Priced at $1064, Dell's Dimension E510 offers a great value. Robert Cardin; Background: Geoff SpearIf you've yearned for a dual-core desktop system but have held off buying one because you were deterred by high prices, now is the time to take the plunge. The cost of dual-core processors from AMD and Intel has dropped significantly since they debuted last year, and a good selection of affordable dual-core PCs is currently available. You can shell out less than $1500 and walk away with a robust and powerful system--including a monitor--that's ready to take on both multitasking and multithreaded applications.

With the advent of dual-core CPUs, PCs have gained more processing power than ever before. A dual-core machine has two computing cores in one processor package, which allows the system to efficiently work on more than one task at a time. Our WorldBench 5 benchmark's multitasking test has shown us that dual-core processors prove especially useful when the computer is running two taxing programs. Dual-core processors also boost the performance of multithreaded software, though relatively few applications are written this way. (WorldBench 5 includes the multithreaded Roxio VideoWave Movie Creator and Windows Media Encoder.) You can expect to see more multithreaded applications, such as multimedia programs and games, in the months to come.

However, you don't have to be a gamer or a power user to take advantage of dual-core technology. For example, everyone should be running antivirus software, and on a dual-core PC using well-behaved applications you can run a virus scan while rendering a video at the same time, without having the machine screech to a halt. You can also burn a DVD and crunch numbers in a spreadsheet, all the while enjoying plenty of speed.

To see what kind of dual-core desktop systems you can get at a value price, we picked a ceiling of $1500 and came up with a representative set of machines that offer a wealth of dual-core power and features to satisfy buyers looking for a bargain. The PC World Test Center assessed six dual-core systems, three based on Intel Pentium D processors (Dell's Dimension E510, Gateway's FX510XL, and HP's Pavilion Media Center m7490n) and three with AMD Athlon 64 X2 CPUs (Ajump's NBP1005, CyberPower's Gamer Ultra 8500SE, and Polywell's MiniBox 939NP-4200).

We evaluated the desktops by running them through our WorldBench 5 and gaming tests, and by appraising each system's performance, features, design, and price. As these are value machines, price weighed heavily in our consideration. After our complete comparison, one PC emerged as the winner: HP's Pavilion Media Center m7490n, which earned our Best Buy award thanks to its good performance on our WorldBench 5 tests, loads of media-oriented features, and reasonable price.

• Good Deals


• Under the Hood: Dueling Dual-Core CPU Architectures


• What About Apple? Core Duo-Based iMac Packs Lots of Power


• Mobile Technology: Notebooks Get a Boost From Dual-Core Processors

• HP Pavilion Media Center m7490n


• Dell Dimension E510


• Gateway FX510XL


• Ajump NBP1005


• CyberPower Gamer Ultra 8500SE
• Polywell MiniBox 939NP-4200

Good Deals

The systems we looked at for this review can't compete with costly, decked-out high-end models, but they do provide a great package for your money. All six had at least 250GB of storage, with two offering striped RAID arrays. All had double-layer DVD burners and, in three cases, a DVD-ROM drive as well. CyberPower's gaming machine even had SLI graphics, in the form of twin eVGA e-GeForce 7600 GT cards. Not surprisingly, it was the top performer on our gaming tests.

Polywell's MiniBox 939NP-4200, which used a 2.2-GHz Athlon 64 X2 4200+ processor, turned in the best performance of the group, with a WorldBench 5 score of 110. That's fast, but far from the speediest system we've tested (the $4199 Xi Computer MTower 64 AGL-SLI, a machine on our Top 10 Power Desktops chart with a 2.6-GHz Athlon 64 X2 FX-60 CPU, scored 142).

For details on each machine, see the full reviews linked below.

• HP Pavilion Media Center m7490n


• Dell Dimension E510


• Gateway FX510XL


• Ajump NBP1005


• CyberPower Gamer Ultra 8500SE
• Polywell MiniBox 939NP-4200

In reviewing the test results, we noted that at this price point the Intel-based machines closely matched the AMD-powered systems in performance. The two companies' dual-core processors are still quite different, though; for more information about the varying architecture, see "Dueling Dual-Core CPU Architectures." For this story we also examined a dual-core iMac, and we report our findings in "Core Duo-Based iMac Packs Lots of Power." Finally, to find out how the technology is affecting mobile PCs, we looked at a dual-core laptop; turn to "Notebooks Get a Boost From Dual-Core Processors" for more on how portables are changing.

Under the Hood: Dueling Dual-Core CPU Architectures

Our current crop of value desktops contain dual-core processors from AMD and Intel. However, while they share the dual-core moniker, the two companies' desktop CPUs are very different.

From the ground up, AMD designed its Athlon 64 X2 and FX-60 desktop processors to include two cores. Intel created its Pentium Extreme Edition and Pentium D desktop CPUs by putting two single-core chips in one package.

Intel beat AMD to the dual-core desktop punch in April 2005 by assembling the first two-core x86 processor--the Pentium Processor Extreme Edition 840--out of existing parts. Engineers put two 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 cores on the same die (each with its own 1MB Level 2 cache), and then connected them with an external 800-MHz frontside bus.

To boost performance, Intel left in the Pentium 4's hyperthreading technology, which makes the operating system see each chip as two. To create the subsequent, lower-priced Pentium D processor (launched in May 2005), the company employed cores running at slower speeds and turned off the hyperthreading. In January 2006 Intel introduced updated dual-core Pentium D chips based on smaller, faster cores.

