Back to basics with frugally frill-free desktop systems.
Jim Shatz-Akin
Apple Power Mac 7200/75
Rating: Acceptable (3 of 5 mice)
Apple Power Mac 7200/90
Rating: Acceptable/Very Good (3.5 of 5 mice)
Power Computing PowerCurve 601/120
Rating: Very Good (4 of 5 mice)
Bells and whistles such as video capture and videoconferencing are great for technophiles, multimedia mavens, and status-conscious executives. But if you're a small-business operator whose eyes never stray far from the balance sheet, jazzy multimedia features may boil down to overkill -- expensive overkill. If you're one among the legions who want a computer for creating basic business correspondence, planning budgets, and maybe handling e-mail or a little online research, the Apple Power Macintosh 7200/75 or 7200/90 or the Power Computing PowerCurve 601/120 may meet your needs -- at prices you'll appreciate.
Comparing the Power Mac 7200s and the PowerCurve is logical, for several reasons: For starters, all are built around the same Apple-designed motherboard, which means they have the same important data-handling and input/output characteristics. Furthermore, they're lower-end versions of their respective vendors' mainstream desktop systems -- Apple's Power Mac 7500 and Power Computing's PowerWave series. On one hand, their second-string status means they lack cutting-edge features, such as the video-capture module in the Power Mac 7500s and the ability to use either PCI or NuBus expansion cards in the PowerWaves. Conversely, however, the kid-sibling systems offer many features essential to the top-of-the-line models but in much more affordable packages.
The shared logic-board design endows the three systems with several features in common. Each has three PCI expansion-card slots -- and in most office settings, that's three more than you'll ever use. On-board Ethernet, with ports for connecting 10BASE-T as well as AAUI connectors, is something you're far more likely to tap, because it makes networking your computers easy. Each has a pair of serial ports that allow modem and printer connections but that are also compatible with Apple's GeoPort Telecom Adapter (about $200). This add-on hardware lets you plug your phone into the computer and set up voice-mail, fax, and other services that come in handy in small-business settings.
Each model also has the same basic memory capacity: four slots for system-RAM DIMMs, for a maximum capacity of 256 MB of RAM; 1 MB of built-in VRAM, with three add-on slots, for a top capacity of 4 MB; and a slot that accommodates as much as 512K of Level 2 cache memory. The 7200s and the PowerCurve ship in configurations that include 16 MB of system RAM -- a good starting amount for basic business use. VRAM upgrades probably won't be necessary for most office tasks -- unless you absolutely need millions of colors on a super-resolution (1,600 x 1,200 pixel) monitor. However, do consider adding Level 2 cache; even a minimal upgrade of 256K (about $130) will boost system speed appreciably.
What's the Difference?
In terms of basic system hardware, what sets the 7200s apart from each other and from the PowerCurve is the processor clock speed. The systems are based on PowerPC 601 processors -- the first, and least powerful, of the PowerPC chips. The 7200/75's chip runs at a clock speed of 75 MHz, the 7200/90's at 90 MHz, and the PowerCurve 601/120's at (surprise!) 120 MHz. All three systems are perfectly adequate for business use, but the speed differences are noticeable when you use the machines in succession. A slight boost in system responsiveness (for scrolling, opening files, and so on) is apparent when you move from the 7200/75 to the 7200/90; a more pronounced improvement is noticeable when you move to the PowerCurve 601/120.
To see how these speed differences translate into effectiveness for various tasks, we tested each system with our MacBench 3.0 benchmarking software. The scores indicate that subjective impressions are consistent with results -- to a point: The PowerCurve outstripped the Apple machines across the board in both general-business tests and our higher-end publishing tests, with one exception: Graphics were unaffected by processor speed -- owing to all three computers' identical video subsystems. As you'd expect, the 7200/90 had a slight edge over the 7200/75 on the tests that measure pure processing horsepower -- the Processor and Floating Point tests. On the tests that hinge on file-transfer speed and hard-drive input and output, however, one 7200 was essentially as good as the other.
Note that the PowerCurve's processor-speed advantage over the 7200s could increase in the future -- at least in theory. The 7200s' processors are permanently soldered onto their motherboards, but the PowerCurve's 601 chip sits on a removable daughtercard. The idea is that you'll be able to replace it with a faster chip someday, but no replacement card exists and Power Computing hasn't committed to building or selling one. Even though there's no PowerCurve processor-upgrade option today, the potential for one is reassuring.
