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As a rule budget PCs skimp on the most expensive components in order to keep prices down, but Multivision has taken a different tack. It has managed to surprise us with the Vision Ti 333, which features a speedy Intel Pentium 4 1.9GHz processor and fast DDR memory for just under £1,000.
Although the off-white case is not going to win any beauty contests, it does have one trump card over its rivals. Despite the fact that the front houses a DVDRom drive and a 24-speed CD-RW drive, there are still two drive bays free. This could prove a bonus if you decide to add removeable drives.
The side of the case is easily removed, thanks to the use of two thumbscrews which are also used to secure the cards and blanking plates inside. This means adding and removing cards or accessing the inside can be done without a screwdriver.
However, there are only two free PCI slots, one of which is obscured by two additional USB ports. That said, the only thing missing from the list of features is a network port.
More impressive is the fact that only one of the three memory slots is used for the 256Mb of memory, leaving two free for adding extra in the future. In fact, the memory in the Ti 333 is somewhat special.
Multivision has used a motherboard that supports very fast DDR memory. This should greatly improve the overall performance but, unfortunately, it wasn't much faster than a normal DDR machine, although it still performed very well.
Those interested in digital video editing will be glad to see the inclusion of a three-port FireWire card. This card, coupled with the beefy processor, makes the machine a good choice for budding movie directors. If you're going to play about with lots of footage though, the 40Gb hard disk may prove a touch restrictive in the long run.
If games are more your thing, the GeForce2 Ti graphics card is impressive. It also has a TV output socket so it can be connected to a TV.
The Hercules Muse XL sound card isn't quite so awe-inspiring. Its four-channel output is used to drive the 4.1 surround sound Labtec speakers supplied. This isn't as good for DVD playback as a proper 5.1 surround sound set-up but is better than a set of stereo speakers for games.
In terms of software, the PC is reasonably well specified, sporting Windows XP Home Edition and a copy of Lotus SmartSuite that provides all the basic office applications.
Multivision had to cut some corners to bring a machine of this specification in at such a low price and unfortunately, the monitor is where this is most obvious. The 17in Hansol 705D monitor is not impressive. Image quality is on the grainy side and the picture unsteady compared with some other budget models we've seen.
Despite the fact that we were taken with the Ti 333's use of the latest technology, the monitor really lets the system down. As a result, this unit is a good PC rather than a great one. If you're after a speedy, low-cost PC then it's worth a look but there are some better all-round packages available elsewhere.
Contact: Multivision 0870 220 2823
www.multivision.co.uk
Also consider:
Mesh Matrix XP1800+TI2
Excellent all-round PC at a nice price.
£1,174. Excellent.
Computeractive Issue 98.
See also:
An inexpensive way to upgrade if you don't need new peripherals and software. 12 Jul 2002
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