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Hardware

Poly 880NF2-2700XGL (AMD)

28 Feb, 2003 By: Ron LaFon

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Polywell Computers

5 stars out of 5
Housed in an extremely compact and lightweight aluminum and Lucite case with a clear window on the removable side panel, the Poly 880NF2-2700XGL is easily the lightest system reviewed here. Lightweight only in heft, however—this system turned in very high performance figures. But perhaps the most remarkable feature of the Poly 880NF2-2700XGL is its extraordinarily low price—only $1,750, excluding a monitor and speakers. Compare this to the performance figures and the prices of other systems here, which also exclude monitor and speakers (see the feature table online at www.cadalyst.com/reviews), and you’ll see what a great value this system truly is.

The Poly 880NF2-2700XGL AMD-based workstation, from Polywell Computers, delivers outstanding peformance at an entry-level price.

The Poly 880NF2-2700XGL is a moderately quiet system based on a Leadtek motherboard with an AMD Athlon XP27001 CPU. The motherboard uses the NVIDIA nForce2 chipset, as do a couple of others in this roundup—this chipset’s first appearance here. This system was equipped with 1GB of DDR 333 (Twinbank 128-bit) RAM, but handles 3GB of RAM when fully populated. System components included a Chieftec wireless keyboard and mouse, a Toshiba combination DVD and CDR/W drive, and an NVIDIA 380 XGL AGP 8X graphics card.

Also included is a good assortment of software, including Nero Burning ROM, InterVideo WinDVD4, and Microsoft Windows 2000 Workstation with Service Pack 3. The Poly 880NF2-2700XGL is covered by outstanding warranty support from Polywell—60 months on parts, 36 months on labor, and 24 months of onsite service. Next-day part replacement and 24-hour telephone support is included for the first year. This is an exceptional support package for an inexpensive system. This is easily the best price/performance value here. The Poly 880NF2-2700XGL is that rarest of all things, a high-performance CAD/CAM workstation at an entry-level price. Highly Recommended.