Evesham Evolution 3.2

It seems that hardly a month goes by without Intel announcing a new processor. It can easily get confusing, especially when the details aren't very well explained.

Take the Evesham Evolution 3.2, for example. Not to be confused with the Evesham Evolution 3 (reviewed in issue 155), this updated version is kitted out with an Intel Pentium 4 processor running at 3.2GHz. However, a little digging shows that it's actually a new 'Prescott' processor.

Essentially this is a smaller processor that emits less heat and, in theory, runs faster. Intel has also performed a couple of other tweaks and software that's been written to take advantage of these should run a lot faster. The problem is that there simply isn't any compatible software at the moment. However, the new processors aren't any more expensive than standard Pentium 4's and will set you up for when the software does become available.

In our system tests the Evolution managed an excellent score, which is what we'd expect from a standard Pentium 4 running at the same speed.

Even if you remained blissfully unaware of the new processor, you'd still be impressed with this as a powerful PC. Evesham supplies it with a generous 1Gb of memory.

A large 160Gb hard disk will take care of all your storage needs for a while and Evesham only provides Microsoft's Works Suite 2004, so you're left with most of the hard disk to play with. Besides, the recordable DVD drive, which supports all DVD formats, provides a handy way to archive old files if the hard disk is filling up quickly.

This is also a PC designed for fun. An ATI Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card gave this PC a superb score in our graphics tests. There's no doubt that you can throw any current game at it and enjoy it in a silky smooth fashion.

Everything is displayed on the excellent 17in Viewsonic TFT, monitor, which is capable of running at a resolution of 1280 x 1024. The monitor also swivels into portrait mode, which can make working on large documents a lot easier.

The Creative Audigy 2 sound card and Creative Inspire T7700 speakers allow this PC to deliver sound to match the quality of the visuals. It also means that it's an excellent option for watching DVD movies.

A Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard rounds the package off. The keyboard has extra media control buttons, so you should never have to move your fingers more than a couple of centimetres to alter the volume or skip a music track.

If there's anything negative about this PC then it's that Evesham's black and silver case is a little imposing and won't be to everyone's tastes. That said, it provides room for lots of upgrades and has all of the major ports and connectors in easy reach.

Ultimately, this is a premium PC with a price tag to match. However, it's not exorbitant for the quality of the components you get and will appeal to anyone looking for a powerful new PC.

Contact: Evesham 0870 160 9500
www.evesham.com