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RSS feedsThis month we decided to turn our group test on its head. Rather than giving manufacturers the specification and type of machine to send to our Labs, we asked them to assemble what they considered to be the complete package for a computer buyer with a budget of £1,000.
Of course, we had our own ideas on what we would want. A printer was near enough a given, thanks to the rise in digital photography and the need to have a hard copy of your work.
Similarly, a scanner, which can turn documents and pictures into an editable digital format, is indispensable. Since there are good, inexpensive examples of both of these peripherals, we thought it reasonable to expect them with the PC.
Rather than raw power, we wanted bundles that would give users a flying start and not have them spending money straightaway in order to complete basic tasks. Read on to see the different ways PC makers interpreted our request, and discover the best deal available for first-time PC buyers with a grand in their hand.
TIME NEPTUNE 1900+ XS
We awarded two PC Best Buys this month, one for the best all-round system and another for the machine offering the most power for your pennies. Time fulfilled the latter requirement with its latest Neptune 1900+ XS, a top-class computer boasting some of the best hardware available.
As its name suggests, the system is based on an AMD Athlon XP 1900+, which runs at 1.6GHz. This will provide more than enough power for anything you may want to do, and the Athlon is backed by a healthy 256Mb of memory. A 60Gb hard drive offers ample storage capacity. All this adds up to a good start, and the system scored an excellent 170 in our SYSmark 2002 performance test.
The other components worthy of special attention are the graphics and sound cards. The nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4400 graphics chip comes with its own 128Mb of Ram. It achieved a mighty 9,539 in the 3DMark 2001 test.
The Creative Audigy sound card is also a top-range product, supporting the latest digital effects and offering surround sound and a FireWire port which is ideal for connecting to a digital camcorder for a spot of video editing. The accompanying Cambridge SoundWorks speakers are ideally suited to get the best out of the Audigy.
This group test is not all about power, though, and the Time PC offers some good components for a home office or digital imaging enthusiast. The Lexmark Z23e colour inkjet printer will do a passable job and makes a small footprint on the desktop, but it is not ideal for more demanding photographic work. Similarly, the Visioneer 4400 is a handy basic scanner that is easy to use but is not made for professional use.
Inside the case troublesome cables have been cleverly covered with some fetching custard-yellow rubber tubing. However, there is a fan on the processor, another on the graphics card and a third cooling the whole PC, all of which combine to produce the second greatest din in our NoiseMark test.
The LG Flatron monitor gives a clear picture and is a joy to use, while the combination of a DVD-Rom drive and CD-RW give maximum optical storage and playback options.
A very powerful PC for the price that will provide for most needs, but the scanner and printer are very basic.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: *****
Contact: Time 0870 8303 126
www.timecomputers.com
MULTIVISION VISION 3000 POWER BUNDLE
If your priority is functionality rather than power, we believe the Multivision PC offers the best balance in this group test. The very best processing components have been forgone in order to supply better peripherals that are just as useful.
That is not to say the PC is under powered; it scored a perfectly acceptable 156 in our Labs SYSmark 2002 test. The 1.53GHz Athlon 1800+ XP chip will deal with anything thrown at it, especially with its accompanying 512Mb of Ram.
Cleverly, Multivision has used a motherboard with an nVidia nForce graphics chip built in, saving the cost of a separate graphics card but still offering reasonably good graphics performance. To verify the 2,354 3DMark 2001 score, we played Jedi Knight II at 1,024 x 768 resolution and had no performance problems.
The system's sound chip is also integrated into the motherboard and is supplemented by digital and S/PDIF ports. All this helps make full use of the 5.1 surround sound ZXR-500 speakers from VideoLogic.
The HP DeskJet 920c colour inkjet printer offers the quality expected from an HP printer, although it's not especially fast. Similarly, the HP ScanJet 2200c is well-built and has good specifications. The package is completed by a Thrustmaster gamepad and a Logitech QuickCam Express webcam.
All of these devices make use of the six available USB ports. There are also four FireWire ports. The 60Gb hard drive is big enough for hours of digital video as well as other software.
