Computer Review:
HP xw4600 Workstation (page 2)

The $3,374 price tag for the system we reviewed is definitely not low - we could build a machine very similar to this for roughly half the price. What you get, though, is HP' s outstanding 3-year warranty with on-site service. (And, of course, if you did buy all the parts to build a machine like this, you' d have to build it first before you could play with it - HP gives you a very satisfying out-of-the-box experience.)

If you dropped the video and processor choice down from what came with our review system, though, you'd find the prices would immediately get much more competitive. The machine' s base $778 pricetag is quite noteworthy in and of itself - we remember when even the cheapest workstations started in the low $2,000 range. Ah, progress...

Operating System: Microsoft Vista or Windows XP Professional

RAM: 2GB, PC2-6400 DDR2 (ECC, dual-channel)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 (2.66GHz)
Number of Physical Processors: 1
Hard Drive Capacity: 160GB
Hard Drive Interface: SATA
Video Editing Software Included: Windows Movie Maker
Analog Video Capture Card Included: No
DVD Burner: Hitachi/LG GDRH10N, DVD-/+R, LightScribe
DVD Authoring Software Included: No
Multiple Monitor Connections: Yes

• Powerful
• Energy-efficient
• Great warranty

• Can get expensive, depending on configuration

A workstation that will let you hit the ground running, though depending on how you configure it, it might cost quite a bit.

Charles Fulton is Videomaker' s associate editor.

Hewlett-Packard
825 14th St. SW, Bldg. E
Loveland, CO 80537
www.hp.com

$3,374

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