Technology for tightwads; six great computers under $1,500 - Hardware Review - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Oct, 1994 by Deanna Vincent

SIX GREAT COMPUTERS UNDER $1,500

It's a wonderful time to be a consumer.

* Computer prices have never been more appealing, thanks to fierce competition among processor manufacturers and retail channels. And with system manufacturers packing in truckloads of software to make their products more attractive, you've never before gotten so much for your money.

* BIS Strategic Decisions, a market research firm, says that 90 percent of the computers bought next year will sell for under $2,000, 61 percent for under $1,500. Curious as to what we could get for that sum, we trotted off to the local CompUSA, Sears, and J&R computer World (a Manhattan-based electronics superstore that also has mail order) and placed calls to mail-order rivals Gateway 2000 and Dell.

* We found six systems--Macs, protables, multimedia units, and powerhouses--we'd definitely purchase if we had a modest $1,500 to spend, and a few others that could tempt us if we had a little more room in the budget or wanted longer warranties. Prices do not include tax or shipping.

* Except for mail order, we searched in the New York metropolitan area; your local retailers will offer other deals--maybe even better ones. In all cases, these are brand-name computers you can find just about anywhere. By the time you read this, expect these prices to drop another 5 to 7 percent, so even better bargains will abound.

MACS FOR MISERS

With the Power Macintosh, Apple made it possible to purchase a cutting-edge, RISC (reduced instruction set computing) machine for a lot less than we would have imagined a few years ago. In fact, anyone doing serious work on the Mac platform, especially graphic professionals, should check out one of these systems (see "Faster than Ever," July 1994, page 59). But street prices for a complete Power Mac setup with a decent monitor and keyboard start at just over $2,000--and this is with a small hard disk and no CD-ROM drive.

In our price range, you can get the Mac equivalent of a 486--a system based on the 68040 processor. You'll be hard-pressed to find one that includes such multimedia components as a CD-ROM drive for $1,500, but sound, at least, is built in to all Macintoshes.

The best we saw--the Performa 575--was at Sears. With 4MB of RAM and a 160MB hard drive, the Performa cost $1,400. This system is based on the 25-MHz 68LC040 processor, which doesn't have a math coprocessor but is still suitable for people who aren't doing hard-core financial calculations or intensive graphics work. As with any of Apple's Performas, the 575 is packaged and designed for convenient set up and ease of use; everything you need comes in the box. In addition, 12 software packages--including ClarisWorks and The American Heritage Electronic Dictionary--are preinstalled.

The main drawback: The 575 is an integrated unit--the CPU and monitor are combined. Although this design saves space, you'll never be able to upgrade the display; fortunately, the included 14-inch, 0.28mm dot-pitch monitor isn't bad. This machine provides only a single open slot and one external drive bay, however, so expansion is severely limited.

CompUSA offered a similarly powered but slightly more expensive machine--the Quadra 605--that isn't integrated and boasts 8MB of RAM and a 250MB hard drive for $1,249. Add a decent monitor (an Apple ColorPlus 14-inch display for $300) and standard keyboard ($75) and you've got a total system price of $1,624, a little above what we wanted to spend.

Overall, we were disappointed by what $1,500 bought on the Mac platform, but there is a happy ending. By the time you read this, Apple will offer a new computer, the Quadra 630. It wasn't available in stores at press time, but we saw a test unit and would heartily recommend purchasing this model. Selling for $1,279 (without monitor or keyboard, so the final price will still be a little above budget at around $1,700), the 630 is based on the faster 66/33-MHz 68040 processor and includes 4MB of RAM. The 630 also sports a new design with a slightly smaller footprint and comes with three ready-to-install video options. These include a TV card and a presentation system, for which you'll pay extra, of course. Inside, you'll find a slot for a $600 PowerPC upgrade card, which ships later in the year. (Look for a complete review of the Quadra 630 in the November issue.)

PRACTICAL PORTABLES

Desktops aren't the only computers that benefit from the price wars--portable computer prices are plummeting as well. You probably won't find a model you'd want to use all day for $1,500, but you certainly can afford a great no-frills notebook for occasional use.

The truly budget minded will realize that color on portables still comes at a premium--$500 or so extra for dual scan and a whopping $1,000 or more for active matrix. But for sometime use, monochrome is just fine. You're primarily looking at the SL/SX processor family in the PC notebook arena and the 68030 in a Macintosh PowerBook--both handle graphical environments decently. If light and small describe what you want and you can deal with an external floppy drive, you can even purchase a decently configured PC subnotebook at the $1,500 price point.