@Xi MTower 64

2.2GHz AMD Opteron-based system.

The @Xi MTower 64 is based on a single AMD Athlon 64 FX-51 2.2GHz processor supported by the NVIDIA nForce3 Pro HyperTransport chipset. Cadalyst used this system, with an NVIDIA FX3000 graphics card, to test the LCD monitors in the roundup on p. 14. The system came equipped with 2GB of DDR PC2X00 Registered ECC Interleave RAM, with support for as much as 3GB RAM.

@Xi Computer's 2.2GHz Mtower 64 workstation is a speedy, single-processor unit that offers good options and expansion opportunities.

Housed in a midsized tower case, the @Xi MTower 64 offers much in the way of expandability. Five of its ten drive bays are exposed, and it incorporates a 400W power supply and five cooling fans. The system includes a 200GB 7,200rpm Ultra ATA100 hard disk with an 8MB cache. The motherboard provides five PCI slots and one AGP 8X slot.

The MTower case, available in putty, black, or silver, has a swing-away door that covers the exposed drive bays and the power switch. Located at the bottom front of the case are two USB 2.0 connectors and a Firewire 1394 connector. Two more USB 2.0 connectors are located on the back. The case is a tool-free model that's easy to open, and its removable side panel features a transparent pane.

@Xi MTower 64 runs Microsoft Windows XP Professional and includes a Pioneer DVR-106 drive that writes CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. The motherboard incorporates an AC97 sound system and a 1GB Ethernet (10/100/1000) LAN. A standard 104-key black Windows keyboard and Logitech 2+ wheel optical mouse round out the system, which is covered by a standard @Xi one-year warranty. With the NVIDIA FX3000 graphics card, which accounts for $1,347 of the price, the total system cost came to $3,949.

Though not quite as fast as the @Xi dual-processor system we tested in November 2003 (p. 12), the 2.2GHz MTower 64 was not far off that blistering pace. C2001 total index scores were 120.80, with a 3D combined index of 143.34. On the SPEC ViewPerf proe-02 test, the MTower 64 posted a speedy 36.59. On the Max Bench v4 test using Discreet 3ds max 5.1, the system scored an averaged frame rate of 61.93 with the standard video drivers and an averaged frame rate of 114.9 using the NVIDIA MAXtreme 4.00.29 accelerated driver. These are certainly respectable scores, especially for a single-processor system.

This system performed flawlessly throughout the variety of tests we put it through. This MTower 64 is a speedy, well-made system with lots of options and substantial room for expansion.