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by Charles Gaba
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Visit Charle Gaba's new System Shootout site for the latest shootouts!
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Company
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Gateway Profile 4 XL
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Design/ Styling
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"Lamp"-style / White all-in-one
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Platinum all-in-one
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Mobility:
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All-in-one design; 23 lbs. total
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All-in-one design; 23 lbs. total
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Component Access?
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Quick access to memory & wireless cards
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Quick access to memory & wireless cards (?)
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Deskspace Used:
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 88 sq. inches |
131 sq. inches
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Noise Volume:
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Ultraquiet Fan |
Cooling fan (?)
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Energy Use:
Energy Notes |
130 Watts total |
appx. 160 Watts total
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Processor:
Rating Notes |
 1.2 GHz P4800 MHz PowerPC G4 w/AltiVec |
2.66 GHz P4 2.66 GHz Pentium 4 |
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L1 Cache:
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64k |
32k
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L2 Cache:
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256K on-chip
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512K on-chip |
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Memory Type:
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SDRAM PC133
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DDR-SDRAM PC2100 |
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Frontside Bus:
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100 MHz bus
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533 MHz bus |
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Memory Amount:
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256 MB (1 x 256)
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512 MB (1 x 512) |
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Max RAM:
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1.0 GB (2 slots)
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1.0 GB (2 slots)
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Hard Drive Capacity:
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120 GB |
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Hard Drive Type:
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Ultra ATA 66
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Ultra ATA 100 |
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Hard Drive Speed:
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5400 rpm
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7200 rpm |
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CD-Rom:
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24x CD
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24x CD
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CD-RW:
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8x4x CD-RW
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16x10x CD-RW |
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DVD-Rom:
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6x DVD
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8x DVD |
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DVD-/+RW:
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2x1x DVD-RW |
--
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Floppy Drive:
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No
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Yes
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PCI/AGP Slots:
Available / Total |
Airport 802.11b Internal Card Slot
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1 Type II Card Slot
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Internal Bays:
Available / Total |
0 / 1
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0 / 1
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External Bays:
Available / Total |
0 / 1
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0 / 2
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Mouse Included:
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USB Optical
(2-button wheel mice available) |
USB Optical 2-button scrollwheel |
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USB Ports:
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3 available
5 USB 1.1 ports total (2 on keyboard) |
5 available 6 USB 2.0 ports total (2 on side) |
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Firewire Ports:
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2 On-board
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2 On-board
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Legacy Ports:
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Legacy-free
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1 serial, 1 parallel
(2 PS/2; 1 used by keyboard) |
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Graphics Card:
Rating Notes |
nVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 |
nVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400
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Video RAM:
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32 MB DDR VRAM |
32 MB SGRAM
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VGA Out:
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Yes
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Yes
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DVI/ADC Out:
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--
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--
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TV-Out:
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--
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--
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S-Video Out:
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--
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--
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Dual Display Support?
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(Mirroring)
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(Mirroring)
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Display:
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17" viewable LCD; 180° swing arm, fully adjustable |
17" viewable LCD; semi-adjustable
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Max. display resolution:
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widescreen 1440x900 (1.3 Mpx) |
1280x1024 (1.3 Mpx)
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Microphone/Line in:
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Built-in microphone
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Microphone-in jack; Line in jack
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Headphone/Line out:
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Headphone jack;
Line-out jack; Digital-audio ready |
Headphone jack;
Line-out jack; Digital-audio ready |
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Speakers:
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Harmon Kardon 10-watt stereo speakers |
Integrated 5-watt stereo speakers
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10/100 Ethernet?
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Yes
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56k Modem?
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Yes
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802.11b Wireless Network Card?
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Optional
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Optional
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Integrated 802.11b antennae?
