One model from the company; the Zoostorm Celeron Dual Core E1400 is under the focus this time. The model has been designed keeping in mind users who would want a PC in their home.  The compact size and its durability make it perfect for users who want a home office PC in a cramped area.  The model also features a pre installed version of Windows Vista Premium Home Edition reducing set up time.

Design:

Simple Design:
The design of the Zoostorm PC is modest with a shiny black face with a silver band across it and a dull grey body. On the top of the face are present the optical drives that are DVD and CD compatible.  On the silver band on the face are 2 USB ports, one port for a set of headphones and another port for a mike.  Below the band is present the power button on the base of the face. The power button enables you to both switch on your PC and restart it.
On the sides of the grayish body are present loads of vents that allow the heat to escape out, keeping the PC cool. So, there is nothing impressive about the design except its glossy finish.  If you think the design is great, you should go for it.

Keyboard and Mouse:
The keyboard provided is an ergonomically designed one that contains all the standard keys. Its glossy finish makes it prone to dust. One unique feature of the keyboard is the fact that it contains 2 keys for Windows unlike most other PCs which offer just one key for it. There is a standard mechanical mouse provided with the Zoostorm PC as well.

Ports:
Apart from the 2 USB ports provided on the front and 2 for audio input/output, the ZooStorm Intel Celeron E1400 7871-0010 PC also features 4 other USB ports on the back, a port for the Keyboard and mouse each, an RJ45 LAN port and 2 ports for PCI. There are analog audio ports with a maximum of 5.1 analog.

Setup:
The Zoostorm Celeron Dual Core E1400 Computer does not come along with a monitor. However, a Keyboard and a mouse are provided in the package. Zoostorm will soon launch the feature of downloading drivers for windows soon on its website. It is a plug and play system. Since Windows Vista Home Premium Edition is pre- installed, setting up of the PC would not take much time. There is no CD provided but a HDD recovery solution is available.  If you are not a big fan of Windows, you can un-install the OS and upload Linux. Setting up Linux would not take much time either.

Features:

Hardware Components:
Speed and performance are some of the criteria a user has when he wants to buy a PC. Zoostorm has the Intel Celeron Dual Core (Multi Core processor Technology) processor that peps up performance and gives great output. The Celeron E1400 Processor has a clock speed of 2.0 GHz which is more than sufficient for the average home user. The speed is perfect for moderate gaming. There is also 512 KB of L2 shared cache allocated for the processor.  Efficient multitasking does not get any better than this thanks to the Dual Core processor. It is basically 2 in built processors that operate independently at the cores as a single package and with the same frequency. This makes it highly efficient even at peak performance and manages to deliver high performance computing

Other Architectural Features:
All that great processor performance is bundled along with great architectural features such as the Intel Advanced Smart Cache, Enhanced Halt State, The Intel Thermal Monitor 2, The Intel Wide Dynamic Execution, the Intel Advanced Digital media Boost to name a few.  For real time access, the processor features 1 GB of a DDR2 RAM that works at 667MHz with a Serial ATA interface.

Decent for Multimedia:
There is 5.1 Channel surround and a Vista premium ready graphics card that are ready to watch amazing multimedia. Excellent graphics are possible because of the SiS M672 Integrated Graphics Card on the system.

Optical Storage:
The drive storage is DVD ±RW (±R DL) compatible which allow you to record up to 5 whole hours of high quality video on an 8.5GB data disc.

Performance:

Great Performance:
The processor was snappy and was great at multi tasking. It had no problems whatsoever while handling several programs at once. Programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel loaded effortlessly and web browsing was great. But perhaps, the most impressive feature was its ability to process digital images quickly and efficiently in PSE6.Vista was pre installed and set up did not take much time. Sure, Vista has loads of compatibility problems, but apart from that the PC was great in terms of performance.

Its large storage space meant one can store huge amounts of data, be it text, audio or video and yet there would be no pressure on the processor.  The Full Factory recovery available through the F8 Bios was another added bonus.

Less Power Consumption:

Thanks to the Dual core processor, the Zoostorm Celeron Dual Core E1400 is highly power efficient and consumes lesser energy than the conventional PC. In spite of low power consumption, the PC manages to deliver high performance without a problem. The vents also make sure that the PC does not heat up very soon. The fans were a bit noisy though, not that it matters when one looks at the great performance it offers.

Warranty:

Zoostrom offers Celeron Dual Core E1400 PC one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Zoostorm has managed to pull over another great piece of computing. The 7871-0010 is not only a great performer, but also is well designed and is priced excellently. With such a competitive price and a large storage unit, there is no reason why this would not strike gold in the market. Home users who would do basic tasks like Web surfing, editing documents would find it amazingly fast and efficient. Gamers need not be disappointed either as the computer is well equipped to handle multimedia games making sure that you are not devoid of your gaming pleasure.  If you are looking for a computer that has to do office related tasks such as storing, updating of data, this is what you are looking for.

If you want to get rid of your old PC and want a new PC to replace it, this is highly recommended.

Zoostorm 7871-0010 Desktop PC - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Extremely sleek:
Net – tops have brought in a transition phase in the size of Personal Computers. This Revo R3610 PC has a small form factor and yet is clunky compared to other PCs.  Measuring (H x W x D) 7.1  x 7.1 x 2 inches, it is an ultra slim diamond shaped model that is portable and can be easily attached to the VESA mounting on the back of an LCD Monitor. Weighing about 3 Kgs, It comes in a transparent glossy finish comes with a monitor and a foot stand design. The front and back panels have a dark blue finish with a silver Acer logo and a Revo logo on the back. There is a backlit power button located on the upper hand corner of the front panel for easy access. The model can be laid on the side or make it upright using the included V stand. This unique case layout takes very little space and is ideal for the Bedroom, living room or even the kitchen.

Ports and connectivity in Revo R3610:
The Revo offers a decent selection of ports in spite of its small size. A multi – format flash card reader, there are 2 USB ports on the top edge, 4 on the left edge. Present along with them are a Gigabit Ethernet jack, HDMI, VGA video ports and a power jack. On the right side, optical S/PDIF audio jack, a multiformat flash-card reader, headphone and microphone jacks, and an eSATA port.

Features:

The R3610 Nettop Desktop PC is powered by an Intel dual - Core processor and an Nvidia’s Ion Graphics engine that is capable of running on Windows 7. The 1.6Ghz clock speed, the 533Mhz FSB make it 40 percent faster than the Intel Aton N230. The 7.1 Surround sound (via S/PDIF coaxial output), 802.11n Wi-Fi, and gigabit Ethernet bring out its home theatre capabilities.  Like several all in one net - tops, this one lacks a monitor and an optical drive as well.

Memory:
The Revo accepts up to 4GB of RAM and there is a 2GB Model available as well.  The Technology used is the DDR2 SDRAM and the memory speed is 800Mhz. Like most net – tops, the Acer Aspire Revo R3610 runs using dual channel memory architecture.  It does not have a floppy drive or an optical drive and sadly, the maximum upgrade of RAM is 2GB. So, other than replacing the memory and the hard drive, there are no upgrade options.

Connectivity:
Most net tops serve best for browsing the internet and the Acer Aspire Revo R3610 is good at it. There is an in-built 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi controller that enables you to connect to the Internet easily. The Wi- FI controller worked reasonably well and was able to connect to the internet without a hitch. It sadly lacks a Bluetooth dongle.

Processor Details:
The Aspire Revo runs on an Intel’s ultra-low-voltage Atom N330 processor, a dual - core chip that runs with a clock speed of 1.6GHz. The 2GB of system memory comes along with the Nvidia Ion graphics engine, which supports DirectX 10 and full 1080p HD for great imagery.

Despite its Nvidia Ion GPU, the Revo is not a good choice for serious gaming. You should be able to play basic games, but newer demanding ones will not run well. Desktop applications run reasonably well and video playback lacks hard ware acceleration.

Software:
The Acer Aspire Revo R3610’s hard drive comes along with Windows 7 Home Premium (the 64 bit version) pre – installed along with a couple of Acer utilities such as the Backup and recovery software. The System is also provided with a Microsoft Works 8.5 and OEM version of Nero Essentials and trial ware such as the Microsoft Office 2007 and the Mc Afee Internet Security Suite.

Performance:

Performance wise, the Revo R3610 Desktop Computer did pretty much as it was expected to do, that is like most other net- tops .When tested for PCMark Vantage, it scored better than the Asus EEE TopET2002, which runs on the same CPU and 2 GB RAM.  On the CPU oriented Cinebench test, the Revo managed to do as well as the Asus EEE top. However, the Revo handles basic tasks slightly slower than the Asus EEE Top and the Acer Aspire AX3810. The NVIDIA Ion GPU is not sufficient for hard core gaming on the R3610. The FPS was just a measly 8.6 frames per second.

The Basic games ran well, but it cannot handle the more advanced ones. When it comes to playing back high definition, the Revo did well. The video played is smooth and does not stutter or stall, however, the 1080p playback is on the choppier side. Download the latest flash player (Flash Player 10.1 Beta ) and that would beef up the performance of the chip. Compared to the Intel processors in the market now, the Ion trumps integrated graphics well. The Sony VAIO P netbook, which runs on an Intel processor, struggles to handle 320×240 resolution video.  Audio wise, the speakers provided along give a great output in spite of their little size.

