CyberPower Media Center PC Limited Edition
Smart-looking, component-style Media Center PC is a competent performer.
Artwork by Rick Rizner, John Goddard
A black aluminum case with a concave front makes the CyberPower Media Center PC Limited Edition resemble an oversize CD player--not a bad impression for a system to convey when it has living-room ambitions. Measuring 6.75 inches tall, 16.75 inches wide, and 16.25 inches long, it shares this look with the IBuyPower Media-XP. On the front, a couple of inconspicuous spring-loaded panels conceal two of the unit's six USB ports, a multiformat DVD burner stacked atop a separate 16X DVD-ROM drive, and a seven-in-one memory card reader. The rear holds numerous standard PC and audio/video-in and-out connections.
Besides blending nicely with other components, the CyberPower handled Media Center applications with aplomb. Aided in our speed tests by a 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 550 processor and 1GB of RAM, the Limited Edition missed this roundup's median mark by only 2 percent, with a WorldBench 5 score of 88. We found that the TV and FM tuners worked well. This PC was one of the few in the group to provide quick FM tuning and a basic antenna, which you'll need to pick up radio signals. Only a couple of seconds elapsed between seeks, making the task of browsing stations a lot less painful than on most of the other entertainment PCs we tested.
The only major problem with placing the CyberPower in your living room: its noise level. Use it there, and others within earshot may find the loud fans annoying.
The system's reasonable $1769 price covers a 17-inch New Universe QL-711V LCD monitor, two optical drives, and a floppy drive.
The CyberPower's black aluminum case looks great in a living room, but its loud fans will make you think twice before installing this otherwise competent system there.
Carla Thornton
Artwork by Rick Rizner, John Goddard
Photograph by Rick Rizner
Photograph by Rick Rizner