Each system, currently at 920i, starts with the same chassis, MPC's gray and beige mini-tower that features eight USB 2.0 ports, including two up front for easy access. There's also the integrated Gigabit Ethernet, which lets you connect to the speediest of networks.

The tower's roomy interior makes it easy to add and remove components for users who upgrade often. It's easy to open without tools--just loosen a single thumbscrew on the rear of the system--and the components can be inserted or removed without tools as well. It converts from a tower to a desktop model, so you can rest it on its side if that better suits your desktop layout.

But that's where the similarity between the three systems ends. The Creative Studio system, as configured and with a 19-inch monitor, will set you back three and a half grand. That's a huge price tag for a home system, but MPC positions it more as a home studio for making and burning movies, playing multimedia, and being the all-around centerpiece to your digital experience.

The Creative Studio system comes with a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 processor and a gig of DDR memory; you won't find many systems that will outperform this system. There's also a cutting-edge 52X/32X/52X CD-RW drive for burning audio and data CDs, a 4X DVD-RW/+RW drive for burning movies, and Pinnacle Studio 8 for handling all the multimedia editing and compiling.

In addition to those USB ports, you can input video via the FireWire PCI card, and you won't run out of storage room any time soon thanks to the twin 160GB serial-ATA hard drives. The 256MB NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 graphics board is one of the best on the market, as are the Audigy 2 sound card and the Creative Inspire T7700 eight-speaker surround sound set.

The Creative Studio system also ships with a large, crisp 19-inch MPC F1925 LCD display and Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop mouse and keyboard set. All told, it's an impressive system with an equally impressive price.

Most users will probably opt for the toned-down versions of the 920i, like the Professional, which drops the processor down to a still-reputable 2.8GHz P4 with Hyper-Threading and cuts the price to nearly a third of the Creative Studio system's.

MPC sometimes runs promotions that let you upgrade components for free. Keep an eye out for these specials. Without a promo, the Professional ships with 256MB of memory, a 40GB hard drive, and a 16X/48X DVD-ROM drive at its baseline price.

The Professional system has the optional of a 17-inch CRT monitor, the respectable MPC CM720F. It also comes with a decent 64MB NVIDIA GeForce MX400 graphics board, but speakers will run you extra. Microsoft's Office XP Small Business is included at the baseline price, as is a Microsoft Multimedia Keyboard and an optical mouse. Like the Creative Studio, the Professional system is covered by a three-year parts and tech support warranty. It's not as powerful as the Creative Studio, but you'll save a bundle and still have a great system.

Finally, the Xtreme 920i really isn't that extreme in terms of anything except price. MPC has stripped out most of the costly extras and offered up a highly expandable system that starts at $999. While you won't get a monitor at this price point, you do get a 2.8GHz P4 with Hyper-Threading technology and the same hard drive, memory, and DVD drive as with the Professional system. You also get the same graphics board as the Professional system, but there's no Microsoft Office XP and also no keyboard and mouse unless you shell out for them.

There's plenty of room to customize the system, and it makes a great core upgrade for a user who's planning on to recycle their display and input devices from a previous system.

The overall system manual for the Millennia line is on CD, so you'll have to print it out if you need a hard copy, but it contains thorough information detailing all of the different systems in the line and their components.

The MPC Millennia line of home PCs has a version for everyone, from the digital media power user to the home office worker to the particular gamer who wants to add their own extras.

Pro: Excellent variety, powerful core.

Con: Creative Studio system quite costly.