GoogleGear Zilicor3 RW

WHAT'S HOT: Best known as a vendor of computer hardware components, GoogleGear has recently begun selling assembled systems that target SOHO users. Though harder to say than "Dell Dimension" or "HP Vectra," the GoogleGear Zilicor3 RW has a lot going for it. The company packs several high-end components into the Zilicor3 RW while keeping the price tag just below $2000. The system has an ample 80GB hard drive, Plextor's high-quality PlexWriter 24X/10X/40X CD-RW, and a top-of-the-line CardExpert GeForce3 Ti 500 graphics board that offers DVi and S-Video output. Audio isn't lacking, either: The high-end SoundBlaster Audigy Gamer sound card includes an IEEE 1394 FireWire port, and the sound is output through the impressive surround-sound Creative Desktop Theater DTT3500 Dolby Digital 5.1 speaker set.

WHAT'S NOT: With a 2.0-GHz Pentium 4 and 256MB of RDRAM, this Windows XP Professional system earned a PC WorldBench 4 score of 105--marginally lower than the scores achieved by the four similarly configured office systems we've seen to date.