Watford Electronics Perfecta 4500DDR

Watford has managed to squeeze a 2GHz Pentium 4 processor into a £499 PC. It doesn't take long to figure out how Watford has put together this bargain, as the inside of the case is fairly empty.

Watford has supplied a reasonable 256MB of DDR SD-Ram; 32MB of this has been allocated for graphics but if you need less you can change it in the Bios.

The microATX motherboard doesn't take up a lot of space, making it feel even emptier. The board is based on the Via PM266 chipset which has integrated graphics, resulting in pretty poor 3D performance.

There is an AGP slot so you can upgrade from the integrated graphics chip and, if you want to play any games on this, we would seriously recommend doing just that. One of the PCI slots is free as the other is taken up by the modem.

The main storage is a 40GB Seagate hard drive, which is reasonable given the price of this PC. You also get an LG DVD-Rom drive, but no CD writer, however you can upgrade to a 40-speed drive for £40.

The keyboard and mouse could be better: the keys are awkward to use and the mouse lacks a scroll wheel. A set of standard stereo speakers (which may differ from the ones shown in the picture) and a reasonable 17in AOC monitor complete this system.

Performance wasn't great with a Sysmark 2002 score of 148, only five points faster than the cheaper Multivision reviewed here. If you're after a cheap P4 PC this might suit you, but we'd recommend taking a look at the Multivision before you make up your mind.

Specifications:

• Pentium 4 2.0GHz
• Shuttle MV42N motherboard
• 256MB of PC2100 DDR memory
• 40GB hard disk
• 16x LG DVD-Rom
• 32MB onboard graphics
• 17in AOC monitor
• Onboard sound
• Stereo speakers
• 56K PCI modem
• Onboard Ethernet
• 1yr on-site warranty, 5yrs RTB labour only.

Price: £586.33 (£499 ex VAT)

Contact: Watford Electronics 0870 729 5600
www.savastore.com/watford

See also:

Systemax Inspire 7322

A decent performer at a reasonable price.  09 Jan 2003

Cybyte XP2000RD+

A budget PC that's capable of meeting the needs of most people.  06 Nov 2002

Multivision Vision 320 LT

The budget Vision 320 LT is well worth a look.  21 Oct 2002

Mesh Matrix XP 2000+ So Pro

A budget package for the student market  15 Oct 2002

Mesh Matrix XP2000+ SB Plus

If you're in the market for a new PC, look no further than this.  13 Aug 2002

Time Jupiter

An inexpensive way to upgrade if you don't need new peripherals and software.  12 Jul 2002

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