Efficient Power Consumption:

The optimized component placement and the mechanical design bundled along with the Atom processor make the Revo an amazingly low power consumer. It required just 27 watts while running our tests. Another reason why net tops are more preferable these days is because they consume much lesser power. A PC that runs on a Core 2 Duo processor would burn out 154 watts, which is about 5.7 times more than the model.  Apart from being energy efficient and less power consuming, the Reva R3610 is amazingly silent and is Energy Star 5.0 compliant.

Accessories:

The Acer Aspire Revo R3610 comes along with an AC Adapter, a Power Cord, a Warranty Booklet, a Wired Mouse and a Keyboard.  It would have been better off, if a monitor would have been included.

Warranty:

There is a warranty of one year provided on the Acer Aspire Revo R3610 from the date of purchase. Warranty is provided on service and labour as well.

Verdict:

The Aspire Revo is affordable , yet when the cost of a display is added, you would pay as much as you would for a budget desktop system like the Acer Aspire AX3810. It offers twice the CPU Horse power and also comes with a monitor. However, if you work in smaller quarters and do not require much computing power, the Revo R3610 is definitely a serious contender. It handles basic PC tasks well and allows you to play HD videos and some gaming as well.  However, it lacks an optical drive and its processor does not let you play the advanced games. So, if you are looking for a compact PC which can function as a second PC or simply for browsing and a lesser utility bill, the Acer Aspire Revo R3610 is perfect for you.

We have listed the configurations available including the one that we have discussed in the review.

Configurations Available:

Technical Specification Table:

Dell introduces the new ‘Dell Inspiron Zino HD’ mini desktop PC, as a contender to the Mac Mini of Apple. The manufacturers from Dell are certainly inspired by the Apple’s brainchild, the Mac Mini, and they have designed a similar product themselves. Although both of them look alike, they are very distinct from each other. The Zino HD has its own features and performance to boast about.

Design

Cute indeed:
The Zino HD Mini Desktop PC has striking looks and its size almost resembles a lunch box. Its design certainly showing off the inspiration it has taken from the Apple’s Mini Mac, but it is a bit bigger in size. Speaking of the size, it measures just 7.8” x 7.8” x 3.4” (W x D x H) and weighs just 1.6 kg (3.53 lbs), making the PC very portable. It looks very square and the rounded corners give it a cute look. It looks a bit larger when compared to the Mac Mini, but it is no inferior. It has come out with an array of colourful regalia. There are seven vibrant colours and three designs in all to choose from. The lid comes in various colours such as, Formula Red, True Blue, Tangerine Orange, Flamingo Pink, Piano Black, Plum Purple, and Spring Green and in three different and attractive designs patterned by artists Mike Ming, Brittany Waldner, and Derek Welch. All these add to its flavour and the fact that these colours and patterns can be interchanged from time to time makes it much more interesting and attractive.

Connectivity:
The Zino HD is incorporated with Broadcom BCM57780 10/100/1000 and Mini PCle WLAN card (802.11 b/g or 802.11 a/b/g/n) for wireless connectivity and for internet access.

Ports:
The Front Ports include a headphone connector, a 4-in-1 memory card reader and Two USB 2.0 connectors. The Rear Ports are, line-out connector, VGA connector, microphone connector, a HDMI connector, a RJ45 connector (10/100/1000), two eSATA connectors, and two USB 2.0-compliant connectors. It also has an expansion slot for the Mini PCle WLAN card (802.11 a/b/g/n or 802.11 b/g). That is quite a list of ports for a mini Desktop PC, all very useful and important.

Drive Bays:
The Drive Bays include a 12.7 mm tray load ODD, 3.5” HDD, and two available slots for Memory DIMM. With these Drive Bays, you can add external hardware such as external Hard Disks, to you PC, to extend the disk space.

Features:

When it comes to features, the Zino HD ultra portable desktop pc is always right up there. Its configuration is pretty much on a high note and is better than most of the mini Desktop PCs in the market. Even though a PC looks very pretty on the outlook, its specs and performance is all that counts at the end of the day. Dell has not compromised at all, in giving a healthy configuration to its PC. Its configuration and performance has made it a strong contender to the others.

Processor:
The Zino HD is powered by the latest of AMD Athlon processors, to give optimum performance. Dell has a wide range of processors for you to choose from and it has opted to go with AMD Athlon processor, instead of going with the costlier Intel Core 2 Duo, as there is not much difference between them both. There are four types of processors in all to choose from which range from AMD Athlon X 2 3250e, AMD Athlon Neo X 2 6850e, AMD Athlon 2650e and AMD Athlon 2850e and the customers are given the opportunity to choose what they want, depending on their specific requirements. The only difference between them is that, while some are very useful for gaming purpose and the others are just enough to support your PC for faster performance.

All these processors are very good when it comes to functionality. Though they cannot be compared to the Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo processors which are used by Apple in its Mini Mac, they certainly are far better than the Intel Atom processors which featured in the previous versions of Dell such as Dell Studio Hybrid, Dell Studio Slim Desktop PC and a few others. So, you can trust the Dell Zino HD to be fast. Also, with these chipsets, you can multitask with great efficiency and there are no issues at all while doing so. These AMD processors are especially good for videos and gaming purposes.

Operating System:
When it comes to the Operating System, Dell has many options for you to choose from. It allows you to choose between Microsoft Windows and Ubuntu Linux. It also allows you to choose between Microsoft Windows’ versions of operating systems such as Windows Vista (Home Basic or Home Premium), Windows 7 (Home Premium or Professional), all being 64-Bit versions. It also guarantees you with the genuine versions of all these operating systems. So, with any one of these, you can make your PC look very stylish and latest. The best recommended one is that of the Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, which happens to be the latest version of Microsoft. This can give you all that you need from your Desktop PC. Not only it adds beauty and style to your PC, but it also gives an excellent performance. Remember that many other PC producers do not have an Operating System at all and you need to install them all yourself.

Memory:
The usual Zino Desktop comes with a 4 GB RAM of 800 MHz DDR2 SODIMM. That itself is enough to give you excellent memory and superior performance. But you always have a choice of higher memory with Dell, which goes up to an incredible 8 GB RAM of 800 MHz DDR2 SODIMM, which can give you an unbelievably fast performance, the fastest ever on earth, and this has been credited as the best available version of RAM today. The secret of memory is that the more of memory you have, the better your computer performs and the lesser the possibility for the problems of system hanging, slow performance and improper functioning. So, with a minimum memory of 4 GB, you can afford to leave all the worries concerning memory.

Inspiron Zino HD Hard Disk Capacity:
The Hard Disk capacities range from a minimum of 160GB to a maximum of 1TB, all of them being SATA II type with 7200 rpm of spindle speed. Dell provides a default capacity of 320 GB or 500 GB, depending upon the initial cost, but you can choose to have extra Hard Disk capacity by upgrading your PC to any of the higher capacities. Generally, a 320 GB Hard Disk is enough to suffice all the needs for a home PC. But the more the space, the more you can enjoy.

Optical Disc:
An 8 x DVD +/- RW Optical Disc is provided, which is a good one, and is fast in reading and recording of both CDs and DVDs. Even though there is an optical DVD drive, you can upgrade it to a BD-ROM drive, if you think you need a drive for the Blu-Ray discs. But for watching high quality HD movies and videos, you need to have a BD ROM Optical drive.  However it is very costly and it costs up to ninety pounds. There is not much noise produced by it during its functioning.

Graphics:
The Dell Zino HD Mini Desktop Computer has a built-in ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Graphics Card. This is especially to improve the graphics and the video quality in your system. This is a mediocre graphic card and is enough for basic home purposes. It can also provide you with a smooth gaming experience. But for the latest and high end games, you need a better one that is available in the market and Dell has with it, the option for an upgrade. At present, Dell provides you with the upgraded graphics card, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330, if you are interested. With this latest version of graphic cards from ATI, your computer is at its best. If you have a better Graphics Card, it means that your games and other video related programs run faster with greater efficiency.

Sound Cards:
An integrated sound card for audio with stereo (analog) and 5.1 (digital) is provided for high audio performance. This prevents all the problems faced during music and video playback and gaming sounds. This Sound Card is a good one and needs no upgrade.

All these components make the Dell Zino HD, a better mini Desktop PC than normal.

The Attractive Features:

The Dell Inspiron Zino HD has a few new features that make it very unique from others. The most attractive one, obviously, is the interchangeable lid colours that can make your hood look different every day. With this feature, by paying a few more bucks, you can have motley of coloured lids over the hood and hence, you can make it look very enticing. Its form factor is also a unique feature as it has the ability to just get adjusted anywhere you want and to any kind of atmosphere. The other one is the Kensington Lock, which, of course, is used as a security to protect your PC from others. The HDMI Drive helps you watch movies with high video quality and with minimum disturbances.

Configurations:

There is no rule that everyone has the same taste and interests. Dell knows the fact that every person is unique and so are his ideas and interests. That is the reason why, unlike many other manufacturers of mini Desktop PCs, it has an array of choices and allows the customers to choose what they want. It has a basic unit which can be integrated as per the customer’s wish. Hence, it has the configuration facility, by which you can upgrade or modify by integrating your system so that it meets your requirements and interests. And as we had discussed earlier, with the Zino, you get to choose the processor, graphics card, hard disk drive and optical drive.

With this extra facility, it makes the Zino HD very flexible to all users as they can mould it the way they want it to be. Since not many companies cater such flexibility to their customers in choosing the PC of their interest, Dell won the hearts of many customers as they turned towards buying Dell’s products.

