Aberdeen
Power II
From December 1, 1997 c|net
Reprinted with persmission from CNET:The
Computer Network ©1997.
Snapshot
Aberdeen's Power II comes stocked to the gunwales. But it trips on service and support. Also, we'll wait for the sale.
Review
Aberdeen's 266-MHz Power II is tricked out to compete with top-drawer offerings from the likes of Dell, Gateway, and NEC--a huge hard disk and integrated networking to boot. And we were relieved to see its price ($2,997) tip down from its heights of just a few months ago. But its warranty is the shortest of any system we reviewed, service and support are limited, and both the price and configuration could use some trimming.
The Power II is a pretty package all right. It comes with 64MB of RAM, a Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk 3D accelerator with 4MB of memory, a 16/24X-speed CD-ROM drive, splendid audio, and great speakers. Not to mention a Fast Ethernet card from 3Com and a 17-inch monitor. Aberdeen also included a big 6.1GB hard drive. If you swap in a 3GB drive and forget about the sound
card, you can save about $500.
Performance is a bit below average for a 266, but not significantly. The biggest problem: Aberdeen claims the Power II "supports" DMI features, but the software with which to run them wasn't "enabled" on our test machine--and several Aberdeen techs seemed clueless about network manageability. And if you run into problems, you could be on your own: the machine comes with a one-year warranty (the shortest in the roundup), phone support is only available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT on weekdays, and you get no onsite service. The Power II doesn't even come with a start-up guide.
If you walk into your office one morning to find an Aberdeen Power II perched on your desk, you won't be disappointed with its performance or its peripherals. But NEC's PowerMate Professional is faster, comparably configured, boasts much more extensive support, and costs only slightly more. Under the circumstances, would you pay for the Aberdeen out of your own pocket?
Aberdeen Power II
toll free:
888/300-5545
ph: 562-801-5626
fax: 562-801-5629
Processor: Pentium II
Processor speed: 300 MHz
Amt. of RAM: 16MB
Hard disk: 6.4GB
Monitor: 14-inch
Software included:
Windows NT 4.0
Est. price: $2,997
Reprinted with persmission from CNET:The
Computer Network ©1997.
|
