Mick Lockey

FreewayTech Innovation A4800M

For a relatively inexpensive $1280, the Innovation A4800M comes with some unexpected components, including a 15-inch LCD monitor, an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card with 128MB of memory, and an ample 80GB hard drive. The ivory-toned, 15-inch MGC Tech MGC-151T LCD displayed rich colors on a test photo and crisp text in screens with varying font sizes, especially white type on dark background. We tested the display at its native resolution of 1024 by 768 (the panel's maximum is 1280 by 1024).
Inside, this PC isn't as tidy as other units we've reviewed. Once we removed the screws and popped off the side panel, we found a messy interior, inhibiting easy access to internal components. For example, the USB and FireWire pass-through cables that extend from the back of the chassis to corresponding ports up front aren't tied down, adding to the clutter. FreewayTech offers support for just nine hours during weekdays--when many users will likely be at the office.
The A4800M is equipped with a 1.8-GHz Athlon XP 2200+ processor and 512MB of DDR266 SDRAM memory; it earned a score of 116 on PC WorldBench 4 tests--about average for this configuration. In our gaming tests, the ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card hit above-average frame rates at 1024 by 768 resolution. There are plenty of storage bays available, including three that can accept a hard drive and three that can accept an externally accessible drive or control panel. The system also has two open memory sockets and a lone vacant PCI slot. The included Altec Lansing 220W black-and-silver speakers stand tall and match the system's overall design. Sound quality was generally pleasing in our tests, although heavy bass and treble notes sounded a bit thin, even at high volumes. There's no subwoofer, so serious gamers should consider upgrading to a better-sounding set that can take advantage of the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 5.1-channel sound card. You'll find manuals from the manufacturers of the individual components; otherwise, documentation specific to this model is slim. Our test system came with several pages stapled together that covered the basics of getting the system up and running, but little else.
Budget-minded users will like the affordable price, the LCD's strong image quality, and the fact that there's plenty of room to upgrade.

Buying Information

FreewayTech Innovation A4800M $ http://