Power Consumption:

The Dell Zino HD Mini Desktop PC boasts very low power consumption of just 65 W (with UMA) and 75 W (with MXM type Graphics card). It also meets the Energy Star 5.0 Standards, and is rated very high. This is very appreciable when compared to its counterparts.

Warranty and Deals:

Dell promises a warranty period of 1 year, from the date of purchase. Within 1 year, it assures the customers, service which is free of cost. But, many feel that for a Desktop PC, there must be a minimum of 3 years of warranty.
Dell also offers the customers, desktop deals like the free 2nd business day shipping, for the ones who want a desktop in a shorter time. It also issues periodical offers such as the gift card deals which can be used to purchase products of Dell on the web. Dell also offers discounts on online purchases.

Conclusion:

The Dell Inspiron Zino HD may not be as sleek as the Mini Mac, but seems to be more pocket friendly. Although its design is taken from the Mini Mac, it has many more features in it to make it unique enough. The thing is you can get what you want by customising your PC and upgrading it to the desired level. So as this is not so common by any means, it will turn out to be that facility that people will like to utilise. The Design is fine, portable and comfortable, with rounded edges and the interchangeable lid colour is going to be another plus to the Zino HD.

The AMD Athlon processors are very good and fast working, especially for gaming purposes. The 8GB memory is awesome, and with 1TB Hard Disk space added to it, they make a great combination. But, you get all this by upgrading your system and it costs much more. The HDMI is a cool facility that helps you watch movies at ease. There are no considerable problems during the playback of movies and music files. The option that Dell gives the users to upgrade the Optical DVD Drive to a Blu-Ray ROM drive is not provided by other brands, including Apple. So, this will be an advantage to Dell, over the other brands. The BD-ROM Drive is useful for people who watch HD movies. The Graphics Card is also of very good quality. When the integrated graphic card is used, it runs the games very fast and renders an excellent experience for the gamers. For non-gaming purposes, it works well without the add-ons or the upgrades. The Power consumption is lesser than many others. So, it saves your money. The USB ports are very good in number and very handy.

On the whole, you can afford to go with the Dell Inspiron Zino HD if you are particularly in need of a Desktop PC. But if you do not want a Desktop PC in particular, then with pretty much the same cost, you can get a very good Laptop, with the latest of configurations.

Dell Inspiron Zino HD Mini Desktop PC - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Sleek and attractive:
Like most products in the market, the ASRock ION 330 NetTop is a glossy black sleek device which measures around 195 x 70 x 186 mm and weighs a low 1.7 kilograms .It is not as tiny as the AOpen Mini but is smaller than your average PC. Available in 2 colors-black and white, this baby reminds you of the Mac Mini. It is encased in a plastic covering for protection, especially against smudges and marks.

Drives, Slots and Ports:
On the front of the device is a super slim multi DVD Drive, a vent positioned vertically along the left side, the indicator and a power button beside the ASRock logo. It lacks a USB 2.0 port on the front drive. The top and the sides of the ION 330 are simple and plain. It can be setup either vertically or horizontally. The DVD Drive supports burning DVD+R DL discs. The 330BD version uses a Blu-ray player instead of a DVD Drive.

The back of the ASRock Nettop ION 330 computer does not look as simple as the front does. It is plain and lacks the black coating the rest of the body has.  There are 6 USB ports, mic, Ethernet, HDMI, line, headphone, an RJ-45 gigabit port, 3 analog audio ports (maximum of 5.1 analog), a SP/DIF Optical to slink port. There is a HDMI DVI Converter that allows you to use the HDMI output port and connect it to DVI Capable LCD monitors.  There is a hard wired LAN provided for connecting to a network. It lacks an integrated wireless LAN and presence of a Simple Wi-Fi adapter would have solved the issue.

Installation:

The ASRock ION 330 is NOT provided with an OS or a monitor or a keyboard/mouse. So, if you want to install windows, it supports the 32 and 64 bit of the version and a set of drivers are provided at the website. Windows 7 takes about half an hour to get installed on the PC.

Features:

What is inside?
Once you open the system, you can notice the great job ASRock did in packing all the things up. The heart of the system is the AMCP7A-Ion motherboard that is based on Nvidia’s Ion chipset CUDA. The Chipset is a cheaper competitor to Intel’s version and ION offers DirectX 10 for those who are into latest graphics. It enables a performance boost and makes your videos and games look more realistic. The system uses a dual core Atom 330 processor which is cooled by aluminum near sink. There are two sticks of PC6400 included as well.  A small fan is added to cool down the motherboard. The SATA connection supports the SeaGate Momentus hard drive, under the re-writeable drive, which spins at 5400RPM and has a capacity of 320GB. There are the 2 standard sized DIMMs and DDR2-800 1GB sticks from Elixir.  The cables are fully customized too

Low Power Computing:
Perhaps the reason why desktops are in great demand is because of their low power usage. The ASRock  ION 330 Mini Desktop PC has a low operating point of 800Mhz and a low operating voltage of 1.1625 respectively. It consumes a measly 40w at any time and when idle it uses 26w making it one of the lowest powered systems in the market.

The ATOM 330 Processor:
The ATOM 330 is the latest in the Atom family of processors. It is a dual core unit rated at 1.6 GHz like the earlier model. It operates at a front bus of 533 MHz. At 1Mb of total cache, it handles multi tasking at a moderate level. This is why it can run at a Thermal Design Power (commonly referred to as TDP) of 8 watts excluding the system.

Easy OverClocking:
Selecting the Easy OverClocking setting in the BIOS Tweaker Menu, will automatically select the optimized BIOS Settings for the selected CPU frequency. It allows you to watch over your system by the hardware monitor function and “overclock” your hardware to get the optimal performance. Using it, you can tune your processor speed up to 2.1 GHz, which comes at the cost of increasing levels of the fan noise.

Good Night LED:
Another cool feature of the ION 330 is the “Good Night LED” option. It extinguishes the unessential LED and paves way for a better environment. LED will be switched off when the system is under standby/hibernation. It allows you to turn the LED lights even when in operation; in this case, its LED will not be apparent. To select this option, enable the good night LED option in BIOS.

Control your Fan Speed:
In the BIOS, there is an option to control the fan speed of the ION 330. There are in total 6 options provided under it. For Overclocking, it is advisable to set the fan at full speed, whereas for normal usage, Auto is good enough.

Instant Boot:
There is a reason people do not switch their computers off even when they do not use it, this is because it takes a long time for the system to boot up. ASRock has come up with a unique feature called Instant Boot. Unlike a standard PC which takes about a minute to load, The Instant Boot allows the PC to load in an impressive 20 seconds in fast mode and 37 seconds in the regular mode. However the time taken to shut down is a hideous 1 minute 50 seconds compared to the standard 20 seconds for a PC. The reason-every time you shut it down, For the Instant Boot to work, it actually fully reboots the system and then shuts it off.

Dual-Channel Memory Design:
Unlike other nettops that have single channel memory, the ASRock ION 330 comes with dual channel memory. The Dual Channel memory as the name suggests is twice as fast as the single channel memory. This coupled with the dual core chip delivers a great performance.

Noise:

ASRock ION 330 generates a noise of 29Db which is average and is tolerable. So, for the average user, noise is not going to be a big issue.

Performance:

When the system is tested for using OverClocking at the default clock speed, it was observed that the system was stable even at 2.1GHz although the ideal overclocked value is 1.9GHz. When connected to a LCD TV with a HDMI resolution of 1080p and a H.264 coded video ran smoothly and CPU usage hovered around 60 percent. Watching XVid demanded more usage of the CPU about 70 percent. The playback was flawless, in all the cases. A pleasant surprise considering the fact that it is so low powered and yet managed to play files of different formats.  The only problem is that the Macromedia Flash player does not play well with the ION chipset. There was constant juttering of the video screen. Hopefully, there will be an update on that soon.

Accessories:

The ION 330 comes packed in a green and white box along with a Driver CD, a quick guide, a 65W power adapter with cable, a HDMI to DVI adapter and an anti-slip  pad. And no, there are no mouse, keyboard or OS provided.

Warranty:

ASRock ION 330 is provided with a warranty of one year for OEM packages and a warranty period of 30 days for the retail packages from the date of purchase.

THE ION 330 BD Version:

The only addition to the ASRock ION 330 BD is that it has a Blu-ray player in place of a DVD Player and hence can play various formats with higher definition. It is fitting to be a Blu-ray Player and allows you to view flawless video. It is just perfect for a HTPC. The low playback noise and heat from the system is a bonus and ASRock’s quick start app makes the nettop faster than most standalone Blu-ray disc players.

Verdict:

The ASRock ION 330 was projected as a low powered unit with a reasonable MSRP that can handle 1080p res and playback. And that is true. The power requirements were very low drawing only about 40W at a given time. Apart from being so low powered, the system could handle all high resolution formats including the H.264 and XVid formats. Its running audible level is below 30dB and is perfect for bedroom use. It lacks a restart button and Wi-Fi would have been a nice addition to it. It would be great if there were 2 more USB ports on the front panel and eSATA ports. If bundled with PoverDVD, it would make an astounding package. If you want a system on the go, this is the perfect choice.

Check 2010 Latest Desktop PCs in this website.

