Ares 486-33DX. (microcomputer) (Hardware Review) (Evaluation)
by Bruce M. Bowden

The first thing you'll notice about the ARES 486-33DX midtower PC is that it's a very attractice unit, with a smoked-plastic front panel covering the turbo, reset, and power buttons, as well as a bright green LED display which shows the adjustable microprocessor speed. But it's not just a pretty face--it's a solid performer backed by excellent product support.

The standard configuration, which I reviewed, has a 33-MHz 1486DX, 4MB of memory, a 170MB Quantum hard drive, a 16-bit IDE controller, dual floppy drives, a 256K external cache, a three-button mouse, a Flash 101 programmable keyboard, a low-radiation SVDA monitor, and a VLB SpeedStar Pro graphics card. Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 6 are not only included on the hard drive but supplied on disk as well.

ARES provides everything you need to get up and running--and stay running. Along with ample documentation, complete with technical specifications of all components, ARES supplies a system inspection checklist, a CMOS configuration checklist, a printout of the factory diagnostic results, and a lifetime membership card for 24-hour technical support. One unusual service supplied by ARES is remote diagnostics of your system. You can simply use your modem and the supplied QA Plus software to call the ARES host computer and let the service techs take over and find out exactly what's wrong with your computer.

ARES uses a Micronics MX30 VESA local-bus motherboard, which has a 238-pin ZIF socket for upgrading to a DX2, OverDrive, or P24T Pentium processor. Two 32-bit VL-bus slots and six 16-bit ISA slots provide ample expansion capability. The well-built 19-inch-high midtower case provides easy access to all the system components and card slots.

ARES provides a two-year parts warranty and a lifetime labor warranty with all its systems. With that and the company's remote diagnostics, 24-hour support, and 60-day money-back guarantee, the ARES 486-33DX is a strongly backed, quality system that you can feel secure in buying.