the PCI cards. The drives in the externally accessible bays slide out after you squeeze tabs on each side of the drives (though you must pop off the front bezel to gain access), and the hard drive and floppy drive are each anchored by a single screw. Two front-mounted USB ports (in addition to two on the back) let you easily plug in portable peripherals such as digital cameras or external drives. The included Microsoft Internet Keyboard provides responsive keys for easy typing and includes shortcut buttons for controlling CD play, launching an e-mail application and Web browser, and accessing the Windows calculator utility or Windows Explorer.
We have no significant quibbles with this system's design or performance. One minor annoyance, however, is the support bar that runs from the top of the case to the bottom and is fitted with adjustable grips to anchor the edges of the AGP and PCI cards. You must remove a screw to release the bar and gain access to the cards.
Despite the high-end graphics card, the Millennia Max XP2 placed in the middle among similarly configured systems in all four of our frame-rate tests. The 19-inch Trinitron Micron CPD-4401 monitor produced generally crisp images, although 12-point text appeared somewhat thin at 1024 by 768 resolution, and colors appeared a bit too bright and washed out; brightness and contrast adjustments didn't help. Movies played in the 16X DVD-ROM drive looked sharp, with good color quality. The Altec Lansing ACS33W speaker system, with two satellites and a small subwoofer, produced average sound quality. In addition to the DVD-ROM drive, this system has a 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drive for burning data or music discs. We found this Millennia Max's documentation generally quite good. A foldout card provides rudimentary, generic setup instructions, but it prominently displays the phone number and URL for tech support. A Getting Started booklet furnishes more detail, including labeled photographs, ergonomic tips, and an explanation of the keyboard shortcut buttons. Advanced users will appreciate the hefty system manual, which provides detailed maintenance and upgrade information, including labeled photographs and diagrams, a glossary of terms, a troubleshooting chart, and such details as motherboard jumper settings and instructions for making adjustments to the system's BIOS settings. A generous software bundle includes Microsoft Office XP Small Business and Norton AntiVirus 2001.
This Millennia Max XP2 is a fully stocked system for gamers or home-office number crunchers.

Buying Information

MicronPC Millennia Max XP2 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 193, Athlon-1400 CPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows Me, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drive, VisionTek GeForce3 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch Micron CPD-4401 monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Altec Lansing ACS33W speakers, V.90 modem, network adapter, midsize tower case, Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition, Norton AntiVirus 2001. One-year parts and labor warranty; free unlimited 24-hour tech support. $ 2397 PC WorldBench 2000 score of 193, Athlon-1400 CPU, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows Me, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drive, VisionTek GeForce3 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch Micron CPD-4401 monitor, Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live sound card, Altec Lansing ACS33W speakers, V.90 modem, network adapter, midsize tower case, Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition, Norton AntiVirus 2001. One-year parts and labor warranty; free unlimited 24-hour tech support. http://www.micronpc.com 888/634-8799