For a budget system, the Presario SR1214NX looks as good as its high-end siblings. The solid, black metal case features an attractive front panel with swinging doors that hide the drive bays. The front also provides easy connection options: ports for a headphone and a microphone, line-in audio, three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, and a media card reader.
The case's beauty is more than skin-deep, too, as this system is a cinch to upgrade. The side and front panels pop off easily, without requiring the use of extra tools; for instance, a single thumbscrew holds the side panel. All drives (including the 80GB hard drive) slip out the front of the system after you flip the latches that hold them in place, and removing a single screw releases a metal tab that anchors the PCI cards. The interior is well organized, providing easy access to two available PCI slots and an AGP slot.
Compaq provides a generous software bundle that includes Microsoft Works 7, Microsoft Money Standard 2004, and Quicken 2004 New User Edition. Although the bundled keyboard has shortcut buttons for volume and for launching apps such as a Web browser or e-mail, it felt cheap and its keys were too mushy for our taste. Compaq's printed documentation was limited to a setup poster and a warranty information booklet. But the company's Web site provides a good, illustrated manual for repairs and upgrades.
The system's WorldBench 5 score of 69 landed in the middle of the pack in our budget-PC roundup, but 20 points below the average for value systems on our
The SR1214NX is clearly not suited to demanding tasks such as intense gaming or heavy video or photo editing, but it offers enough power for standard office applications, light photo editing, and CD ripping. In our tests, when no other significant applications were running, it had no problem playing a DVD movie, too.
The Presario SR1214NX is a nice-looking, easy-to-upgrade PC suitable for basic computing chores.
Sean Captain