ASRock ION 330 Nettop - Technical Specification Table

The s3000 series:

The HP Pavilion Slimline s3000 has been split up into two lines: one is using Intel CPUs and chipsets and the other uses the AMD CPUs and nVidia chipsets. With each of the ranges, you get a cheaper single core version for around 350 pounds and also a more expensive dual core version which also features more RAM, a larger hard drive and even better graphics. Choosing between Intel and AMD is up to you, but we would strongly recommend you to fork out a little more for the dual core version of them as with the extra core, the system exhibits a huge performance improvement even for the basic day to day tasks that most of us perform. In the following review, we will see in detail about the HP Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk Home use Desktop PC, which belongs to the same series.

Is this PC right for you?

Before we go into the detailed discussion, we will say you what kind of PC this is, so that you can make an early decision on if the PC falls into the category that you are looking for. The Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk Desktop PC is basically for the casual users who just do some browsing, send mails and listen to some music. So, are you looking for the same, then continue reading, or if you are looking for a ultra-powered machine, we have a lot of other options in desktoppcs.org.uk, to be specific, try out some of the gaming models.

Design:

Really Slimline:
The s3040.uk desktop PC is a brilliant piece of design work with glossy black and silver finish. It well compliments its name tag “Slimline”, as it is one of the sleekest we have ever seen for a full featured PC measuring just (H x W x D) 27.5 x 11 x 33.5 cm and is one of the best looking as well. There is a subtle tilt that extends from the facia lifting from the front of the PC is one of the design elements that you will not notice in the beginning, but you will realise latter that it lends a lot to the overall appeal of the system. The gap underneath the system is actually to enable air circulation under it and into the ventilation mesh on the underside. In the entire system, you will find a lot of the doubling up of the form and functionality like this, in particular, the front facia.

Clever attractive designing:
The optical drive itself is jack of all trades with feature of writing to all kinds of CD and DVD, including the DVD RAM at decent speeds. An LED is embedded in a thin strip of clear plastic that runs alongside the door that hides in the CD/DVD drive, which flashes on and off with the activity of the hard disk. Though this might sound to you as standard, here comes the interesting and clever part from HP, the way the strip has been positioned. It has been setup just above the CD / DVD drive activity light, which in turn allows the light from the LED to shine through the front of the case without interrupting the front panel. Though it is a very minor detail, it adds up to a better whole. The same kind of technique has been applied to the power button, placed on the top edge of the facia, lighting up a pleasant shade of turquoise when the PC is switched on and turns orange when put into the standby mode. With another strip of transparent plastic on the facia, the light from the power button shines through and so, you can easily see if the system is on or off irrespective of whether it is on the top of the desk or the bottom.

Minor flaws:
If there is anything that we could point out as a flaw in the design, then it is multi-format card reader that is integrated into the top of the PC. It is not only the different shaped holes that are a bit of a mess, even the writing indicating the type of card each slot can take totally interrupts the minimalistic look of the PC. On the positive side, it is rather very essential, as it is very hard to know which card is for which slot. A wiser solution is that, they could have been hidden behind a small flap along with the USB and headphone ports. HP must have been restricted from that option because of the space limitations.

Built:
Coming to the built, the s3040.uk Desktop Computer is not made out of any special material, whole of the front panel is made out of plastic and the other parts of the body is made out of steel. Said that, the case is nowhere near in terms of looks and built quality when compared with the sleek, brushed aluminium of Lian-li and Silverstone. But considering the fact that the HP Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk is a budget PC, we have to appreciate the designers of HP.

The peripherals:
The HP s3040.uk PC ships with a PS2 keyboard and mouse that are perfect for general use. It would have been much better if they had USB interface. The keyboard might not look very familiar to you as it has a number of shortcut keys around its edge that allows you to perform various tasks with ease. The shortcuts include system volume, send the PC to sleep mode, control media player, open the browser, etc. The keys are of semi-low profile like the ones in notebook, so it will take a while to get use to them; with just two hours of usage, you can go at full phase. The optical mouse id good in the budget system as some of the systems still come with the infernal ball mouse. It has the standard three buttons and a scroll wheel, which is sufficient for most people. It feels comfortable in hand, but is not very smooth while moving it across the surfaces.

Ports and connectivity:
As hinted earlier, the front of the PC houses only a single USB port and a headphone port, but does not include a microphone port or FireWire. It is almost common now that PCs have two USB ports, a FireWire and microphone inputs in the front of the PC case. We would say that HP lacks in this department. However, if you are in need for more USB ports, you will find them in the rear side of the device, which has four USB ports on the back panel, a FireWire socket, two PS2 ports for the keyboard and mouse, a fast Ethernet port, an S/PDIF digital audio socket and six sockets for analog audio line in and out and a 7.1 surround sound. All of these ports and sockets have been clearly labelled and colour coded so even a complete novice user will not have any “understanding” issues with these.

For graphics, HP has equipped the system with a low profile add-in card with one DVI output and an analog S-video out socket. The DVI port is not dual link so it will not support ultra high resolution displays which usually cost more than 1000 bugs, so they really do not make a pair.

Features:

Basic Specifications:
As we had mentioned earlier, the s3000 series comes in two formats, this model, HP Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk features AMD’s dual core Athlon 64 X2 3800+, 2GB RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a nVidia GeForce 7300 LE Graphics and a multi-format CD/DVD writer drive with LightScribe technology.

Lack of upgrading options:
Indeed, upgradability is our only complaint. The internal storage of 320GB Samsung hard disk is a reasonable capacity but note that you have to resort for an external option if you run out of room as there is only a single internal drive bay. When you open up the Slimline and you will find that everything is packed in neatly, which is helped by the use of SATA optical drive and hard disk. Both the RAM sockets are already filled and while you might not considering buying more for now, it would have been nice to have the option to upgrade.

LightScribe Direct Disc Labelling Technology:
The s3040.uk is equipped with the LightScribe Direct Disc Labelling which is an optical disc labelling technology that uses a specially coated recordable CD and DVD media to produce laser-etched labels with text or graphics, as opposed to the stick-on labels and printable discs. This method makes use of laser in a similar fashion to when plain data is written to disc. With this great feature, the users can create direct to disc labels using the optical disc writer. You have to get special discs to make use of this feature and the s3040.uk has the compatible disc writer. Before or after burning data to the disc, turn the disc over and insert in with the label side down. The drive’s laser then etches into the label side in a way that image is produced.

Performance:

Average graphics:
The Slimline s3040.uk is not a gaming power horse as it was never meant to be one. The graphics card has most of the features that enable it to play most of the current games. But also note that it does not have DirectX 10 support and that you will have to have a monitor of very low resolution to play stuff. The GeForce 7300 LE will be able to perform only when the resolution is turned down to 640 x 480, with no anti-aliasing and with all the in game settings set to either medium or low. For general use, the card is fast and responsive enough. The tiny fan on the graphics card spins really fast and hence is quite noisy too. It is a poor decision by HP to use a cooler that is as poor as this one as there are plenty of decent coolers in the market, and this really affects an otherwise unobtrusive PC.

The graphics score when testing was average, but the overall score is good. The key point here is that, the combination of a dual core CPU with a decent chunk of 2GB RAM ensures that you will never have to grind to a halt.

Heat:
The heat emission from the system is quite high. This is mainly because of the cramped casing and usage of small and low capacity fans. But as long as you do not block the air intakes and the exhausts, you may not be having any issues.

The software and crapware:
We have regularly pointed out the inclusion of useless set of software that is loaded on to the PC bought from shop and here too, the issue is gleaming which does not come in as a surprise for us. In this case we would say that it is fifty-fifty as some of them like the Adobe Reader, Norton Internet Security with 60 days of updates and the Roxio Media Creator Basic are really useful. But a few other stuff are simply irritating, for instance, who on earth will be interested to have little icons in the system tray that indicated when the Num, Caps, Scroll lock buttons are pressed; we have the lights on the keyboard that clearly show the same.

Accessories:

HP has a wide range of products that are styled in the same way as the S3000. The HP w2207 22in widescreen LCD monitor is one among it and is a perfect match for the PC.

Warranty:

The HP Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk desktop PC comes with one year standard warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Being a casual user, as we had mentioned in the very beginning, you will not want to get an expensive model for your basic needs but on the other hand, you will also not aim to be stuck with a complete melon, and god forbid, you might also be looking for something that is good looking too. Though there are a lot of systems available for the budget you are looking at, but they might mostly pull you badly with its ugly looks or might have some unnecessary extras that Slimline s3040.uk. For instance, there are cheaper deals available from Dell, Evesham, Mesh and even some other models of HP, but you will end up getting a large boring case that is mostly filled with air.

With the above review you must be clear by now that, it has enough horsepower for the normal tasks without any extra frills. Though it is certainly not the cheapest computer available in the market it more than makes up for it in style, features and performance.

Check other Hewlett Packard Desktop PC Reviews in this website.

HP Pavilion Slimline s3040.uk PC - Technical Specifications, Features

Pros:

• Decent Image Quality
• Ideal for gaming
• Small form factor
• Customizable
• Not noisy compared to competitors like AlienWare

Cons:

• Expensive
• To exploit the full potential of the 4GB HD , a 64 bit OS needs to be used
• Processor and Graphics support used-  not latest

Review:

Shuttle Inc. is a Taiwan-based manufacturer of motherboards, complete PC systems, and monitors . Shuttle has been one of the world’s top 10 motherboard manufacturers, and gained fame in 2001 by introducing the Shuttle SV24, one of the world’s first commercially successful small form factor computer.

