Multivision Ionix 56 Ultra

The last few Multivision computers have looked very distinctive and the Ionix 56 Ultra is no different.

Straight out of the box, the system looks smart and is easy to set up, thanks to colour-coded ports and a quick set-up guide.

The 17in F700P CRT monitor from LG has a flat screen and the silver case is handsome, although not a colour match for the rest of the system.

The built-in USB hub is useful, occupying one of your PC's USB ports to provide five further ones on the back of the monitor case.

The case is bulky but, usefully, can be dismantled without a screwdriver. Inside, everything is where it should be, although some of the wiring is a little messy, making access to some of the internals a bit difficult.

However, you can't argue with the specifications. The Ionix comes with an AMD Athlon XP 2800+ processor running at 2.1GHz and 512MB of DDR memory.

There's also a free memory slot should the need arise to upgrade further. Four of the six PCI slots are vacant so that you can add extras such as a soundcard if the integrated one isn't up to your standards - though we found it worked well with the supplied Creative Inspire 4400 speakers.

The 120GB hard disk should be ample for most home users. This specification produced some good performance scores in our system tests.

The 56 Ultra has DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives. The only problem is trying to identify which is which.

Like the other systems in the Ionix range, the drives are not labelled, so distinguishing between them is a bit of a lottery.

There's also no light to show if they are working. The only illumination on the front of the case is the distinctive blue power light, which runs vertically in the centre of the front panel.

It leaves two 5.25in drive bays with access to the front of the case and an internal 3.5in bay free for later upgrades.

One of the most interesting features of the Ionix is the Nvidia GeForce FX 5600 graphics card.

This is one of the more affordable in the FX range and manages without the large fan and excess noise of its bigger sister, the 5800 Ultra.

Our graphics tests demonstrated that the 5600 performs roughly on a par with cards based on ATi's Radeon 9500, making this a very capable computer for game players.

There are four USB 2 ports at the back and a further two hidden behind a discrete flap on the side, which hides away one FireWire port.

The usual array of connections also includes a network port. The black Logitech keyboard and optical mouse nicely complete the look of the system.

Aside from Windows XP Home, Lotus SmartSuite and CyberLink PowerDVD are ready installed. We would have liked to see some antivirus software added to the package but there is enough here to keep users interested.

The Multivision isn't a perfect PC but it has plenty to commend it. If the menacing looks and size don't worry you, the 56 Ultra is worth considering as it strikes a good balance between price and performance.

Contact: Multivision 0870 220 2822
www.multivision.co.uk

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