HP isn't marketing its dx2300 business PC ($563 direct) specifically as a small-to-medium-business (SMB) PC, but at such a low price, this well-equipped model seems a natural fit for the SMB category. Although the dx2300 comes with an aging Pentium 4 processor, the system's expandability makes it forward-looking. It can be equipped with a next-generation Core 2 Duo processor for more demanding users, but even as configured here it will keep your clerical and frontline workers productive for years to come.

Like its predecessor, the dx2200, the dx2300is a basic, utilitarian desktop PC. Sometimes, that's all you need. Your clerical and bookkeeping personnel, brochure writers, and even your project manager won't need to render 3D animations or do heavy number crunching, and even the "slowest" of today's PCs will run Microsoft Office 2003 or even 2007 at an acceptable level for day-to-day functions (sales and marketing people responsible for elaborate PowerPoint and multimedia presentations notwithstanding).

The dx2300 is well equipped as tested, with a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor, a gig of system memory, and an 80GB hard drive. Though an 80GB hard drive is small for a consumer PC (which you expect to hold all your music, photos, and videos), it's fine for most business use. Microsoft Office and Windows Vista take up only about a dozen GB between them on the hard drive. Even if a worker rips a bunch of MP3s (enough to fill up a 30GB Apple iPod) to the hard drive, there would still be around 40GB of free space left over to hold files. That's enough for everything that one worker can write and plenty of other documents. If your employees need more room for graphics files, then the dx2300 is ready with an open, prewired internal drive bay for an additional SATA hard drive. The dx2300's integrated graphics are fine for business use, and you can always upgrade if you need more power.

For expandability, the dx2300's Intel 946GZ Express-based motherboard, which will work with the latest Core 2 Duo processors and PCIe cards, can handle three additional SATA drives, a PCI card, two PCIe x1 cards, and a single PCIe x16 graphics board. The system can be configured to order on HP's Web site (or via a reseller). It can be customized to handle the needs of most any office worker, including specialized employees such as graphic designers (you can get up to a Core 2 Duo E6700, 2GB of RAM, and a 250GB hard drive). The benefit here is that the same basic support issues are shared. Hard drives, internal components, and drive images can be swapped among your business's dx2300 systems. You'll need specialized drivers only if you customize the graphics card or certain other components.

The dx2300 isn't a barn burner on performance. It posted mediocre scores on the SYSmark 2007 Preview benchmark tests (57 overall, whereas Core 2 Duo systems score in the 80s). Then again, winning test battles isn't this machine's raison d'être. It's meant to be a cheap, reliable business system that serves a wide range of users. At this it succeeds. It would be nice if HP could put in 2GB of system memory and a Core 2 Duo processor, but that would be at least a $200 upgrade. That's more than many small businesses can afford to shell out per system.

Compared with the competing Dell Vostro 200, the HP shows that it is all business. The dx2300's system build is so clean that possibly the only thing you'd want to remove is Symantec AntiVirus (if you already have a boxed copy), since the included trial subscription is only for 60 days. The Vostro 200 came with Google Toolbar and Google Desktop preinstalled. Though both can be very useful, they're still an annoyance if you want to uninstall them. The Vostro has a slight edge in expandability, as it requires fewer tools to service and upgrade. But it's more expensive, topping $900. That premium is justified by the Vostro's extra memory and hard drive space, dual-core processor, and better graphics. That said, I can see a business buying a dx2300 configured to a $900 level for its big boss and the graphics department, while buying $560 dx2300s for everyone else.

The HP dx2300 is a solid, cheap, and capable business desktop. It can easily slot into the branch office of a humongous conglomerate or provide those important first PCs for a start-up. It works for firms in between those extremes, too. A growing company may not want or need to buy the flashiest, expensive notebook and desktop PC for its workers when it needs the cash for other things.

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