ABS Awesome 1300

4/12/04 - Most of the budget computer systems currently are based around the Intel Celeron budget processor, but the ABS Awesome bucks this trend in favor of the very strong AMD Athlon XP 2500+ processor. While the clock speed may not be as fast as the competitors Celeron CPUs, the XP 2500+ is able to perform faster thanks to its higher bus speed and cache.

Since ABS is a systems integrator, there is a lot more flexibility for the consumer in part selection. All components are name brand parts that makes the Awesome 1300 a very stable and well-performing system.

The greatest attribute of the ABS Awesome 1300 is is upgradability. Most budget systems use very limited motherboards that lack expansion slots. This sets the Awesome 1300 apart from its budget competitors with the inclusion of an AGP 8x graphics slot. While the graphics aren't that spectacular on the system, users at least have the option of upgrading to a competent graphics card.

The ABS awesome isn't without its faults though. First and foremost of these is the lack of any productivity software. Most companies offer at least minimal packages such as MS Works, but that isn't standard with the Awesome 1300. Also, there is no ability to burn CDs on the system either.

In the end, the ABS Awesome 1300 still makes for a very good system. It should especially appeal to those who are on a budget but would like to get more out of their computer than what they can initially afford.