The XPC P2 3700G - Gaming like never before:

The XPC P2 3700G, the latest addition to the burgeoning family of Shuttle PCS, provides enough features to embarrass most desktops that are twice its size. It takes the SD37P2 Intel i975X - based chassis that adds in with an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU, 4GB RAM a single 400GB hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 1GB graphics card. If a miniature PC with Alienware-type performance is your idea of an ideal gaming machine, you are reading the right review.

One can easily book a Shuttle XPC P2 3700G direct from Shuttle’s Web site, where you configure the specifications to your heart’s delight.

Design:

The Shuttle XPC P2 3700G Desktop PC is based on the XPC Barebones SD37P2 chassis, something that is about half the size of a traditional desktop PC. Do not get disheartened by the size, because what it lacks in size it makes up for in its looks.

The fold down sections:
The front side of the unit is constructed as three distinct fold down sections. Each of these sections has a front panel with a subtle brushed-metal effect that adds to the looks. Design features that add to the looks are a silver detailing down the front right, which makes a great contrast, and the curved disc eject and power buttons. There is a third curved button, which is a hard drive activity LED.

Reveal the ports:
The P2 3700G Gaming PC has glossy reflective sections running along the bottom, top and right-sided front bezel is glossy reflective sections. The section to the bottom opens to reveal a reset switch, microphone and headphone ports, USB ports- 2 in number, and a four-pin FireWire port. The left and right sides of the machine host a set of vents and beautifully engraved Shuttle logos.

The rear side of the 3700G is much more complex. A large circular vent that expels hot air from the CPU and two Digital Visual Interface (DVI) ports from the GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics card are seated in the rear side. One will also find a six pin FireWire port, a LAN port, five discrete 1.5 mm audio ports, six USB ports, two SPDIF inputs and outputs, an external Serial ATA (SATA) port and a LAN port.

Interior Design:
The interior design of the Shuttle XPC 3700G is very clever. The top part of the unit acts as a host to two 3.5-inch drive bays. Banging the top of the PC, just for the fun of it, is not advisable unless you fancy damaging one of the drives.

The CPU is seated near the front of the PC beneath a large aluminium heat sink and an even bigger fan. It is hard to imagine how Shuttle managed to include two PCI Express ports in the same box, but both the slots are occupied, just like all four of the PC’s DDR memory slots, clever engineering one might call it.

Features:

The Shuttle XPC P2 3700G desktop Computer uses a proprietary Shuttle FD37 motherboard along with an Intel 975X chipset. These being very well exploited  by an Intel Core 2 Duo X6800 CPU and 4GB of DDR2 667MHz memory, ensure maximum throughput and performance.

Graphics - at its best:
Graphics is totally sorted out on the XPC P2 3700G. It uses a high-end Nvidia GeForce 7950 GX2 card, which is considered to be the fastest in the world. The Nvidia Geforce 7950GX2 is a dual-GPU making gaming at high resolutions a great experience. A better choice for the 7950GX2 would have been a DirectX 10 Geforce 8800GTS or GTX, but these cards are simply too long to fit into the Shuttle case.

Like a dual-core CPU, the XPC P2 3700G uses two graphics processors, have 16 vertex shaders, a monstrous memory bandwidth of 76.8GB per second 48 pixel pipelines. The card is also HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) compatible. Though it is SLI-capable and can be attached to a second identical card, there is not much space inside the PC to accommodate this.

Multimedia capabilities and Storage:
Shuttle XPC P2 3700G comes with Windows XP Professional Edition, and has opted not to supply the PC with Windows XP Media Center Edition. This does limit the multimedia user experience to some extent, but multimedia file hoarders will love the 400GB hard drive. A 400GB hard drive is all that is required to provide enough room for well over 500 DivX movies or over 100,000 MP3s. Get yourself a decent set of speakers and you can enjoy either through 7.1-channel high-definition audio via the onboard Intel sound card.

One of the inherent problems associated with the usage of 4 GB of RAM in a Windows XP 32-bit based system is the reservation of part of the memory for PCI addressing. In this case, users will only able to see around 3 GB of system memory. To harness the full physical benefits of having 4 X 1GB sticks of RAM in the system, you will have to use a 64 bit OS.

Power Supply:
The 350 Watt power supply is seated internally and is very small in size, actually the smallest that can power such a highly specified system. A lot of hot air is vented out of the chassis, but it manages to remain quiet even under full load for very long periods of time.

Performance:

If  you are looking for a PC that will not bat an eyelid at any task, whether it be video encoding, gaming or word processing, the XPC P2 3700G is what you should invest in , it is unbeatable.

Impressive:
The performance of the Shuttlt XPC P2 3700G is undeniably impressive. What is even more pleasing is the ability to integrate so much hardware into a chassis that isn’t even half the size of machines with the same performance capabilities. To be able to cool the components, effectively, in a whisper-quiet mode is also something that has to be appreciated.
Everything is not the Latest:

Although it is a reasonably good performer, size and power considerations dictate that the P2 3700G does not cater for the very latest hardware. It is in fact one step down from the best in each area - Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 is being used  instead of QX6700 , NVIDIA’s GeForce 7950GX2 instead of GeForce 8800 GTX, DDR2-533 instead of DDR2-1066 to name a few. Hardware enthusiasts should possibly look for a better machine with the latest in the market.

Noise and Power:
As mentioned before, the system is quiet. The CPU fan (CPU + 92mm exhausting fan) is set to operate in Smart Fan mode and the system fans (rear 60mm fans) are operated as an ultra-slow fan speed. It is one of the quietest high-end systems, and no component overheating or CPU throttling was in evidence with these cooling settings.

Shuttle’s stout 400W PSU may be small on size but big on performance, even after a 12-hour burn-in test, the system just works fine.

Heat:
The temperature of the warm air being pushed out from the PSU fan is around 48 degree C with an ambient temperature of 21 degree C. Kudos to Shuttle for having developing a SFF XPC that makes use of high-end components but still somehow manages to keeps the noise down.

Warranty:

Shuttle’s live support is available through a toll free telephone number. Shuttle also offers a 2-year collect-and-return service that begins on the date of invoice and which aims to turnaround systems, from initial pickup to return delivery, within 7 working days.

We, however feel that a 3-year warranty should be standard for high-end systems, especially when a lot of money has been invested.

Verdict:

The Shuttle P2 3700G is without doubt an excellent performer and has a design that is eye catchy. But as mentioned before, all the parts inside are not necessarily the latest and the 4GB system memory is of no use unless used with a 64 bit Operating System, which is, we believe a huge disadvantage. However, even if we consider all these disadvantages, the advantages make them negligible. We are sure and confident that this Shuttle PC will do well because it is aimed at a young market that requires impressive performance in a small form-factor system.

Our final verdict would be that, if you are the kind of person who would not mind spending a lot of money on a quality machine that has amazing gaming capabilities, the Shuttle XPC P2 3700G is a definite impresser. Starting with great looks to awesome graphics, this machine is definitely WORTH YOUR MONEY.

Check reviews, specs of Asus Desktop PCs, Dell Desktop PCs in our website.

Shuttle XPC P2 3700G Gaming Desktop PC - Technical Specification Table

Overview:

Pros:
1.    Feature rich
2.    Impressive Performance
3.    Excellent cooling system – AlienIce

Cons:
1.    Heavily priced
2.    Quite noisy
3.    The looks can seem gaudy to some people

Review:

Alienware is an American based computer hardware company that assembles third party hardware components into computers with high end gaming capabilities. Alienware products also support intense application such as video editing, audio editing and simulation.

The new generation of 7500 gaming desktops introduces a more durable and stylish breed of cases known as the P2, or ‘Predator 2′ series. Alienware has indeed redefined what is cool with its latest Area-51 7500 desktop Computer. With this PC, you can experience gaming like never before. One major reason why it is considered as the ultimate gaming PC is because of its astounding gaming features.

Design:

The Handsome Gaming PC:
The Alienware Area-51 7500 looks outstanding. It takes its design cues from the previous generation of Alienware desktops but is even more menacing, more handsome and more desirable than ever. The previous versions of Alienware did have some problems with regard to the built of the outer casing, the minute you your hands on them; you get a feeling that it is going to fall apart.  Though it is aimed at gamers, who typically love garish designs, we defy anyone not to like the glossy paint and the silver rib-like protrusions that wrap around either side. It is available in four colours; black, blue, green and silver.

Lit by the LEDs:
Various LED lights are strategically positioned around the case, such as the optical and floppy drive bays and below the row of USB, audio and FireWire ports at the front of the case. The latest iteration in the Alienware lighting system is the software controlled illumination system, which allows the colour of the illuminated areas can be controlled. The lights are intelligent and can signify events such as new e-mail, power low, and all of the lights can be changed to any of the 24 colours. Alienware divides the case into five different zones, and you can choose the colour of the lights you want in each one, so you can make the system as garish or as sinister-looking as you want. Yes you read it right, the colour of the lights are customisable, sounds like great fun. Want to know more? We will discuss more about it later.

Built:
The Alienware Area-51 7500 Gaming PC model features a stunning gloss black exterior with a silver trim and a custom lighting control mentioned above. The gorgeous case is finished with a glossy coat of paint for an extra shiny look. The glowing alien heads on the sides and front and the sleek silver ventilation panels adds to the beauty of this wonder machine.

