ompoq has proclaimed the Pre-sario 2200 MediaGX to be the first mainstream PC to break the $1,000 mark in the US; in
Australia, it is a little more expensive, priced at $ 1,999. Unlike many other cheap PC options, the 166MHz multimedia PC comes with a 14in monitor and is black in
colour.
However, this system is definitely designed neither for the serious multimedia user or PC gamer, nor for the home business operator; Compaq says it has other products to fit those markets. It will, however, provide budget-conscious buyers with a fully functional PC.
The Presario 2200 MediaGX comes with 16M of EDO RAM (expandable to 80M), a 1.6G hard drive, a 33.6Kbps modem (upgradable to K56flex), 64-bit graphics, MPEG1 video playback and an 8x CD-ROM drive, as well as an ample bundle of Microsoft software. No secondary cache is
included in the system, which has 16K of LI cache. Its maximum resolution is listed at 1,024 by 768, but Compaq data stated it is “flicker free” at 800 by 600.
The system does not include a USB port. According to Compaq, this is because there aren’t many products around that support the standard. It added that buyers those interested in the 2200 are not interested in, or knowledgeable enough about USB to justify the extra cost on what is intended to be a low-cost system. The modem does not have voice or DSVD functionality as, again, such sophistication would be of limited concern to buyers of a ‘value PC’, according to Compaq.
In an effort to cut costs, Compaq has
used the MediaGX processor technology developed by Cyrix in the 2200. Instead of taking the traditional processor approach, where the processor is separate from the video and sound sub-systems, (which are usually connected to the PCI and ISA buses respectively), the MediaGX integrates the sound and video with the 166MHz processor. (By the time you read this, Compaq should have released a 200MHz model.) However, despite the
higher clock speed, the 166MHz MediaGX runs at about the speed of a 133MHz Pentium.
The integration of multimedia components into the 2200 MediaGX’s main processor means that video and sound can be accessed at the clock speed of the processor. It also means that both draw on
the PC’s main memory, instead of having their own specialised memory. This has an effect on performance — and it did affect APC’s ability to properly test the unit in the time available. We could not perform all of the usual tests on the 2200. With only 14M left to run the PC after the 2M taken by video and sound, its 16M of memory was not enough to run Winstone tests. Compaq could not supply us with additional RAM to test the machine in time for publication.
The WinBench test results using the 14M of RAM available saw the Compaq achieve results of 29.7 in the Business Graphics WinMark 97 test, and 486.7 for the Business Disk WinMark 97 test.
The 2200 MediaGX does have a serial
port, parallel port, joystick port, two phone jacks, headphone/speaker-out, microphone-in, mouse and keyboard ports, and VGA-out. It also includes Pre-mierSound audio with 10 stages of equalisation, extra bass through phantom sub woofer design and ‘concert hall’ acoustics. We found the sound produced was adequate, but hardly spectacular.
The system is designed to take up minimum space: its speakers are integrated,
and it has a ‘VCR-like’ size. It’s thinner than the average PC, but the footprint is pretty much the same as any other PC box. You’ll need a few more books than usual underneath the monitor to set it up at the right height.
The system is also designed to be easily set up. It comes with just four PC cables, all
colour-coded, and has even has a reduced set of easy access buttons: sleep and volume up/down. The power-on button is located at the back of the unit.
The system has good powersaving features, it is Energy Star-compliant, and has an ‘instant on’ low-power sleep state. In sleep mode the system uses 18W; when left on it uses 31W; and when switched off it uses 2W.
While the system has one ISA slot and two expansion bays, none of these are available. Compaq said the system represented a move towards a new category of PC — a simpler ‘sealed box’. Compaq believes several categories
of tomorrow’s computers will be less complex, more affordable and smaller. According to a Compaq release, “component upgrade will not be necessary as the time and cost associated with such efforts will exceed the marginal benefit gained. The 2200/4200 series takes the first step towards this direction for providing an innovative new design and extremely competitive features which will sustain consumers’ needs for several years”.
Time will tell whether or not this is true. In the meantime, Compaq has provided a low-cost machine for those interested in getting the job done, with just enough features to get you working.
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