PC pages - Rant: IBM Aptiva

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OK, this is about things I've witnessed, I'm not talking about every IBM Aptiva on the planet. Just to make that clear right away.

When I tried out my new scanner in the store, it was hooked up to an IBM Aptiva. I installed it myself (the scanner, I mean). They told me it was, ah - I think an Intel 500MHz PIII. I know it had 128 RAM and win98, because I checked. The problem was that it was so sloooow! I finally told them they should send it back, because it clearly wasn't working! My own machine is an Intel PII 300MHz with 64 RAM (update: well, that's what I had at the time...). Way faster! Then you know something is off, right? A 500 should work a lot faster. I have no idea why it was that slow. I was told in the store that installing a scanner can be a problem with the preinstalled machines (IBM isn't the only manufacturer to do this, the setup on most of the machines with a recovery CD is so modified it's beyond "normal"). They relaxed when I told them my machine was as standard as they come.

I've been involved in reformatting 3 identical IBM Aptivas. They had Intel processors and 128 RAM, as far as I was told. They were in a network. Different network cards. The reason for reformatting them was that they were getting slower and slower as time wore on. In the end it took from 10 minutes to half an hour to get the machine started in the morning. The mouse pointer froze all the time. I could move the mouse and the pointer was frozen, then suddenly it moved, only to freeze a moment later again. When started in safe mode the machines moved at what I perceived as normal speed. Reformat (with original IBM recovery CD) was successful in that the machines once again moved at perceived normal speed. The machines were only a few months old at the time. I can't wait to hear what happens when they've been used for a while again. Anybody out there know the reason for this mystery? Other IBMs (other models) didn't develop this problem. I've asked IBM in Norway to try and track down the reason for this and tell me so I can report the solution (not just our way of dealing with the problem).

I was taken to task by someone close to the "scanner Aptiva" for my claims about the Aptivas. Not someone connected to IBM. He said 128 RAM versus 64 didn't make much of a difference in a win98 machine (I've heard a different story - that win98 can handle the added RAM while win95 can't. I'm not qualified to tell who's telling the truth). He also told me a 500 MHz with lots of TSRs and other programs running in memory (that's the case with Aptivas) may appear slower than a 300 MHz with only Explorer and Systray running. I guess he may be right about that, but it still doesn't address why the AMD Aptivas I've seen didn't have the problems the three Intel Aptivas I helped reformat had. I'm still waiting for an answer to that question. Even so, I wish he'd try the Aptiva in question, and ask himself if it should be that slow, even with lots of processes running...

Some people (especially those serious about multitrack audio recording) swear by reformatting these kinds of PCs with an ordinary windows CD, because they think the PC will be more stable and work better with audio. They have other stringent requirements for a PC that will work well too, and it's rather hard on the wallet (sustained seek time, RPM, SCSI, etc, etc). Usually they'll build their own PC.