Compaq likes to keep its ideas for a top-spec consumer PC in proportion. The Presario 7EL 7000T is one of the top models in its range, but it's still not going to cost you several important limbs to buy one.

Based around an 800MHz Pentium III, the machine may not be a giant-killer in performance terms, but the chip is well integrated with 128MB of main memory and a 30GB hard drive. The 19-inch Compaq monitor gives a reasonable picture, but isn't truly flat like most of the other displays here. It also driven by a Riva TNT2-based graphics card, which looks a little sorry in comparison with any of the GeForce2 cards that litter this round-up.

However, the connectivity of the Presario lifts its value back up. As well as the usual parallel, serial and USB ports at the back of the machine, there's a 1394 (aka FireWire, for connecting DV cameras and other fast peripherals) port there, too, and two more USB ports and a second 1394 socket at the front, below the drive bays. An Ethernet network port is also provided as standard. This range of sockets provides a lot of potential for connecting all kinds of external peripherals, from printers and scanners to optical drives and video cameras.

The machine performed well under test and comes with copies of Works and Word and up to eight 'points' to select your own software from Compaq's Software Choice programme. The Presario 7EL 7000T is a well-specified machine, top consumer spec for Compaq if, perhaps, not for the rest of the industry.