Keyboard and Mouse in AREA-51 7500:
A very impressive Logitech G15 gaming keyboard is offered with the 51-7500. This adds a real Star Trek feel to the Alienware, thanks to its flip up LCD screen, a volume control wheel, numerous extra shortcut buttons and blue backlit keys. The Logitech MX 518 mouse supplied is also equally solid.

Slots and Connectivity:
The front panel is made to slide sideways and rotate, to reveal a 20x Dual Layer DVD Writer, a 28-in-1 memory card reader, some repositioned USB ports, a FireWire port, microphone and headphone sockets. The Area P2 51-7500 PC comes with 2 sets of USB ports, and 2 sets of Firewire ports, each on the front and rear sides.

Intuitively placed ports:
Getting files on and off the system is made all the easier thanks to a pair of front-facing USB ports and a single six-pin FireWire port, plus there are headphone and mic sockets so you do not have to deafen your neighbours with the sound of virtual gunfire. There are four additional USB ports at the rear, an external Serial ATA port, plus parallel and USB ports. Parallel ports are a surprising addition on modern PCs, but they are a welcome addition for anyone with legacy devices.

Features:

Motherboard:
The motherboard is an Asus P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe and is based on the nForce4 chipset. Both the North and the Southbridge are passively cooled. The motherboard has two x16 PCI-Express slots but only one card has been supplied - it is SLI though in the guise of a GeForce 7950 GX2. The second slot is free should you wish to add a second one and go quad SLI though you’d need to change the PSU to be able to run though. The card is EVGA branded and the runs at the standard GX2 clocks of 500MHz for the core and 600MHz for the memory (1,200MHz effective).

RAM Memory:
This is backed with 2GB of DDR2 system memory. It is branded Patriot, which we must admit is one that we have never heard of, but at least it runs at 800MHz, which is more than could be said for the memory in the Dell XPS 700. There are two free slots too, so you could add more if required.

Hard Drive:
Storage is another of the 7500’s strong points. Skinflints can buy the standard 250GB hard drive, but if you are a multimedia file hoarder you will be better off spending an extra £100 to get the twin 250GB hard drives in our review sample. A RAID 0 configuration, for improving disc access times or providing automatic backups to the secondary disk is also available. Sadly, RAID is absent; hence the second hard disk is essentially just a dumping ground for games.

Blu-ray Drive available in Area-51 7500:
A Blu-ray disc drive is available, but if you have no interest in watching Blu-ray flicks do not bother spending on it and stick with the ordinary 18x dual-layer DVD-rewriter drive. This can write up to 8.5GB of data to compatible discs, which is nowhere near as much as Blu-ray’s 25GB single-layer capacity, but it is fine for making the odd backup.

Your Command Centre:
Alienware Command Centre is a feature of Alienware built systems that provides intuitive, user-friendly access to exclusive applications, including AlienFX lighting effects, Alienware thermal controls and AlienFusion power management. The latest updates and releases are downloaded directly into Command Centre, creating a constantly evolving tool for personalizing your system.

Alienware FXEditor:
In order to increase the gadgetry of the system, Alienware has offered a user customizable lighting scheme via its Alienware FXEditor. The colour scheme is split into 5 zones. Zone 1 includes the optical drive bay while Zone 2 is the Alien head, on the front of the system that is, the shape that looks like an alien head. Zone 3 features the front ports of the system while Zone 4 controls the lighting coming out of the dual front vent area, that is, the areas that look like the alien gill. Zone 5 is relegated to the Alien heads on both sides of the system. Using the Alienware FXEditor, you can customize the lighting of each zone with a custom colour palette in the FXEditor. It is one of the coolest things you might want to have in a gaming PC, yet useless at the same time.

AlienIce cooling:
The AlienIce video cooling system maximizes airflow to keep the components in the machine running efficiently. With fans that are strategically placed throughout the chassis, AlienIce provides superior cooling. By combining negative and positive fan rotation with a low drag intake, AlienIce makes sure that there is a proper airflow throughout the machine, that prevents overheating and system crashes. AlienIce is quieter than most cooling systems, and hence will not disturb game play.

Easy Access:
Just a peep into the Alienware Area 51 PC , and you will get to know why it is called easy to handle. The core components of the system like the Motherboard ant the memory chips can be accessed easily without the help of any complex tools. With the inbuilt two zone internal theatre lighting system that is powered by rechargeable batteries, one can service the system even without plugging in the supply cord.

Active Venting:
One other exclusive feature of the 51-7500 desktop PC from Alienware is that it helps your system stay cooler in the heat of battle. A series of motorized vents can be programmed to allow greater airflow in high-performance situations. Technology at its peeks, one might say.

Multi-GPU Support:
Mans desire for power is un-quenchable, one might want to add a second graphics card to increase his gaming performance by up to 100%, something that pretty much everyone does. With dual graphics cards, one can power up to four independent digital displays. You can stay deep within your game on a main monitor and still keep up with your other tasks.

Performance:

A system with the specifications of a quad core CPU, 2GB RAM and a RAIDed 10K hard disk drive has got to be quick. And fortunately, it is. With the hardware configurations this system has, and the AlienIce cooling, the system has all the horsepower it needs to run the hottest games as well as the more system intensive applications like video and audio editing. The graphics are super smooth and responsive, another unique feature of the Alienware built systems.

Noisy:

The Alienware Area-51 7500 gaming PC is a bit loud. Adjustable fan controls would be a benefit.

Warranty:

The Area-51 7500 Desktop Computer system comes with one year parts and labour warranty and it can be upgraded if required.

Verdict:

Alienware makes excellent use of the power of the new Core 2 Duo Extreme Edition, and the P2 chassis allows easy internal access and innovative lighting, thanks to the amazing design of the system. The Alienware is well built, well specified and fast, while it is only a noisier than it has to be because of power supply irks. And just like all the other Alienware computers, the Alienware Area 51-7500 too is expensive, in fact very expensive! However, when you take into consideration the improved design, the flawless interior, the impeccable performance and the support package as a whole, this is a PC you will want to own, that is, by parting with serious chunks of your salary.

Check other Gaming Desktop PC Reviews, Best Selling Zoostorm Desktop PCs in this website.

Alienware Area-51 7500 Gaming Desktop - Technical Specification Table

Finally comes the AMD dual core:

The dual core processors of AMD had taken the performances of PCs to a new height, but the company remained adamant by having its flagship FX series only to single core roots. The rife speculations on when AMD would announce its dual core version of its famous Athlon 64 X processor is finally over with the Athlon 64 FX 60. With the help of this fastest gaming CPU available along with some twin graphics cards, Mesh has surprised everybody in the market by almost achieving its goal of great performance at reasonable pricing. In the following review, let us analyse if the PC has cut ant corners or manages to live up to the full potential without any discrepancy.

Design:

Muted design:
The Mesh X-treme FX60 has an attractive silver and black chassis. You will find that the design of the PC is not that striking as a typical AlienWare PC. Though the design will not achieve a turn back at the PC, with the absence of all the attention seeking colours and flashing lights, it will not adulterate your interior decor of your home. The designers of Mesh have come up with some very clever colour coding. The silver highlighting that is in the facia of the casing matches with the widescreen monitor and the peripherals, the Logitech cordless keyboard and rechargeable cordless optical mouse.

20-inch Viewsonic Monitor:
With the Philips’ 200W6CS 20” Viewsonic widescreen monitor Mesh has made sure that you can get the most out of the Mesh X-treme FX60 AMD Desktop Computer. Style wise the Viewsonic takes some getting used to with a somewhat dated looked chassis with a row of silver buttons at the base. The quality of the pictures is very high, with the native resolution being 1650 x 1050 pixels and with that, you will be able to work with a significant number of applications simultaneously, hence take full advantage of widescreen movie playback. The colours are accurate and even quoted a response time of 16ms.

Shortcomings of the monitor:
There is little to be worried about with viewing angles as images take on a slight red caste towards the extreme edges, but not enough to notice during day-to-day use. Another gripe with the monitor is that, as in the case of the base unit, this one too lacks a memory card reader. However, since mesh offers you with various options for configuration, you can either upgrade it or just remove it from the package. Consider a TFT with a lower response time in case gaming is your first priority as there is some visible lag.

The peripherals:
Logitech has offered wireless mouse and keyboard that will help you to keep the desktop uncluttered. But still, we would not trust a wireless mouse for gaming as this one especially is not Logitech’s faster response time laser mice.

Twin Optical drive with Floppy drive:
Mesh has employed twin optical drive in the PC with a long lost floppy disc drive on top of these. It is disappointing that one is a DVD-ROM drive, especially at this price point and another issue that we would like to point out is that, both the drives share an IDE port on the motherboard which resulting in holding up of operations while using both the drives at once. But this is a very small compromise made by a machine that devoured every task that is placed before it. The addition of a floppy drive is quite a surprise and a contrary with the ultra modern PCs of this decade. The base unit has everything that you would expect it to have like, a circular power button, set of status lights and also a pair of front facing USB ports. There is also the reset button that can be only accessed with something like a pen tip, yes that is frustrating. That is all we have in front.

The speaker system:
Though the desktop PC does not take much of space, you will have to spare a fair bit of space to install the accompanying creative T7900 speaker system as its sub-woofer system is quite heavy. You will also find seven other interesting speakers that accompany the device for which you have to stick on the cables to the wall to avoid your lounge flooded with wires, giving it an untidy look.

