The top systems' vendors are getting some competition from the little guys. ABS Computer Technologies' BX Supreme 3D #2 combines Intel Corp.'s 350MHz Pentium II processor with the new 440BX chip set to create a system ready to run memory-intensive applications. Also included is enough memory, storage space, and video processing power to take on your company's most complex applications for under $2,200.

The big news here is more than processor speed. The 350MHz Pentium II is the first processor designed to work with Intel's 440BX core-logic chip set. The BX Supreme supports a 100MHz front-end bus and 100MHz of DRAM. By breaking the 66MHz bus barrier, the BX chip set paves the way for processors running at speeds up to 500MHz.

The excitement over the new front-end bus speed has a lot to do with ratios. The Pentium II already swaps data to its 512K L2 cache across a dedicated bus at half the processor's internal speed. The new front-end bus speed increases data transfer between CPU and memory. It's important to keep the ratio of processor speed to bus speed small if the system is to take best advantage of the processor's speed. On a 66MHz-bus system, the 333MHz CPU puts you at a ratio of 5 to 1, a less than optimum ratio. However, on a 100MHz-bus system, a 350MHz CPU uses a lower 3.5-to-1 ratio.

The ABS system's overall performance with the mainstream business applications on Business Winstone 98 was 20 percent faster than our benchmark system's, earning a score of 24.1. Though that's certainly a significant leap, it's not quite as fast as some other 350MHz systems we have seen. Although the system's CPU and graphics subsystem performance were both good, its spacious 8.4GB Maxtor Ultra DMA Diamond Max 2160 family drive was 10 percent slower on Business Disk WinMark 98 than our benchmark system's drive, forcing the overall Winstone performance down a notch.

ATI's All-in-Wonder card, the Swiss Army Knife of video accelerators, packs 2-D, 3-D, and video acceleration along with a TV tuner, NTSC output, and video-capture capabilities into the system's single AGP slot. Powered by the Rage Pro AGP chip set and 8MB of SGRAM, the card seemed quite capable. On our benchmark tests, the highlight was 2-D performance at 1,024x768 resolution at 65K colors, where the ABS earned scores that were good relative to those of other 350MHz systems we've seen.

Although the system's 3D WinMark score is slightly lower than some similar systems using a Riva 128-based graphics subsystem, we think most gamers will be satisfied with this system's Direct3D performance. Moreover, the ATI card's multifunctionality is appealing. You can plug it into your TV and play games or do presentations on the big screen. You can also plug your cable feed into your card and watch TV at your desk. Budding moviemakers will be disappointed to learn that the OEM version of the All-in-Wonder doesn't include the retail version's software bundle; neither Macromedia Director nor any games shipped with the system.

We were impressed by the system's video-playback abilities. Our test clips were stutter-free, and the processor barely noticed they were running--witness CPU Utilization scores of 30 percent during both native and full-screen playback. The BX Supreme's pricing includes a 17-inch Sceptre plug-and-play monitor that produces crisp text and fair video images. Comfortably sized buttons combine with onscreen displays to adjust monitor settings.

The Toshiba 32X CD-ROM occupied one of the system's three 5.25-inch accessible drive bays. It sped through our testing 32 percent faster than the 24x drive in our benchmark system. An internal Iomega Zip drive provides useful removable storage for up to 100MB of data at a time. The system also includes a Mitsumi 1.44MB floppy disk drive. The Zip and floppy drives reside in the system's two accessible 3.5-inch drive bays.

A Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold card occupied one of the system's ISA slots. Included with the card was an impressive assortment of sound-utility software. The AWE64 Gold card provides both FM and wavetable synthesis and up to 64 voices. The card far exceeds the potential of the Eastern AX410 speakers with 25-watt subwoofer that ships with the system. We thought their tone was a little flat, but appreciated the subwoofer's ability to cover aural flaws with sheer thump power.

The system's 56Kbps phone connection is provided by the installed Askey 56K x2 Technology modem. Keep an eye out for other options as V.90 is adopted. Included with the BX Supreme are niceties such as a microphone for recording phone-answering messages, an ABS mouse pad, and a surge-protected 10-outlet power strip. A Net Genius mouse provides a rubber toggle for a middle button to scroll screens in selected applications.

A BCM QX440BX motherboard underpins the BX Supreme and provides one AGP connector, five PCI connectors, and two ISA connectors with one shared slot. Three DIMM sockets provide space for up to 384MB of memory. Onboard input/output connectors include an ECP/EPP parallel port, two serial ports, two PS/2 ports, and two USB ports (although ABS didn't include the Win 95 upgrade to enable the USB ports).

This is a system built for an experienced user. Don't look for setup help or software tutorials out of the box. ABS's technical support hours are limited to weekdays while the sun's up in California. On the other hand, ABS covers parts for three years and offers both free labor and free technical support for the system's lifetime.

Overall, the ABS BX Supreme 3D #2 packs a lot of high-end technology into a small price. Commodious storage options and its multifunctional video accelerator position this system as an efficient business partner or a good home system. However, some of the economies show up as performance hits. The result is a system that performs equivalently to a high-quality 333MHz CPU/66MHz bus system.

In its favor, the BX Supreme's motherboard can accept still faster CPUs as they become available, although any 333/66MHz combo has reached maximum legitimate processor speed. Since its pricing is equivalent to a 333MHz system, anyone in the market for a new business or home system may want to look closely at this computer.

The ABS BX Supreme 3D #2's included ATI All-in-Wonder video card allows you to plug the system into your TV for games or presentations. Included is enough memory, storage space, and video processing power to take on your company's most complex applications for under $2,200.