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Yes |
--
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Built-in 802.11b wireless
Software Access Point? |
Yes (with optional Airport card) |
--
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Hardware Extras Included:
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Epson Stylus Photo 820 printer |
--
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Included OS:
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Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar; Mac OS 9.2 (dual-boot); BSD Unix; built-in Apache Web Server |
Windows XP Home Edition
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Windows/DOS Support:
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DOS/95/98/ME/ 2000/XP (via Virtual PC)
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DOS/95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP (Native) |
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Mac OS Support:
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Mac OS 8,9,X (Native) |
Mac OS 8 only (via emulation)
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Linux OS Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Unix OS Support:
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Various flavors (Native)
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Word Processor Included:
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AppleWorks 6.2
(MSFT Word compatible) |
MSFT Word XP MSFT Works 6.0 |
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Spreadsheet Software Included:
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AppleWorks 6.2 (MSFT Excel compatible) |
MSFT Works 6.0
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Presentation Software Included:
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AppleWorks 6.2 |
--
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Database Software Included:
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AppleWorks 6.2 |
MSFT Works 6.0
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Drawing/Painting Software Included:
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AppleWorks 6.2 |
--
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Calendar/PIM Software Included:
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iCal (coming in Sept.)
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MSFT Works 6.0 |
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System-wide PDF file creation:
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Yes (on-the-fly PDF) |
--
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Integrated Handwriting Recognition:
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Yes (w/optional Wacom tablet) |
--
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Rendezvous Zero-Config Networking:
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Yes |
--
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Web Browser Included:
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Internet Explorer 5.2; Netscape 4.8
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Internet Explorer 6
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E-Mail/Address Book Included:
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OS X Mail, Address Book 1.2 integrated best-of-class spam filtering |
Outlook Express 6
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Media Player Included:
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Quicktime 6, DVD Player
Media Player 7 avail.; RealOne Player avail. |
Media Player 8, DVD Player
Quicktime 6 avail.; RealOne Player avail. |
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Financial Software Included:
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Quicken 2002 Deluxe
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MSFT Money 2002
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Reference Software Included:
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World Book OS X; Sherlock 3 |
Encarta 2002; MSFT Streets & Trips
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Digital Photo Management:
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iPhoto 1.1 |
MSFT Picture It!
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Digital Video Editing:
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iMovie 2 |
MSFT Movie Maker
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Music Software/
CD Burning Software: |
iTunes 3; Disc Burner |
Unknown (?)
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DVD Burning Software:
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iDVD 2.1; Disc Burner |
--
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Games Included:
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Chess, Otto Matic, Deimos Rising
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The Sims!, Mine Sweeper, Asstd. classic games
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Additional Software Included
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FaxSTF, Palm Desktop; Asstd. system software
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Asstd. system software
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Free ISP/Other Services
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1 month EarthLink
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1 year AOL |
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Virus Susceptibility/Security Issues
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Built-in Firewall?
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Yes
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Yes
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Warranty:
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1 yr. ltd./mail-in; 90 days phone
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1 yr. ltd./at-home; 1 yr. phone |
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Quality of Products & Service:
Consumer Affairs |
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Subotal:
(includes rebates, add-ons, etc.) |
$1,999
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$1,999
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+ Ground Shipping:
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No Charge
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$60
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Total Price as configured:
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$1,999 tax not included |
$2,059
tax not included |
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The information above is as accurate as I could make it based on a reasonable time studying the respective companies' Web sites. There is no guarantee that these configurations, prices, and features are the best that one could come up with; assorted bundles, free internet access, free extra memory, and so on can most likely be found for any of the above systems. The point of this chart is to demonstrate that Apple's lineup holds its own against any brand-name computer, even in areas in which it has traditionally had resistance. In short, do not base your purchasing decisions solely on this chart or information. Neither I, nor The Mac Observer will be held responsible or liable for any purchase decisions you make based on this presentation. Charles Gaba started the AAPLTalk System Shootouts at AAPLTalk.com, and has brought them to TMO. Charles is the creative talent behind Brainwrap Web Design. AAPLTalk System Shootouts Archives Back to The Mac Observer For More Mac News! |
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