The Caffeinated Column, Cup II The last time I suffered Jolt overload, I was working on Computer Currents' very first Readers' Choice Awards back in 1994. Sustained by life-affirming caffeine (and a hefty IV bag of glucose), we pulled off that first, massive reader survey. The survey was a success-the vendors loved it, the readers loved it, ad sales loved it-and I was put in an isolation chamber for three weeks.

This time around, I slapped on a handful of Peet's DermaCaf® patches so we could deliver this first-ever roundup of locally made PCs. While the Compaqs and Dells of the world get all the press, there's been a quiet little revolution going on down the block. Your local computer store, reseller, and system integrator have been putting together kick-ass PCs, beating the big boys in price, power, and sometimes even service and support.

Savvy local businesses trying to keep their computing budgets in line have known about these sources for years, but it took us dumb journalists a while to catch on. What you'll find in these pages is a look at Pentium II PCs from several local sources: Acma and Supercom (national companies with local roots), DSi and HD Computer (two local retailers), and for comparison's sake, Micron (one of the top three companies that sells PCs directly).

Now granted, I didn't hook up these PCs to treadmills and test every arcane aspect of their performance. Suffice it to say that the 333MHz system beat the 300MHz PCs, which in turn scooted past the 266MHz machines. What I did look at carefully was the computing experience. What surprises await when you crack open that box? Is there a setup guide? Is it obvious what plugs into what? Is all the necessary software installed and running? How easy is it to get inside the system? And finally, what kinds of goodies do you get for the money? Some extras (like Zip drives and superior mice) are important for your day-to-day work; others, like speakers, aren't.

Finally, there was that age-old formula to chew through: (price x power) - hassles = good buy? Check out the Cover Story and see for yourself. The results may surprise you.

Big Disk, Big Problems

Elsewhere in this issue, I direct you to Previews & Reviews. Jon Jacobi's look at SyQuest's new SparQ drive won't win him any pals at the Fremont-based company. But if you're wondering if SyQuest's new gigabyte drive is ready for prime time, make this your second stop (after my caffeinated Cover Story, of course).

Other picks to click include "Mac Meets NT" in Creative Mac, Matt Lake's inside look at online travel sites in Corporate PC, and a meditation on the joys of Windows CE computers in Mobile Office.

Your comments, as always, are welcome. You can email me at rluhn@aol.com and rluhn@compuserve.com or write to me care of Computer Currents.