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D ECEMBER 1997 THE COMPUTER PAPER BC EDITIONwww.tcp.ca
,©'TCP TEST LABS
Maybe you'd rather have a Mac for Christmas Power Mac 6500/300 mixes business with pleasure BY PE T E R
IVI I L B U R N
Power Macintosh 6SOO/300 From: Apple Computer CPU:300 MHz PowerPC 603e RISC, with 512KB Level-2 cache (expandabie to 1 MB) Memory: 64 MB RAM(expandable to 128 MB) Storage: 6 GB IDEhard drive, 24x CD-ROMdrive, 100, MB removable Zip drive. 1.44 MBMac/PCSuperDrive Video: ATI Rage II 2D/3D graphics accelerator, with 2 MB SGRAM,supports 24-bit (millions) color on 17-inch monitor up to 800x600 pixels and 16-bit (thousands) color on 21-inch monitor up to 1,152x870 pixels. Expansion: Two 7-inch PCI slots, Apple Video System card, Apple TV/FMTuner card, SCSI. ADB, serial with AppieTalk network, 16-bit CD-quality audio output Pros: Screaming performance, built-in 64-bit 20/3D video acceleration, 3D surround sound and subwoofer, incredible software bundle Cons:CPU notupgradeable,accelerated video SGRAM not upgradeabie Suggested retail price: $4,299
market to come from Apple since the launch of PowerPC-based Macs in 1994. Its hardware features read like a power user's wish list: a PowerPC 603e microprocessor running at 300 MHz with a512KB Level-2 cache, 64 MB of RAM, a 6 GB IDE hard drive, 24x CD-ROM drive and an internal 100 MB Zip drive. Add to that an onboard ATI Rage Il 2D/3D 64-bit graphics accelerator, a 5 6 K B i n t ernal data/voice/faxmodem and an integrated dualfunction subwoofer with 16-bit 3D surround sound, and you begin to get the impression that this machine is loaded with everything the average user is likely to ever need — for at least a few years, anyway. The 6500 hardware components are housed in a rugged, kidproof minitower case. Unpacking it and plugging in all the clearly marked cables takes less than five minutes. When it's all done you .simply press the power-on key on the keyboard and you' re ready to rock 'n' roll. Upgrade and expansion are a breeze. To access any of the drive bays you simply slide upwards the front bezel on the CPU case, To access the motherboard for RAM, PCI, Video or TV/Radio tuner expansion slots, you remove two screws from the back plate, pop out a metal handle and slide the board out of the case. To put the board back, you line its edges up with two guide rails and slide it back in — totally painless and convenient.
ust a few years ago, who would have ever dreamed that a m i d -range computer Software would clock in at 300 MHz? Well, that' s By itself, the hardware configuration is precisely what Apple is currently offering impressive enough. But what gives the 6500 the home and small business user. tremendous value is the productivity, learning The PowerMac 6500/300— the flagship and entertainment software that comes bunmodel of the 6500 series — is certainly the dled with the unit. All of the pre-installed softmost impressive bundle for the home user ware is on CD-ROMs that are neatly packaged
cornu copia
A computer for Christmas Contirrned from page 66 the ATI games bundle, which ships with the Xpert@Play card, and the Windows 95 CDROM. Priced very competitively at $1,949, this system aims to please both the powerhungry and those on a budget. CompuPartner
about jumper settings. Video on this machine is achieved through a Matrox Mystique video card with 4 MB of SGRAM onboard, which helped this system achieve the second fastest overall score, as well as in the desktop graphics portion of the benchmarks. A 3.2 GB Quantum hard drive with Ultra DMA support is the primary storage device, offering adequate storage and good performance. Without a doubt, Multimedia applications will make use of one of t h e b e st t he OPTI 9 3 1M-3DS sound c ard a n d buys this month is Panasonic 24x CD-ROM drive as well as a pair this fully l o aded of speakers. Rounding out the system is a CompuPartner sys- Linkskey 56Kbps voice/faxmodem based on tem from STD. This the Rockwell chipset, Priced at $1,699 with a system strikes an three-year warranty on parts and labor, this is excellent balance one machine you won't want to pass up.
between performance and pricing, being the second fastest system in the entire survey as well as the lowest-priced.
The machine is driven by a 233 MHz Pentium MMX processor, 512KB of pipelined cache on aQDI motherboard, and 32 MB of EDO RAM. QDI motherboards have a feature called SpeedEasy, which allows you td configure the CPU speed from inside the CMOS. This is a superb idea, allowing even the most novice users to insert a CPU onto the motherboard and set it up without having to worry
in a plastic-sleeved booklet. These titles are not the watered-down offerings you'd expect to find in a clearance bin at your local computer supoestore. Some of the 15 titles include ClarisWorks, N ow To uc h base Pro, MegaPhone, Grolier Encyclopedia, 3D Atlas, KidPix Studio, Descent II , V R S o ccer, Mechwarrior II, Virtual Pool and others.
