Acer has two new machines to complement its existing PC line-up. The 566P is based around a Pentium 66MHz processor and retails for $6858. The 590WE uses the 33-volt Pentium 90MHz processor and retails for $7317.
Both models came equipped with a 427M Seagate drive, 16M of system RAM and 256K of second level cache memory’.
The casing used is Acer’s standard small footprint screwless design. These boxes can be dismantled without the need for a screw driver or other specialist tool. With removable feet the systems can be mounted in either a desktop or minitower configuration.
Surprisingly, the 566P outperformed the 590WE model. The fundamental reason for this is a difference in system architecture.
The 566P is based around the PCI bus and is designed specifically for use with a Pentium processor. The 590WE uses, what Acer describes as, FramePath technology. The FramePath is capable of automatically switching between 32 and 64-bit modes to accommodate either a 486 or Pentium-based daughter card. This system architecture allows the machine to be modular in design and easily upgraded. Rather than
being based around the PCI and ISA bus, the 590WE uses an EISA/VESA combination.
Both designs have the I/O, floppy and hard drive interfaces on the motherboard. The 590WE also lias an integrated bus mastering SCSI-2 controller.
The 566P is upgradable to 192M using three banks of two 72-pin SIMM sockets. The 590, using four banks of two, can be upgraded to 256M. Both machines can accept up to IM of fast second level cache.
Technically, the 590 offers you more freedom and upgradability — the tradeoff is the hit that this puts on performance. The processor score of 89-26 is higher than the 66MHz chip but considerably lower-than-other 90MHz chips, (see also Pentium 90s: The next
generation on page 71). This lower than expected score can also be attributed to the OPTi chipset used. The 566P uses the Intel Mercury chipset for control of the memory and PCI bus, consequently it received a processor score of 77.43. The Winstone score of 82.7 for the 66MHz-based machine is one of the higher scores recorded for this processor. The 590WE with its 90MHz processor scored a less impressive 68.8.
Based around identical Seagate hard drives, the machines received similar scores in both the DOS tests, 389 (566P) and 390 (59OWE) and Windows tests, 1540 (566P) and 1530 (590WE).
The 566P is equipped with an ATI Mach 32 graphics card with 2M of DRAM. This card is capable of displaying 16.7 million colours when at a resolution of800 by 600; in 1024 by 768 mode it can display a maximum of 65,000 colours. Control of resolution and colour depth is made easy through the use of the ATI FlexDesk Windows control panel. For a 32-bit card the Windows Graphics score of 15.1 was expected.
The 590WE also uses a 32-bit graphics accelerator but is based around the S3 Vision 86C805 chipset. It scored a similar Windows Graphics score of 15. Using only 1M of DRAM the card is capable of displaying 16.7 million colours at a maximum resolution of 600 by 480. At 1024 by 768 it can display 256 colours. The snap together casing has three vacant 5.25in external drive bays and one internal 3-5in drive bay. In both cases the motherboard design layout is unobtrusive and does not prevent the use of full length cards. The 566P has two vacant PCI slots and five empty ISA slots. Based around the EISA bus the 590WE has three empty EISA slots and one combined EISA/VESA slot.
Included with these machines was an AcerView 34TL 14in monitor. This unit is capable of a maximum resolution of 1024 by 768 non-interlaced and uses a low radiation picture tube.
The three-year warranty covers the first year for parts and labour, and the remaining two years are for parts only.