Inside the PC the absence of a separate graphics card leaves a great deal of room, and cables have been well secured to give the processor plenty of breathing space.
There's an AGP slot for upgrading the graphics in the future and three PCI slots for other upgrades. One less fan makes the Multivision PC third loudest in the NoiseMark test.
A DVD-Rom drive will play DVDs at 16-speed and sits above a light-grey CD-RW that manages to burn CDs at an impressive 24-speed. The warranty is also worth noting: it provides three years cover on site, followed by another three during which Multivision will repair the PC when the machine is returned to it.
A little thought about a user's priorities has produced a PC that is well balanced and covers many requirements.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: *****
Contact: Multivision 0121 550 8000
www.multivision.co.uk
JAL VIRGO 1900WPC
It is good to see both a scanner and a printer included with the JAL system. The Lexmark X72 is a multi-function device that provides average inkjet printing and scanning. It comes with the QuickPix QP2 digital camera, which doubles as a webcam and is the size of a large pen.
In terms of power, the JAL PC is no slouch. It has a 1.6GHz Athlon XP 1900+ processor accompanied by 256Mb of Ram. This helps the PC achieve an excellent SYSmark 2002 score of 173. The graphics card has a GeForce4 MX 440 chip from nVidia with 64Mb of Ram. It is not the fastest GeForce4 chip, but a score of 5,621 in 3DMark 2001 proves it will deal with anything.
The card's TV-out combines with the DVD-Rom drive to show movies on a bigger screen, while the CD-RW drive can burn discs at 40-speed.
Inside the case the cables are a bit untidy but, crucially, they are not near the processor or motherboard, and the free Dimm slot remains unimpeded. The sound card is of the basic Sound Blaster Live! variety.
Ample power and some useful extras make this JAL offering a good package for all-round use.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ****
Contact: JAL 01782 848 100
www.jal.co.uk
MESH MATRIX XP1900+ BDL
The Mesh is based around the Athlon XP 1900+ processor, which clocks in at 1.6GHz. It also has 256Mb of Ram, two free Dimm slots and a 40Gb hard disk. It scored an impressive 174 in our SYSmark 2002 test.
For printing, Mesh has supplied the Lexmark Z23. Do not expect quick-fire photo printing, but for simple text tasks it will be quick and efficient.
Analogue images can be converted to digital by using the CanoScan N670U scanner. For sound and vision, Mesh has gone for hardware that does a good job. The Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! sound card links up with the four speakers and a sub-woofer from Cambridge SoundWorks. The graphics card uses the GeForce4 MX 440 chip and scored 5,823 in 3DMark 2001.
This group test shows that you can expect a fast DVD-Rom drive and CD-RW at this price. The Mesh's DVD reads at 16-speed, and the CD-RW writes at 40-speed. The side of the case slides off easily and reveals the tidy insides, where IDE cables are wrapped away and Dimm slots are unimpeded.
A 17in monitor is about right for the average user and the NEC Multisync 75F provides a good, clear display.
A good system that shows just how far £999 can stretch.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ****
Contact: Mesh 020 8208 4744
www.meshcomputers.com
PC WORLD ADVENT 3989 BTO
There is not much to choose between the Advent PC and the Mesh. PC World managed to slightly outdo Mesh in terms of bundled extras by throwing in a desk to complement the printer and scanner.
The Athlon XP 1800+ processor runs at 1.53GHz, and there is 256 Mb of Ram, which helped the system score 162 in our SYSmark 2002 test. Moreover, NoiseMark clocked it as the quietest PC on test.
Initially, the PC performed well under par, and PC World sent out an engineer before replacing the machine.
The PC comes with some good extras. We particularly like the PC Workstation, a self-assemble desk on wheels with a slide-out keyboard shelf and enough parts to hold the whole PC.
This is accompanied by the Epson C70 Plus inkjet printer and Visioneer 4800 scanner. Both of them connect to the PC through a USB port. However, the Advent only had two of these ports, the smallest number in the test.
