Joel Strauch

Polywell Poly 880NF-2000

Polywell packed our test Poly 880NF-2000 with top-tier components, from the latest 1.67-GHz Athlon XP-2000+ CPU and 512MB of speedy DDR memory to the 80GB of fast hard drive storage accessible as a single logical volume thanks to the twin 40GB Ultra DMA/133 hard drives connected via an IDE RAID controller. These speedy pieces add up to impressively fast performance. Running Windows XP Professional, our test system earned a score of 123 on PC WorldBench 4, tying a Micro Express MicroFlex 18A for the fastest mark on this operating system. Beyond good-looking numbers, this system also offers a handsome display. The ViewSonic GS790 monitor--currently ranked number one on our Top Ten 19-inch Monitors chart--produced vibrant colors in our graphics test photos and crisp, legible text (with only some minor ghosting of individual characters) in our test document.
Our complaints are minor. While the brushed-aluminum midsize tower looks sharp, the silver spray-painted drive covers on the front of the system make it look cheap. The RAID card requires thick cables that connect to the two hard drives; the cables fit into large connectors on the side of the card (rather than the top of it). In our test system, the connectors intruded on the adjacent card slot so much that we couldn't insert a card into it, leaving the system with only one usable open slot.
One of the PCI slots came filled with a three-port IEEE 1394 card, which allows you to connect digital video camcorders, external hard drives, or other high-speed peripherals. In addition, the system provides an unusually large number of USB 1.1 ports (six), including four on the front of the system behind a flip-up cover. The bundled Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo reduce cable clutter, and because they use radio signals (rather than infrared), you don't have to worry about other objects blocking the transmission.Aside from the awkward RAID cables, the system interior is quite neat. The rest of the cabling is bundled and clipped to the side of the tower, providing clear access to the memory sockets and PCI slots and to the six open drive bays (four for removable-media drives and three for additional hard drives). But most people won't need the open bays: Our test unit already came well-equipped with a 16X DVD-ROM drive and a 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive.An adequate software bundle includes Lotus Smart Suite Millennium Edition for office productivity and Norton Ghost for creating backup hard drive images. And for after-hours entertainment, this system has a Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 sound system, which adds a 12-watt subwoofer to two 4.5-watt-per-channel speakers.Documentation includes detailed paperwork for individual components as well as Polywell's standard spiral-bound manual with generic information on all Polywell systems and some handy general upgrading and troubleshooting advice. A setup guide--consisting of several 8.5-by-11-inch sheets stapled together--covers the details of this particular model.
With only minor dings against it, this small office system from Polywell offers top-level performance and a great monitor for a moderate price.

Buying Information

Polywell Poly 880NF-2000 PC WorldBench 4 score of 123, 1.67-GHz Athlon XP-2000+ CPU, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows XP Pro, two 40GB hard drives with RAID controller, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, Hercules 3D Prophet 3 Ti 500 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch ViewSonic GS790 monitor, integrated sound, Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 speakers, network adapter, V.90 modem, midsize tower case. 3-year parts warranty, 5-year labor warranty; free, unlimited, 24-hour toll-free tech support for first year (reduced hours thereafter). $ 2385 PC WorldBench 4 score of 123, 1.67-GHz Athlon XP-2000+ CPU, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, 256KB L2 cache, Windows XP Pro, two 40GB hard drives with RAID controller, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drive, Hercules 3D Prophet 3 Ti 500 graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM, 19-inch ViewSonic GS790 monitor, integrated sound, Cambridge SoundWorks SW320 speakers, network adapter, V.90 modem, midsize tower case. 3-year parts warranty, 5-year labor warranty; free, unlimited, 24-hour toll-free tech support for first year (reduced hours thereafter). http://www.polywell.com 800/999-1278