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How much PC do you need?

May 19, 1998
posted at:02:44:00 PM EDT

By Mike Hogan

Let's be honest here: If money were no object, we'd all grab the ritziest PC we could get our hands on. After all, an excess of processing power, RAM, and disk space never hurt anyone. And which of us wouldn't opt for a state-of-the-art flat-panel LCD monitor and theater-quality speakers if we could do so without having to worry about the cost?

In the real world, however, selecting a business PC requires trade-offs between the power we crave and the money our companies can sensibly spend. The CEO may get the latest and greatest, but it's a trickier balancing act for managers and cubicle dwellers, as well as those who work in small and home offices. Then there are administrative assistants and interns, who are lucky if they have reasonably current machines at all.

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The good news is that now more than ever, there's a PC to fit every need. On one end of the spectrum, the sudden boom in sub-$1000 systems means you can finally get a functional starter PC for that price. On the opposite end, Pentium II processors running at 300 MHz and up are letting $7000 Windows NT workstations take on tasks such as high-end CAD that were once the domain of $20,000 UNIX boxes. And there are plenty of choices for the majority of us who buy a system somewhere between those two extremes.

So which PC is right for you? And what about the other folks in your company with varying needs? To help you make sense of it all, we've taken an in-depth look at your current options. We began by dividing the desktop PC universe into budget systems (systems priced between $1000 and $2249) and power desktops ($2250 and up)--a slightly modified version of our monthly Top 20 Desktop PCs classes. We then carved two additional niches: bargain-basement PCs (Windows 95 systems priced under $1000) and Windows NT workstations (specialized machines selling for $3000 or more).

Using our new PC WorldBench 98 benchmark (see "PC WorldBench Gets Pumped Up" in this month's Top 100), we tested more than 80 PCs to determine what's typical at each price point. We also looked at alternatives to standard PCs--see "The Skinny on Thin Clients" and "Workstations With Alpha Inside."

Shopping for a PC would be a lot simpler if we could devise cut-and-dried rules, but ultimately the best we can do is give you broad guidelines. Bear in mind that PC speed is a relative thing. On the one hand, if you've been trying to create multimedia shows on an old non-MMX Pentium-133 system, you'll probably get a real speed boost with a new sub-$1000 PC--even though we don't suggest one for heavy-duty graphics. On the other hand, no PC will truly be fast enough until it can handle every task with zero delay.

To complicate matters, PCs with similar specs can provide shockingly different performance, as you know if you follow our Top 100 reviews. So while we can give you general advice on what to expect from various chips and other technologies, it's vital to keep tabs on the Top 100 to learn how specific models stack up.

In the near future, Intel's 350- and 400-MHz Pentium II CPUs will surely push down prices for PCs based on lesser chips; the company is also readying the Celeron, a CPU for cheap PCs. You could opt to bide your time before buying, but you have to weigh the dollars you'll save against the productivity you'll lose while you're circling the tower.

Whether you buy now or decide to wait a bit longer, a PC is out there with your name on it. We can help you zoom in on one that's got the features you need--and avoid paying extra for those you don't.

Related CNN Interactive stories:

• CNN IDG.net - 400-MHz Pentium IIs: The great leap forward - May 15, 1998
• Illegally altered chips found in thousands of PCs - May. 13, 1998
• Apple unveils new computer, aims for more market share - May. 6, 1998
• Big Blues -- IBM cites weak demand, price wars in lower profits - Apr. 21, 1998

Related stories at IDG.net

• Basement PCs: Under $1000 (PC World)
• Systems: $1000-$2249 (PC World)
• Desktops: $2250 and up (PC World)
• Latest and fastest processors (PC World)
• The right PC for the job (Chart) (PC World)
• Should you take the leap to 400-MHz? (PC World)
• High-performance systems come at a high price (Infoworld)
• Intel demonstrates future 500-MHz processors (PC World)

 

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