The 17in Samsung monitor is sufficient for everyday use and comes with a flat screen finish for a crystal clear image. The nVidia GeForce4 MX 440 scored an impressive 5,618 in our 3DMark 2001 test.
Once the PC's poor performance was sorted out, the Advent held its own and was a good all-round package.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ****
Contact: PC World 0800 056 5732
www.pcworld.co.uk
WISDOM COMPUTERS EBONY 1700
The Ebony from Wisdom is fairly unremarkable. Its 1.46GHz Athlon XP 1700+ processor is fast enough for most users, but it is the slowest in this test.
There is nothing wrong with the system's 256Mb of Ram or 40Gb hard drive, both of which helped the Ebony score 155 in our SYSmark 2002 test. You also get two optical drives: a CD rewriter for burning and copying CDs, and a DVD-Rom drive.
The graphics and sound are supplied by dependable hardware. The nVidia GeForce4 MX 440 graphics chip has 64Mb of Ram and scored 5,299 in 3DMark 2001, while the Sound Blaster Live! card is well suited to the 5.1 surround sound speaker system.
Inside the PC there is a tangle of wires, and it claims the dubious honour of being the prime ear splitter in the NoiseMark test. Nevertheless, the memory slots are unobstructed, as are the three PCI slots. An optical mouse is included, which is a nice touch.
As for peripherals, the company supplied an Epson Stylus C20UX, which is a good, compact inkjet printer, as well as a QuickPix QP2 digital camera.
The Wisdom doesn't reach the heights its competitors do, despite being a good system.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ***
Contact: Wisdom 0870 050 22 99
www.wisdom-computers.com
HI-GRADE ATLAS MERIDIAN XP1900+ WP07
Because it comes with nothing more than a webcam, we can't recommend the Hi-Grade PC highly in this group test. When we asked for good all-round packages, we considered the inclusion of a scanner and a printer a must.
In its own way the PC does very well. It uses the Athlon XP 1900+, has 256Mb of Ram and an enormous 60Gb hard drive. There is also a 16-speed DVD-Rom drive and a CD-RW that writes to discs at 24-speed. For under £1,000 we could not ask for any more in terms of PC hardware, and the Atlas managed 168 in our SYSmark 2002 test.
The nVidia GeForce4 MX 400 is a very good chip and will deal with today's games. It achieved a score of 4,475 in our 3DMark 2001 test, but we would have expected more. Whatever graphical work you do though, it will be a joy to watch on the 17in LG Flatron 775FT monitor.
The monitor will not be ideal for watching movies, so we suggest using the TV-out and surround sound speakers.
Four free PCI slots offer potential to upgrade, and eight USB ports provide plenty of external expansion options.
A good package in isolation but, when compared with the other PCs, it does not stand up to scrutiny.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ***
Contact: Hi-grade 0800 0740 402
www.higrade.com
EVESHAM.COM AXIS
Evesham neglected to include any peripherals to take advantage of its PC's enormous potential, so in this group test it comes at the low end of the class. The PC itself is very good, but a lack of extras mean that we have to mark it down.
The Athlon XP 1800+ processor comes with 256Mb of Ram and a graphics card featuring the impressive ATI Radeon 8500 chip with 64Mb of its own Ram. The result is an excellent 165 score in SYSmark 2002 and 8,275 for 3DMark 2001.
The graphics card was, until recently, the fastest around and this model includes a DVI port for a digital flat panel display and an S-video out, ideal for watching DVD movies on a TV via the 16-speed DVD-Rom drive. To complete the picture the PC comes with a five-piece surround sound speaker set.
The 60Gb hard drive has enough room for hours of digital video footage, which can be downloaded through one of the three FireWire ports and edited using the Pinnacle Studio 7 software. The 17in LG Flatron 795FT has one of the clearest displays available, and the Logitech optical mouse is a favourite here at What PC?.
A great system but, with no peripherals included, the Evesham PC misses the boat in this group test.
Price: £999 (inc VAT)
Score: ***
Contact: Evesham 0870 160 9500
www.evesham.com
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