ZT Group's Cisnet Media Center PC X6534 masquerades as a muscle stereo system. The most prominent feature on this machine's large, brushed-aluminum box is a snazzy blue backlit decibel meter.
The remainder of the front is taken up by a large spring-loaded panel. Press it, and the door dramatically descends to reveal a generous array of PC features, including a multiformat DVD burner; a seven-in-one memory card reader; two of the unit's six USB ports; and microphone, headphone, and FireWire ports.
In addition, the X6534 is one of the few units here to offer a volume control on the front--a handy feature when the remote gets lost under the couch cushions. An all-too-rare reset button is also welcome.
This model was one of the most solid entertainment units in our group, with zippy radio tuning and good handling of the other Media Center applications. It was also one of the largest overall, however, at 5.75 inches tall by 17.25 inches wide by 17.75 deep. And it was the noisiest; its cooling fans tended to whine, which is a sure way to pierce the quiet of a room.
Our review unit came with a nice set of 5.1-channel Logitech Z-5300 speakers; this set includes a subwoofer and a wired volume and quality-control handheld unit. Also bundled with the X6534 we received was a very good Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard.
On our performance tests, the Media Center PC X6534 earned a WorldBench 5 score of 93--a fine effort for a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 540 system with 512MB of RAM, and the second-highest score in the group. A good-looking 19-inch Samsung SyncMaster 910T LCD monitor helped push the total package price up to $2599.
This large, showy system runs a little too loudly for a quiet room, but it would work fine in a part of the house where you won't mind the slightly whiny fan.
Carla Thornton