Adequate IO ports:
The collection of input and output ports is quite impressive. Along with the pair of USB ports at the front of the base unit, there are four more of them at the rear. The other connectivity options include a six pin FireWire port and a pair of Ethernet ports. They function in the same fashion as the hardware router that enables you to share a wired internet connection with a second PC and the one equipped with Nvidia’s Active Armour keeps you out of reach of the viruses, worms, hackers and the other possible internet threats.

Features:

In the official website of Mesh, you will find a number of configurations in which this X-treme FX60 gaming PC is available.

The AMD Athlon FX-60 dual core processor:
As we had mentioned in the introduction, the most important and selling point feature of the Mesh X-treme FX60 is its AMD Athlon FX-60 dual core processor. This processor is the one that is a reference model and topping the charts of the gaming processors. It is a chip that primarily aims at the gamers and ultra power users and so its benchmark store of 1.34 comes in as no surprise. The Athlon FX60 has a performance that will humiliate any other desktop PC while performing ordinary desktop applications. You must not get deceived by its modest clock speed of 2.6Ghz, as you will not be able to find a better all rounder for consumer PCs. Both offer 1MB of Level 2 cache for each core, and aside from the clock speeds the difference is that AMD’s FX range is multiplier unlocked. This enables enthusiasts to over-clock without having to adjust memory or Hyper-Transport speeds. This is a good thing in the case of this system as Mesh has only fitted standard PC3200, which is not really suitable for overclocking.

Motherboard:
Yet another monster that has joined hands with this processor is the proven Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard. Though this motherboard is not specifically designed for multimedia and gaming capabilities, it is still a very impressive performer in its own area and is the best when it comes to booting. The only issue that we have with the system is that, Mesh has employed an active heat sink in order to cool its chipset which in turn will add to the overall noise of the PC.

Dual graphics cards:
Joining this “all stars” combo is a pair of Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT graphics cards. These cards are flawless when they work in single, and give a much better performance when in tandem but they prove to be quite noisy. With the solo performance, they do not prove to be as good as the swift 7800 GTX or the latest 7900 GTX cards, but when put into operation in tandem they prove to be a very impressive solution.

Storage options:
The X-treme FX60 comes with a great deal of storage too. You will find a number of configurations that Mesh has put out for you. One of the most common storage configuration is, 300GB of Maxtor 6L30020 serving as main storage, with a 200GB Maxtor 6L200M0 acting as backup and RAM of 2GB. Though the arrangement is slightly unbalanced, 500GB of data storage is nonetheless a generous proposition.  The former has 16MB of cache and the latter has 8MB. Both spin at 7,200rpm.

And the fastest option is a RAID 0 disk configuration that has two 250GB drives. In order to make hard copy back-ups, opt for the Sony DW-Q30A DVD rewriter which is again one of the fastest rewriter available in the current market. With the help of this rewriter you will be able to burn DVD+/-RW backups at up to 16x, and in addition to this, the unit has dual-layer support that allows you to use CDs that are as massive as 8.5GB. By adding the Sony DDU-1615 DVD-ROM drive, Mesh has made disc to disc copying possible.

Thrilling Audio:

The acoustic capabilities of the PC are in par with the visual treats offered by the same. The Mesh X-treme FX60 is equipped with one of the best consumer sound card available in the market, the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi that occupies a PCI slot in the motherboard, and the Creative T7900 7.1-channel speaker system. The latter might be an overkill for most, but with these two systems joining hands, they prove to be the ideal combo to enjoy the games in surround sound and so create your own high end audio. We are sure that this will be great news for the budding music producers.

Performance:

Mesh X-treme FX60 Desktop Computer has a startling performance which does not come as a surprise since the PC is equipped with the AMD Athlon FX-60 CPU. The PC attains a score of 6302 in the PCMark 2005, which is only a wee bit less than the score of the Alienware Aurora 7500. The gaming performance of the PC is also astonishing.

If you are working with the multimedia files, the FX60 will simply revolutionise the way you work, it would not even care to blink. When PhotoShop CS2 is opened simultaneously with another MM application, we were not able to slow it down by any means, no matter the complexity of the effects that were applied to the image.

The Cool and Quiet function keeps power consumption low, so the processor does not heat up too much and require the fans to go into overdrive. This function works effectively in the case of the Mesh.

Software Bundle with X-treme FX 60:

The OS included in the system is, Windows XP Home Edition. X-treme FX60 is bundled with a very interesting and useful collection of software that includes Microsoft Works 8.5, Cyberlink PowerDVD 6, Power2Go 4, PowerProducer 3, PowerDirector 3, PowerBackup 1.1, PowerCinema 4 and MediaShow 3. With the Microsoft Works you can start word processing and spreadsheet tasks straight away and with all the other software, you can produce some professional editing stuff. The bad news is for the gamers as the PC does not come with any games, so install the collection that you have to get the most out of the hardware.

Premium guarantee:

Mesh reassures you with an excellent three year on-site guarantee for X-treme FX60 that includes free parts and labour and 24 x 7 online support. This is very catchy as most of the manufacturers will charge you heaps for this level of support. You will also be provided with a very handy lifetime hardware support telephone line that will help you out in case you get struck down somewhere.

Verdict:

The Mesh X-treme FX60 is a well put together system with plenty of room to upgrade and a very satisfying guarantee. With such a specification, the FX60 will never fail to impress you, but what tops it off, is the price of the PC.  If you are looking for the latest and the greatest in the market, the FX60 is an ideal choice, you must have deep pockets though, but the system is worth every penny that is paid for. For options, you might also want to consider the Evesham Axis Blaze 1800 XL which is specifically for Games and applications.

Check other Gaming Desktop PCs, Zoostorm Desktop PCs in our website.

Mesh X-treme FX60 Desktop PC - Technical Specification Details

Many of the consumers had thought that Dell’s XPS gaming brand would disappear into darkness after the company had bought Alienware. Dell has proven everybody wrong by moving on to manufacture some of the remarkable gaming rigs and the flagship model being the Dell XPS 710 H2C. Basically, this new model resembles its predecessor, the Dell XPS 710, so what is the difference? Dell has introduced in the model two key elements that the company has never used in any of its previous PCs. The first fact being that the PC is factory overclocked and the second key element is that, the system makes use of a Space-age Water-cooling System.
Most of us would say that a thousand pounds is quite a handsome sum to spend over a PC. So, why not take an ultra big leap and spend three times that amount over this absolute stunner from Dell? And keep in mind that this price is even before you have even paid for the monitors and speakers.

Like it or Hate it design:

The Dell XPS 710 H2C Desktop PC has been built into the familiar XPS 700 chassis and has a very intimidating chassis with a love-it or hate-it styling. It looks as though it is ready to swallow you up like a real monster. We are not hesitant to call the PC a monster because of its big size and the loud whooshing sound that it makes as you hit over the power button. And the chassis is subtly slanted towards the front as though it is going to pounce right on top of you, and for those who are ready to go near it, there is a real treat waiting. The exterior of the desktop is made out of glossy black aluminium and that is not similar to the cheap plastic crap that you get from the Alienware PCs. But unfortunately, this sturdy material is not provided throughout the system as its rear is constructed out of a flimsy looking plastic grille that looks as though it will break off on heavy handling.
Ignoring the flimsiness, you will able to find a set of four funky LED lights on the tower that would glow down on the grill in such a way that the glow beams disappear gradually into the case. These lights are very attractive and there will be hardy anybody who would not like it. Another place where Dell has lit up the PC is on its rear, that is, the IO panel has been fitted with LED and you can easily see in which port hole you are jamming in your cables.

Add or Remove to the order:

By default, a Dell 2007WFP 20″ LCD Monitor is included with an order. Dell also offers a Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard and a Razer Copperhead mouse. We would frankly ask you to cut down these options to save some money. All H2C systems also come with a pre-installed copy of McAfee Security Center, complete with a 15 month subscription.

Features:

Quad-Core Processor:
Coming to the part of features, the Dell XPS 710 H2C Desktop Computer has a very serious set of specifications. It runs on the Intel quad-core QX6700 Processor, which has four separate cores over a single die. In addition to this, the PC has been factory overclocked from the default 2.66GHz to an unimaginable 3.2GHz. This is like putting in the masters of all types of sciences into a single chip and feeding them with a whole lot of protein and Omega 3. We hope now you understand how quick the system is going to be.

The Cooling System:
There is more than simply speed to the XPS 710 H2C. The tag “H2C” (Hot to Cold) in its name specially refers to the CPU cooling unit inside the PC that keeps it super quiet. Dell has done a great job by installing a Space-age two part cooling system which has been custom designed for the Dell XPS 710 H2C. This technology combines the standard water cooling with that of thermo electric heat dissipation, this is something of the sort you can find in the NASA space shuttle. The principle behind its working is that, the ceramic tiles in the system deflects heat away from the processor and the clever circuitry employed by Dell makes sure that the chip is not destroyed by condensation just by regulating the temperature.

One major benefit of this system is that, it does not involve any fans for the sake of CPU cooling which in turn has made the system an exceedingly quite operator. You will really thank Dell for employing this system if you had ever seen the noisy Velocity Micro Raptor Signature Edition and even the WidowPC IX2 SLI with their very annoying side panel fans. This rig is for the well-heeled gamer who wants to be on the cutting edge of tech and have the reassurance of buying from the largest PC maker.

