You never thought you could afford one this soon. But to blaze through business applications and fend off obsolescence for as long as possible, you've decided to buy a Pentium system. The obvious question remains--which one?

Our attempts to separate these 60-MHz systems by timed performance trials proved frustrating. Speed--the most pressing reason to buy a Pentium in the first place--provided us with essentially a dead heat, so we turned to the second key characteristic: value.

Differences in this criterion are noted below, but take the prices published here with a grain of salt. The first computers based on the 90-MHz Pentium chip are hitting the market at very aggressive prices. Inevitably, this introduction will rapidly push down 60-MHz Pentium prices.

Assuming that price is a key factor in your decision--and isn't it always?--call the mail-order houses and check with your local dealers to verify current prices for any models you're considering from the list below.

We are left, then, with an assortment of important but not central criteria to distinguish among half a dozen attractive choices. We feel strongly that if you buy a Pentium-based computer today, it should be multimedia capable--that is, it should incorporate a double-speed CD-ROM drive, a high-quality sound card, and a pair of external speakers. Some systems sound better than others, and one manufacturer--IBM--doesn't offer a standard system configuration with a built-in CD-ROM drive.Expandability is a key benefit of this Acer system. Not only are there more slots and drive bays than almost anyone is ever likely to fill, but three of the slots support the fast PCI local bus standard. Acer's keyboard had the best touch of any we tested, and the large AcerView 76i 17-inch monitor was certainly easy on the eyes (though less expensive monitors are available if you prefer).