The super speedy xw4100 workstation that I tested came with a 3.0GHz/800 Pentium 4 processor, an 80GB harddrive, six USB ports (two front ones), three firewire ports, one DVD+R/+RW, an NVIDIA Quadro 4200 NVS 64mb graphics card, one Gig of RAM and Windows XP Pro OS. Now all of that is quite impressive for a price tag of only $1887, but the HP xw4100 also performed beautifully with 3ds max 5.1 and Avid Xpress Pro.
The Good News: HP’s xw4100 is a breeze to modify and expand.
The Wish List: If HP could add another CD/DVD player to this system one could easily carry out CD-to-CD or DVD-to-DVD copying tasks.
The Bottom Line: If you want to have a powerful computer and you’re on a tight budget, buying an HP xw4100 is a great idea. If you need additional power, you can easily modify your xw 4100.
Web Address: www.hp.com
Animation Magazine’s Seal of Excellence
Final Score *****
Ease of Use *****
Ease of modification and Maintenance *****
Power *****
Expandability *****
