WinBook, better known for years as the maker of inexpensive laptops, may be a good choice for desktops as well--if you're looking for a basic, moderately priced system. The $1983 PowerSpec 9262, one of WinBook's top-of-the-line desktop models, is a perfect example of average in desktop PCs.
Its performance was a mixed bag--using a 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 550 processor and 1GB of DDR400 SDRAM, it earned a score of 91 in our WorldBench 5 tests, a very strong result for a budget system. But it turned in disappointing frame rates in our graphics tests, managing just 27 frames per second in Unreal Tournament at 1280 by 1024 resolution.
The PowerSpec's basic black minitower case is missing some features you find on most machines these days. For starters, the front panel has no USB, FireWire, or audio ports, though it does house one DVD-RW drive at the top; the back of the case has the standard gamut of ports, including USB ports, but they have no icons or labels to identify them.
Opening the case and removing or adding components such as expansion cards and drives is not hard but requires a screwdriver. Cables and wires were not tucked out of the way even though there's plenty of space inside the case.
The 19-inch LG Flatron L1930B LCD that came with our test system yielded nice results in our image quality tests. Fonts looked crisp and easy to read at 1280 by 1024 resolution, and colors in our test photo were bright and vivid. When we watched a DVD, the video didn't skip or look jagged, and colors apppeared lifelike. The Altec Lansing VS4121 2.1 speakers produced clear sound suitable for music, but movie lovers might want to invest in a higher-end set.
With its basic configuration and lack of extras, the PowerSpec is suitable for those who need a budget PC for home office tasks.
Andre Kvitka