The 6500/300 will run any standard productivity applications as fast as anybody would possibly want to run them, This computer really demonstrates its prowess when it flexes its muscle on multimedia. The combination of a fast microprocessor and on-board 64-bit accelerated graphics make this one mean gaming machine. Any one of the bundled gaming titles Impressions amply showcasesthis machines awesome The 6500 offers just about all of the communi- graphics capabilities. An excellent test of CPU cation tools a small business owner could use. and video perforniance is Descent II. Game The built-in 56K modem is capable of trans- play was incredibly smooth and fluid in the mitting and receiving data, fax, voice and high-res mode. Even when I engaged a dozen email. And of course, it can also be used to or more enemy ships at one time. the 65OO browse the Internet. Of particular interest to never flinched in it's responsiveness. And this reviewer was the bundled MegaPhone soft- when you couple the built-in 3D suhwoofer ware. It turns your Power Mac into a digital with a pair of external speakers you get awetelephone manager and answering machine. some, bone-jarring sound capabilities. . One of the neat features — especially if you have a family — is the ability to set up multiple Summary telephone answering mailboxes. MegaPhone Two words best describe the Power Macintosh can integrate itself with any of the contact 6500/300: performance and value. The only organizers you use, and is an indispensable reservations I have about this system is the tool if you spend a lot of your time on the non-upgradeable CPU and video RAM. If you telephone. are an avid gamer it's probably best that you One of the more interesting upgrade wait for the next-generation Gossamer Macs options is the Apple Video System and Apple that have video RAM expansion built-in. TV/FM Tuner cards. If you'd like to be able to However, if you feel you can live with a maxcapture and ed'it video, listen to the radio or imum of 300 MHz and 2 MB video RAM then watch TV on the 6500, then you can purchase the 6500/300 comes close to the ideal home this expansion kit separately. If you are seri- and small business computer. just remember ously interested in these options then I would all work and no play, makes]ack a dull boy. suggest you purchase the next model down in the chain — the Power Macintosh 6500/275 Contact: Creative Studio. You get 25 MHz slower clock Apple Computer, Web site: http: //www.apple.corn speed, no Zip drive and 32 MB less RAM, but this tradeoff is more than made up by the cost Peter Milburn is a consultant with Elite Systems of purchasing the video and tuner cards sepa- Support located in Calgary, Alta. He can be reachedon rately. the Internet at elite@cadvision.corn . 2S6KB of pipelinedcache, and 32 MB of SDRAM. A 3.2 GB hard drive is also found in the system, along with an ATI 3D Rage II+ video card with 2 MB of SGRAM onboard. A 16-bit 3D sound system will enhance the multimedia experience, and the 24x CD-ROM keeps video and audio clips flowing smoothly. A 56Kbps.Kflex modem is also included as part of this package to get you online right away. On the software side of things, we have Lotus SmartSuite 97, Netscape Navigator, PC Doctor, Crystal AudioStation and I BM's Antivirus. The Aptiva E25 is priced at $2,699, which includes a 15-inch monitor, and a one-
year express service warranty. Mycomp From
IBM This month, from the popular Aptiva series we review
Myn ix
mach i n e
offers an excellent
achieved s o me
T he
NEC Ready 97S3 The Ready 9753 was the only syst em that h a d a charcoal gray case among a l l ;he machines t his m onth. A ver y sleek looking unit, it o f f ers p r etty
Technology, comes this Mycomp sys- much everything you would need in a family tem. Falling into t he 2 0 0 MHz Pentium MMX class, this system
the model E25.
good performance, thanks to the components found mside the case. Those components include 32 MB of SDRAM, a Quantum ST 3.2 GB Ultra DMA hard drive, a Matrox Millennium II video card with 4 MB of WRAM, a BTC 24x CD-ROM drive, a USR Sportster 33.6Kbps faxmodem and a BTC 1853L sound card.
balance of hardgood numbers on ware, software and the benchmarks, very competitive although it encountered some problems with pricing on a first tier machine. This unit con- the database portion of th e tests. Other than sists of a 200 MHz Pentium MMX processor, that, all numbers indicate this machine offers
computer. To start, there is the latest 233 MHz Pentium MMX processor, 256KB of pipelined cache,32 MB of SDRAM, a 4.3 GB hard drive, 24x CD-ROM, 16-bit sound system with wavetable surround sound and a USRobotics x2 56Kbps faxmodem. The ATI 3D RageII+ video card with 2 MB of SGRAM will help
speed up games and the system as a whole. Continued on page 72