Advent 3813 BTO

AMD is struggling to keep up with Intel in the processor speed battle at present but that doesn't mean that an AMD system doesn't warrant consideration.

While AMD-based systems trail in speed terms, they also tend to trail their Intel counterparts on the price tag front. This new system from Advent is the kind of PC that is being sold more successfully as buyers become aware that AMD-equipped PCs represent the best compromise between good value and good performance.

The Advent sports an impressive set of vital statistics. It uses the fastest AMD processor available, the Athlon 2200 XP+, which runs at a speed of 1.73GHz.

This is fitted alongside 512MB of DDR memory, which is plenty, but the performance in our benchmarks wasn't as sparkling as we'd hoped. The 80GB hard disk is plenty for all but the greediest users.

The graphics card, the Radeon 9000 Pro, is based on one of the latest video chips from AT. This is one of ATi's budget models, making it a rough equivalent to one using a nVidia GeForce 4MX.

In pure performance terms, the ATi is excellent, beating even the fastest GeForce 4 MX cards and making this Advent a competent machine for gamers.

It is a dual-head graphics card too, which means that connecting a second monitor is a simple task. The Creative SoundBlaster Audigy soundcard continues the gaming theme.

As well as offering excellent sound recording and playback performance, it has the added bonus of a FireWire socket, excellent for video editing. Sound output is provided by the 5.1 Videologic ZXR-500 speaker set, which performs impressively.

Other connection options come courtesy of six USB ports. Two of these sockets are placed on the front of the system case along with very useful headphone and microphone sockets. This should prevent a lot of awkward reaching around the back of the case when plugging in peripherals.

Like many PCs, the Advent is also fitted with a network connector; something that can save upgrading costs when switching to some broadband internet services. If a traditional connection is your favoured means of getting online, a modem is also supplied.

The final piece of the PC puzzle is the monitor, and the supplied Samsung SM957 is pretty good. As prices come down, supplied monitors are getting bigger and better. This 19in model may not be as flat as the best ones but the quality is still very good.

Software supplied was limited to Windows XP Home, along with Nero Burning Rom and the Cyberlink DVD player. With no office software and no antivirus package, this is a bare bones bundle and the cost of additional applications should be factored in.

All in all, the Advent is a system that has very little wrong with it but little to make it stand out. The whole system looks very nice but its performance was no better than expected and the software bundle is rather limited.

DETAILS
Price: £1,174

Contact: Advent 0870 546 4464
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