Limited Memory Bandwidth:
The standard RAM provided in Dell XPS 710 H2C is 2GB although it can handle a maximum of 4GB. And this 2GB memory has been split across as two 1GB DDR2 667MHz modules that run in a dual channel arrangement for quicker than a normal memory access. So far we have said you about all the peaches and cream, and here is the sour part of the story; the Dell motherboard in the 710 H2C does not have support for the 800MHz memory. And for the price tag that the PC has got on it, the buyer will be mad to know that he will encounter issues while trying to upgrade, however, the current performance of the PC is not affected. The system’s memory bandwidth is limited as Dell remains to be tied to a slightly older motherboard chipset than its competitors.

Stunning Graphics Card:
When you have a look at the graphics card offered by Dell, you will be absolutely blind of all the other shortcomings of the PC. Dell has equipped XPS 710 H2C with two Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards that run is a tandem Serial Link Interface (SLI) configuration.  Each of it has 760MB of RAM for a total video memory of 1.5GB and each of those have enough power to make F.E.A.R run like pong. In addition to this, to make things work hundred percent, the PC has an Ageia PhysX card and this sits in a port that is adjacent to the graphics card and offers you with additional 3D physics processing in compatible games. This also helps you to calculate how the objects in a 3D space should react, this is a task that will be mostly handled by the processor and graphics card. And whether it is worth having such a card totally depends on the type of games you play, we say so because there are very few titles in the market that are compatible with PhysX.

The 1TB HDD:
Though we cannot say that the storage offered by the Dell 710 H2C Gaming Desktop PC is generous, we will have to admit the fact that it has been well thought out. You will be able to get about 1TB of disk storage, but the default configuration is very basic. Yet, this is plenty of space for games, home videos, and other data. We find that everything has been installed on a pair of 160GB drives on a RAID 0 stripe, this is a type of arrangement where the data is interleaved across two disks for faster file access. The drive has a very swift spindle speed of 10,000rpm, which you must have never heard before as a standard hard drive spins at about 7200rpm. So it is not at all a surprise that the Dell XPS 710 H2C PC is no stoop in the tasks that are disk intensive. Note that, the 1TB split is done in such a way that there are two 10,000rpm 150GB drives and single 750GB 7200rpm unit.

Additional features:
In rest of the system, you can expect features that you will be finding in a high end gaming PC. Dell has included a Sound Blaster X-Fi Extreme Music sound card, a DVD burner, and a standard DVD/CD-RW combo drive to lend multimedia punch. You will also find a media card reader and a floppy disk drive behind the front panel door. It is disappointing that Dell has not included a Blu-ray burner as an option in this model as it has already extended the next generation movie hardware to its XPS laptops. Bear in mind that you do not get a flat panel or speakers as standard, Dell is assuming that you will want the XPS to slot into an existing home entertainment setup. Anything less than a large plasma or LCD screen and a thumping audio system would fail to live up to this astonishing PC.

Operating System:
Initially the PC came with only Windows XP installed; this was mainly because there was no SLI Nvidia Drivers for Windows Vista at the time of PC construction. However, they are available now and so you can enjoy the incredible capabilities of both 710 H2C PC and Windows Vista, but keep in mind that Dell does not yet offer Vista Pre-Installed.

Performance:

All of this stuff would mean nothing if the XPS 710 H2C Gaming PC did not perform, but it does so in spades. WOW!!! : This is the only word that actually describes about the H2C’s performance capabilities. The HDD of speed 10,00rpm RAID 0 aided the system to boot up in under 30 seconds and scores the highest ever in the PCMark tests. Its gaming performance let us down in no ways, scoring the highest in all possible tests it is put into. It is playable at both 1280 x 1024 and 2560 x 1600. Thanks to the dual graphics card technologies and the very expensive high watt power supplies that are necessary to run them. The H2C got the fastest 3D numbers in Vista testing, and though you will experience a slight performance hit when you switch from Windows XP to Vista, it is a relatively minor one.

Warranty and Support:

Dell offers its XPS 710 H2C a standard one year warranty for parts and labour which also includes the overclocked CPU. You also get 24 x 7 toll free phone support and one year onsite service. We should also appreciate Dell for its “Dell Connect Service” which is a remote control tech support feature that gives a Dell Tech direct control over your PC.

Verdict:

The Dell XPS 710 H2C desktop PC is a stunning looking PC that works at a lightning speed. On the negative side all that we have to mutter about is its rather limited default storage and the limited memory bandwidth that prevents us from using the other technologies employed in the PC to be used to the fullest. However, after using this system, any other PC you work with will feel like a pocket calculator; such is its impact. We have nothing to stop you if you have three grand and urge to play all the high tech games.

Read reviews of Inspiron 545, XPS One 24, Inspiron 530 from Dell in this
website.

Dell XPS 710 H2C Gaming PC - Technical Specifications, Configuration Details

Design Factor:

A modest design with shiny black face, greyish dull body, and a silver band pasted right across its face makes up the exterior decor of Zoostorm 7875-0001 PC. I/O ports and high speed USB ports are fitted on the silver band. A power button distinguishes itself on the black polish of the CPU unit.

There is nothing exquisite about the design of this desktop computer that will awe you except its simplistic finish.

It is true that the idea behind designing Zoostorm 7875-0001 is to offer straightforward design that can boost performance and support powerful computing need. So if you are okay with simple ‘look and feel’ and performance is your criteria then this is the system you should go for.

Inside the PC:

Speed and performance are impossible without good in-built specifications. Thankfully, Zoostorm PC features most up-to-date hardware components. At the core of the system resides Intel Celeron Dual Core (Multi-Core processor technology) 64-bit processor that does all the data processing and takes care of performance output. The Intel® Celeron® E1400 processor works at the maximum speed of 2.00GHz which is sufficient to meet most of the processing requirement. The system also allocates 512 KB of shared L2 cache (with Front Side Bus speed of 800 MHz) for processor’s day-to-day job. For enabling efficient multitasking feature the Intel® Celeron® processor comes with two built-in processors operating independently at the cores as a single physical package. However, they maintain the same level of frequency at all times. This characteristic of the processor makes it energy efficient even when the system works at its peak for maximum dual-core performance. This configuration of Celeron® processor is even perfect for single-core desktops. Its value is incomparable in terms of delivering a balanced level of high quality computing.

The processor performance and speed are backed up by architectural features as well which include Intel 64 Technology, Intel Wide Dynamic Execution, Enhanced SpeedStep technology, Intel Advanced Smart Cache, Enhanced Halt State (C1E), Intel Thermal Monitor 2, Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost Intel Smart Memory Access, and Execute Disable Bit capability. The expansion and connectivity slots include a LGA775 Processor Socket.
For multitasking and real time access the processor is helped out considerably by 1GB of DDR2 RAM which works at 667MHz. The permanent storage is allocated to 160GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive. The capacity of permanent storage unit is all encompassing for stuffs like media files, image files, and other personal work. Storing and later retrieving large word files are not a problem with Zoostorm 7875-0001 desktop rather it facilitates in managing all the files at one place.

Features:

Apart from the roomy storage unit the system provides on board LAN, 5.1 channel surround sound, Vista Premium ready graphics card all hooked on to the motherboard and ready to play once you start the system. For ensuring excellent graphics output the system is back up by SiS M672 Integrated DirectX 9.0 2D/3D Graphics Card.

The optical storage is DVD±RW (±R DL) compatible that allows you to record for up to four hours of highest quality video on a disc that also holds 8.5GB data. The recording capacity for DVD+R DL is almost double compared to traditional DVD recording media. No only that because the disc is single sided, you do not need to flip it over halfway through playback or recording.

Other features include superb optimisation for high performance computing that takes advantage of its pre-fitted components suitable for this size of chassis. This makes Intel based mATX PC is ideal for use in the office or at home.

This is a plug-and-play system. For the purpose of reducing set up times Zoostorm provides preinstalled version of Microsoft Windows Vista Premium. However, the system is not without its drawback. It does not come with monitor. Please note that, there is no Windows CD supplied with this system, but a HDD recovery solution is available on the disk. A mouse and keyboard are pre-packaged with the box. Zoostorm also offers 1 year return to base parts and labour warranty with this desktop PC.

Verdict:

Zoostorm has efficiently put together all the components for 7875-0001 to boast its day-to-day performance. The best part of this system is its large storage unit. Roomy storage definitely makes it popular among home users. Also, there is no need to buy external hard drive for freeing up your system’s space. With 160GB hard drive you can save up all your movie files, office work, personal albums all in one place. 1GB RAM is also sufficient for running multimedia files, downloading music or editing large word files all at the same time. With pre-installed MS Vista checking e-mails, browsing internet, playing music is just a click away. Mostly, meant for home users, but it can very well work as an office computer where everyday tasks involve storing, updating, and retrieving large office files. In other word perfect for firms which are involved in administrative job.

Apart from excellent word processing, generating reports the system is well-equipped to handle multimedia games. However, the games which can only run on multimedia PC may not work on Zoostorm 7875-0001 Desktop PC, but that does not mean you are devoid of gaming pleasure. Games that do not require lot of multimedia features and hungry for massive power and memory can work well on this PC.

Therefore, this system is perfect for anyone looking for a replacement of its old computer or addition to its home office.


Zoostorm 7875-0001 Celeron Desktop PC - Specification Details