MPC's ClientPro 424 series of desktop computers for business are excellent all-in-one PCs that can be customized way more than you'd expect. For starters, you have a lot of choice with the display of these business desktop computers, where most all-in-ones give you only one option.

The 424 ships with a large 17-inch flat panel display at the baseline price. This LCD would serve most users well as it provides a crisp and bright image for working in an office environment. But MPC offers some unique upgrades to the display on these business desktop computers. For $400, you can step up to a 19-inch LCD. That's a fairly hefty price tag for a size upgrade, but for the same price, you can opt for a touch-screen 17-inch LCD. It doesn't give you any more screen room, but the touch-screen input can be handy for a lot of office applications.

The rest of the 424 system isn't much larger than that display, but MPC manages to pack quite a bit of power behind the monitor. The default processor is a 2.8GHz Pentium D, which delivers good performance. If you're not as concerned with core power, you can step down to a Celeron CPU and knock some dollar signs off this desktop.

MPC includes a decent 512MB of 533MHz DDR2 memory in these desktop computers for business, and you can speed the RAM up to 667MHz for less than $20. These systems also support up to 2GB of memory, so you can increase the starting RAM as high as you need it.

Storage space is adequate on these desktop computers for business with the included 80GB 7,200rpm hard drive--it provides ample room for application installs and large file storage. If you need more elbow room, you can step up to a 250GB hard drive with a 16MB cache for less than $100. There's even a 500GB drive available, but it'll add more than $400 to the sticker price.

On the optical drive side of things, MPC includes a combination 24X/10X/24X CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive that will burn audio and data CDs and let you watch DVD movies on your system. Since it's a Slimline drive similar to those used in portable computers, upgrading to a DVD writer is a fairly expensive prospect that will add nearly $250 to the system cost.

There's no floppy drive on these business desktop computers, although you can add one for around $20. For $29, you can opt for a 7-in-1 media card reader instead, which lets you transfer files from your PDA, digital camera, or other flash media device onto this system easily.

Graphics are integrated on these business desktop computers, which is no surprise for all-in-one systems. What is surprising, however, is the fact that you can upgrade to dedicated graphics. Graphics and video editors would appreciate an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 card with 128MB or 256MB of dedicated video memory (adding about $150 or $200 to the system price, respectively).

There's also room for a TV tuner card inside these desktop computers for business, which lets you watch, pause, and record live television on your ClientPro 424 systems. It's a fairly inexpensive upgrade (less than $70) that comes in handy for users who need to have the financial networks at their fingertips.

Both a modem and a gigabit Ethernet interface are integrated into these business desktop computers. And these systems feature Intel's Active Management Technology which makes it easy for network administrators to handle remote troubleshooting, hardware and software tracking, and other management tasks. Wireless options are available at extra cost, including Bluetooth, which lets you interface your system with your Bluetooth peripherals such as PDAs and cell phones.

MPC includes a basic optical mouse and keyboard with these all-in-one business desktop computers although there are more sophisticated Microsoft input devices available for upgrade.

The three-year warranty on these business desktop computers is one of the best in the business, and assures you that you'll be protected in the event that something goes wrong.

These all-in-one systems aren't the least expensive you can find, but they offer some of the best power and performance out there with some excellent LCD options to choose from. If you're looking for a desktop computer for business that won't take up much desktop space, MPC's ClientPro 424 all-in-one systems are an excellent choice.


Pros: Powerful core, great LCD options
Cons: Expensive, LCD upgrades pricey