-
CNET editors' rating:
4.0
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating -
Average user rating:
Write your own review - See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: Blistering performance; outstanding LCD monitor; wide range of inputs, including seven-in-one media reader/writer; recordable-DVD drive; wireless/optical keyboard, mouse.
The
bad: Small software bundle; generic user manual.
The
bottom
line: The ABS SPC 5 offers full-strength performance without the full-size case.
Specifications: Processor: AMD Athlon XP (2.16 GHz) ; RAM installed: 512 MB DDR SDRAM ; Hard drive: 120 GB Standard ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 07/18/2003
- Released on: 04/01/2003
The ABS SPC 5 lacks the audio/video versatility and fancy Plexiglas casing of the Polywell Mini Qbox, but it's no less a contender for the small-form-factor, heavyweight-performance crown. Based on an AMD Athlon XP 3000+ processor that's backed by 512MB of 400MHz DDR SDRAM and a 7,200rpm 120GB Western Digital hard drive, the SPC 5 has enough computing muscle to satisfy even the most demanding users.
The system also offers a terrific selection of components, including a 128MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card, an NEC ND-1100A DVD+RW drive, Creative Labs' three-piece I-Trigue 2.1 3300 speaker system, and Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop keyboard-and-mouse combo. Given its cutting-edge appeal, we were surprised that our SPC 5 test system came equipped with a floppy drive, which is actually part of its seven-in-one digital-media reader/writer. Topping off our test system was Samsung's 17-inch SyncMaster 172W wide-screen LCD monitor, one of the best flat-panel displays we've seen. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by the adeptness of both the monitor and the Creative speaker system for 3D-game-playing and DVD-movie playback. The SPC 5's software bundle is limited to a copy of Microsoft Works 7.0 and Ahead Software's Nero Express for burning CDs and DVDs.
Like the Qbox, the SPC 5 owes its reduced footprint to the remarkably compact Shuttle XPC chassis. Although the 7-by-7.8-by-11.5-inch case doesn't offer much in the way of expansion--its single PCI slot is occupied by the modem card--you'll find a useful selection of ports on its front plate, including a digital (S/PDIF) audio output, two USB 2.0 ports, and one FireWire port, as well as connections for a microphone and headphones. More FireWire and USB 2.0 ports--two of each--reside on the back, as do two VGA and two S-Video connectors, three analog audio outputs, and serial, Ethernet, and modem ports.
While the SPC 5's SysMark2002 performance rating was about 13 percent lower than that of the Pentium 4-based Qbox, its 268-point score weighed in on the high end for comparable Athlon XP 3000+ systems we've tested. Moreover, the SPC 5's Radeon 9700 Pro card slightly outperformed the Qbox's All-in-Wonder model on the 3DMark2001 SE Pro and the Quake III Arena tests. To be sure, smaller form factor does not translate to any sacrifice in computing power.
ABS covers the system with a one-year-parts/lifetime-labor warranty and lifetime toll-free technical support, available on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. Upgrading to a year of concurrent onsite service and 24/7 phone support costs an additional $29.
Application performance (Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
3D graphics performance (Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
|||||||||||||||
|
3D gaming performance in fps (Longer bars indicate better performance)
|
||||||||||
|
- See more CNET content tagged:
- DDR SDRAM,
- AMD Athlon XP,
- asset based security,
- AMD Athlon,
- speaker system
User reviews
-
Average user rating:
0 stars
Not yet available
Back to product review - My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 1 of 1 user reviewSee 1 user review
- See 1 user review Write review
