Reviews
Polywell Poly 939N4-SLI
We’ll take one gig of graphics memory, Alex
P
olywell Computers specializes
in reasonably priced custom PC
configurations, so we requested
the fastest PC the company could
muster with the latest parts.
The result: The Poly 939N4-SLI,
which consists of some primo
components stuffed into a
decidedly generic case.
With new parts from AMD
and Intel unavailable at the
time of our request, Polywell
built a system that’s similar to
our latest zero-point test beds,
with a few exceptions. The most
significant difference is that
the nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultras
in this SLI rig boast 512MB of
memory each. Most everything else
is Maximum PC -stock; CPU duties are
handled by the familiar Athlon 64
FX-55 running at a stock 2.6GHz,
plugged into
an Asus A8N-
SLI Deluxe
motherboard
(equipped
with nVidia’s
nForce 4
SLI chipset).
But while
we splurged
on our zero-
points by
packing them
with 2GB of
memory and
an Audigy 2 ZS
soundcard, the
Poly is saddled
with just 1GB
of DDR400(two sticks from Super Talent Memory)
and the mobo’s onboard RealTek
ALC850 codec for audio duties.
We applaud Polywell’s inclusion
of dual 74GB Western Digital Raptors
in a RAID 0 config. Unfortunately, a
dearth of 3.5-inch drive bays in the
mini-tower case—there are only four,
with one occupied by a floppy—forced
Polywell to stack these two hotty
drives on top of each other. The two
50mm intake fans are insufficient for
this storage sandwich—we measured
ambient temperatures near the drives
at 119 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 512MB per-videocard memory
boost could give gamers a speed
boost, but we’re not convinced.
Even the normally ebullient
videocard vendors aren’t promising
performance gains from the 512MB
cards. These cards’ core clocks run at
the same 425MHz as standard 256MB
GeForce 6800 Ultras, but the memory
clock is slower at 525MHz, compared
with 550MHz on the 256MB boards.
Folks who want to augment the138GB of storage—and we imagine
there will be many—will have to
buy adapters for the two open 5.25-
inch drive bays. Curiously enough,
Polywell’s website shows a second dual
3.25-inch drive cage inside the case,
but this was missing from the box we
received. Of the two remaining 5.25-
inch bays, one is occupied by a Sony
drive that burns single-layer DVDs at
16x and double-layer media at 4x; the
second bay holds a Sony CD-RW/DVD
combo drive.
Performance-wise, the Polywell
outran our zero-point system in every
benchmark save one. It opened up just
a small lead in SYSmark2004 scores—
211 compared with our zero-point’s
201—but in 3DMark2005 Game 3, it
trounced the zero-point by a whopping
29 percent.
Polywell’s picks for motherboard,
graphics, and mass storage leave us
with little to complain about at this
price point, and the decision to go
with generic memory doesn’t seem to
adversely affect performance. But the
absence of a dedicated soundcard, a
shortage of 3.5-inch drive bays, and
the EZ-Bake Oven hard-drive situation
leave us a little cold.
—MARK BEHNKEN68 MA XIMUMPC JUNE 200 5
0 20% 40% 60% 80%
PERCENT FASTERZERO
POINT
SCORES
SYSmark2004
Premiere Pro
Photoshop CS
Divx Encode
3DMark 05
Doom 3201
620 sec
286 sec
1812 sec
29.3 fps
77.1 fps100%211272 sec638 sec (-2.82%)1661 sec77.7 fps37.8 fpsPOLY 939N4-SLI SCORESOur zero-point reference system uses a 2.6GHz Athlon 64 FX-55, 2GB of DDR400 Crucial
Ballistix RAM, two nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra cards in SLI, a Maxtor 250GB DiamondMax10,
a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS, a PC Power and Cooling TurboCool 510 Deluxe Express, and
Windows XP Pro with SP2.We’re all for the 939N4-SLI’s dual 512MB GeForce 6800 Ultra’s in SLI mode,
but this bargain PC needs a bit more pizzazz to garner a Kick Ass rating.HOTNOT$3,890, http://www.polywell.comMA XIMUMPCVERDICT 7
Dual 512MB graphics boards in SLI; strong applica-
tion performance.Generic case, limited expansion, and hard drives
that run way too hot.UNDER THE HOOD
DISPLAY
Videocard Two nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra
512MB cards in SLI (425MHz core,
525MHz DDR)
STORAGEBUNDLETHE BRAINSAUDIOCase Polywell standard chassis, Sparkle
Power 550W PSU
Fans/extras 120mm fan, 2 50mm fans, AMD
reference CPU cooler, 3.5-inch
floppy, Media Reader 7-in-1 internal
driveBOOT: 37 sec. DOWN: 22 sec.CPU AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 (2.6GHz 1MB L2)
Mobo Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe (nForce4 SLI
chipset)
RAM 1GB Super Talent DDR400 (two sticks)
I/O ports 6 USB (2 front, 4 rear), 2 FireWire A
(front, rear), parallel port, PS/2
mouse and keyboard
LAN Dual Gigabit LAN (nVidia and Marvell)Hard drives Two 74GB Western Digital
WD740GD (10,000rpm SATA) running
in RAID 0 via nForce 4 south bridge
Optical Sony DW-D26A DVD-RW, Sony
drives CRX320E CD-RW/DVD-ROM comboWindows XP ProSoundcard Onboard RealTek ALC850 8-
channel audio codec
Speakers Creative Labs P7800 7.1 speaker
w/subwoofer
FINE DETAILS