If you decide to add memory, expansion cards, or other add-on hardware, you'll discover another of the big differences between the 7200s and the PowerCurve -- ease of access to the innards. The 7200s have a big edge in this department, with an ingenious foldout chassis that exposes the motherboard (and its expansion slots) and brings the hard-disk and CD-ROM drives, power supply, and other components within easy reach. Like the 7200s', the PowerCurve's case is easily removable and memory-module and expansion-card slots are plainly visible, but the PowerCurve's insides are generally more cramped. Replacing the hard drive is particularly tricky with the PowerCurve, because you must remove the CD-ROM drive to get at the hard drive.
Bundles of Value
You get lots more than just a piece of hardware when you buy a desktop computer, and hardware and software add-ons contribute greatly to a system's overall value. For extras, Power Computing's PowerCurve definitely has an advantage -- although some of the bonus stuff doesn't really offer much. On the useful side, you get ClarisWorks -- the versatile, entry-level word processor/spreadsheet database/e-mail-client program; a limited version of Nisus Writer, a robust word processor; Now Up-to-Date and Now Contact, full-featured calendar and contact-manager software; and Now Utilities, a great collection of tools for customizing your computer. You also get Quicken, a terrific personal-finance program that can double as bookkeeping software for a one-person business. On the less useful front, you get four kid-oriented Grolier CD-ROMs and Launch, a CD-ROM magazine for the MTV crowd. (These titles are apparently meant to make the PowerCurve appealing to home users, but Apple Performa models, with much-more-generous bundles of software for children, make better sense for family use.)
Apple's 7200 software bundle is much more modest: Aside from a system-software CD-ROM, you get two programs that use the GeoPort adapter (and are useless unless you buy the adapter separately); fax software; and a limited version of Cypress Software's MegaPhone, which lets you use your Mac to dial your phone, log calls, and store voice-mail.
What About Price?
Conventional wisdom holds that Power Computing, as the off-brand Mac OS-system vendor, should be the bargain leader. Indeed, the PowerCurve 601/120, with 16 MB of RAM, a 1-GB hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive, is reasonably priced, at just over $2,300. But the price/performance edge goes to Apple: The 7200s, which will have been shipping for about a year as you read this, are probably approaching the end of their life cycle, and prices are in an appealing downward spiral. As this article went to press, the 7200/90 in an ideal office configuration with 16 MB of RAM, a 500-MB hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive was available by mail-order for a trifle over $1,600. A 7200/75 with 8 MB of RAM and a 350-MB hard drive was a steal, at just over $1,000.
The Bottom Line
The PowerCurve 601/120 and the Power Mac 7200 models would make fine additions to many office settings, and they each offer solid price/performance value. Even though it's more expensive than its Apple rivals, however, the PowerCurve emerges as a standout: For standard business tasks, with its 120-MHz PowerPC 601 processor, it outraces the 90-MHz-601-based 7200/90 and the 75-MHz-601-based 7200/75. Its removable processor daughtercard (even though no replacement is shipping), a beefy software bundle, and included mouse and keyboard round out a rock-solid business package. The Apple systems offer a more elegant case design and greater ease of expandability, but their chief advantage is price. With street prices starting at just over $1,000, they offer a lot of computer for the money.
Apple Power Mac 7200/75 (16/500/CD), $1,200; Apple Power Mac 7200/90 (16/500/CD), $1,500 (estimated street). Company: Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA; 800-776-2333 or 408-974-1010; http://www.apple.com/. Reader Service: Circle #400.
Power Computing PowerCurve 601/120 (16MB/1GB/CD), $2,317 (direct). Company: Power Computing, Austin, TX; 800-404-7693 or 512-528-1350; http://www.powercc.com/. Reader Service: Circle #401.
Speed Trials
see how basic business systems stack up
To see how fast the PowerCurve 601/120 and the Power Mac 7200s are for general business tasks, compare their scores on MacBench 3.0's main tests. If you're interested in an office machine that doubles as a workstation for producing company newsletters or other desktop-published documents, take a look at the Publishing Graphics Mix scores as well. MacBench 3.0 scores are relative to those of the Power Mac 6100/60, which is assigned a score of 10.0 in each test.