AMD rolled out its first dual-core CPUs in April 2005 under the Opteron name for servers and workstations, and then launched its Athlon 64 X2 desktop chip a month later. One of the clearest advantages of AMD's design is the ability of the two cores to communicate with each other within the die so that data doesn't have to travel over a slow external system bus as in Intel's arrangement. Each core gets a 512KB or 1MB L2 cache.

Evaluating the performance of CPUs that use different chip sets is an imperfect science. But in the vast majority of our tests of PCs using comparable processors, AMD's dual-core architecture has proved to be the superior performer.

Both companies have new CPUs on the way. AMD recently launched versions of its X2 and FX processors based on its new AM2 socket, which supports faster DDR2 memory. And Intel is poised to debut its next-generation CPU, called the Core Duo 2, later this year (the first Core Duo was a mobile processor). Based on a new architecture, the desktop Core Duo 2 has exhibited strong performance in early public tests.

What About Apple? Core Duo-Based iMac Packs Lots of Power

Robert Cardin; Background: Geoff SpearDual-core technology isn't exclusive to PCs--Apple has gotten in on the action, too. The company introduced dual-core technology on the iMac last February. And with the addition of Intel processors and Boot Camp for running Windows, it's now possible for us to see how Macs compare with Windows-based PCs. To determine what kind of power an iMac can provide, we examined the 20-inch wide-screen model, an all-in-one system that's among the most elegant computers you can buy.

When you gaze at the iMac's gorgeous screen, all the other hardware seems like an afterthought, because all the components are neatly tucked away behind the LCD. The list price for the model we tested, with 1GB of RAM, is $1799, somewhat above our ceiling, but Apple also offers a 15-inch unit that starts at $1299.

The iMac uses a 2-GHz Core Duo T2500 processor, Intel's mobile dual-core CPU, which enables this thin system to run cool. It earned a score of 96 in our WorldBench 5 tests, making it plenty fast for a value system. The iMac also completed our multitasking tests quickly, ahead of the value PCs that we reviewed for this roundup.

The system offers solid 3D graphics, thanks to its ATI Radeon X1600 card with 128MB of RAM, but one drawback is that Macs running Boot Camp conflict with the 3DS Max portion of our WorldBench 5 tests, and as a result the iMac was unable to complete the gaming portion of our testing. The wide-aspect display looks terrific at its native 1680 by 1050 resolution, and the system can support external monitors at up to 1920 by 1200 (digi

The iMac comes with a slot-fed double-layer DVD burner located on the right of the LCD, as well as a 250GB hard drive. On the right rear are most of the ports you'll want: two FireWire, three USB 2.0 (plus two more USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard), mini-DVI, DVI, VGA, S-Video, and composite video. Good-sounding stereo speakers are built in, as is a microphone, optical digital audio (for headphones), and an audio line-in port.

One of the iMac's advantages is the software it includes, such as iLife, Apple's media-focused set of applications. Another nifty feature is iSight, the built-in Web camera with its iChatAV software already installed.

This system has some limitations--unlike the PCs we looked at for this review, the iMac does not allow you to access its interior to upgrade and add components. However, it does put most of what you need from a computer into one extremely elegant package.

Mobile Technology: Notebooks Get a Boost From Dual-Core Processors

Robert Cardin; Background: Geoff SpearIntel released the Core Duo mobile dual-core processor late last year, and notebooks have taken a performance leap ever since. With Core Duo CPUs, small and large portables alike are inching closer to their desktop PC brethren in providing more processing muscle.

Though AMD and Intel continue to duke it out in the desktop PC arena, that same battle has not been waged among notebook systems--until now. AMD's plans for a mobile dual-core processor center around the Turion 64 X2, which was not available as of this writing, but should be appearing in notebooks this summer.

Intel offers mobile dual-core CPUs in two separate lines: Core Duo T processors for mainstream notebooks, and Core Duo L low-voltage CPUs for ultraportables. Core Duo CPUs include a 667-MHz frontside bus, support for faster memory matching the bus speed, a new 945 GM/PM chip set, and a 2MB Level 2 cache.

As with desktop CPUs, doing a perfectly fair comparison between single- and dual-core notebooks is almost impossible. But our tests of notebooks using Core Duo CPUs have suggested significant improvements in performance over laptops that rely on single-core processors. For instance, we ran our WorldBench 5 test suite on a Dell Inspiron XPS M1710 using a 2.16-GHz Core Duo T2600 processor and 1GB of RAM, and it notched a score of 106, placing a solid 7 percent above the 99 score of a single-core 2.13-GHz Pentium M 770-equipped Micro Express Z3300 notebook using 1GB of RAM.

Granted, the Dell unit is a performance-oriented desktop replacement fitted with all the bells and whistles a dedicated gamer could dream of (and comes with a price tag to match: $3860).

Is it possible to find dual-core horsepower in a value notebook? The answer is yes, though certainly not as much power as a desktop PC or a high-end notebook provides. I looked at an HP Compaq nc6400 portable with a 1.83-GHz Core Duo T2400 and 512MB of RAM. It earned a WorldBench 5 score of 84, placing below the value desktops in this review but still ranking on a par with similarly configured notebooks.

At $1549, the nc6400 costs a bit more than the value desktops we saw--and its midrange features lag behind theirs, as well. It uses integrated Intel 950 graphics and has only a 60GB hard drive and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive. But this business model differentiates itself in other ways, providing a fingerprint reader, a nice 14.1-inch wide screen, and a manageable 5.1-pound weight.

Truly value-priced notebooks--those that cost $1000 or less--using Core Duo processors are not yet available. For the time being, if you want a bargain notebook, you'll have to settle for a model carrying a single-core processor.