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By Jim Forbes
NEC's new PowerMate P2200 comes close to being all things to all users.
The P2200 has a chunky mini-tower case. The preproduction unit I tested came with 32MB of RAM and accelerated 2-D and 3-D graphics, a wickedly fast 3GB IBM EIDE hard disk drive and an ATI Rage video adapter with 2MB of RAM. It also comes with 20-watt NEC speakers, an NEC microphone, a Windows 95 keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse.
The PowerMate P2200 has other standout components: an internal 8X NEC CD-ROM drive and an Iomega Zip drive.
This system shines in real-world testing. The machine had three-pass average scores of 361MIPS (slightly faster than average), 4.5MB per second hard disk throughput (fast) and 15Mpixels per second video throughput. It took an average of 10 and 14 seconds, respectively, to execute our 32-bit Excel and Word macros (better than most).
Expansion is easy: The P2200's cover comes off with knurled screws (eliminating the need for special tools) and there is adequate room in the case for adding more RAM-up to 192MB's worth.
The NEC 8X CD-ROM drive makes loading or running software a snap.
The online and printed documentation were excellent, and the sound quality produced by the NEC speakers was quite good. The P2200 does not include a modem.
It's unclear whether or a version of this machine will be sold separately by Packard Bell (NEC's new partner). Regardless, this is one great computer. The NEC PowerMate 2200 deserves a long, hard look.
-- Info File --
NEC PowerMate P2200
Price: $3,200
Pros: Performance; expandability
Cons: Price
Platforms: 3x, 95, NT
NEC Computer Systems
800-NEC-INFO, 508-264-8000
WinMag Box Score 3.0
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