Chillblast Fusion Taser

Ideally, PC games should be enjoyed on a big screen, using a computer that's powerful enough to run them well at high detail settings.

This is the thinking behind Chillblast's Fusion Taser, a very capable gaming computer that comes with a huge (by computer standards) 23.5in screen, wireless mouse, keyboard, and speakers. At £749 it's more expensive than many computers we review, but the graphics card and screen would account for around half that price if you were to buy them separately.

The graphics card is an ATI Radeon HD5770, which is both fast and capable of the advanced effects that are newly available in Windows 7. The differences are subtle, and only some games support them, but they make a noticeable difference to the visual impact of those that do.

The monitor is a widescreen model with a resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, which makes it perfect for displaying high-definition video, even in the highest 1080p resolution. It isn't from a well-known brand, but the screen’s extra size is welcome for more than a larger view of gaming worlds: it allows users to fit a lot more on screen at once when working or surfing the internet. For applications such as photo or video editing, it’s a distinct advantage.

In other aspects the Taser is slightly less impressive, but it’s still perfectly adequate. The Intel Core i3 processor is a dual-core model rather than the quad-core one found in competing computers, but this makes little difference to most games or most programs, and it’s still fast. The processor has been overclocked by Chillblast, which means it is running faster than its standard speed. That can be done as a DIY project, but it will invalidate the processor’s warranty. In this case, the whole computer is still covered.

The 4GB of memory is plenty and the computer has a 1TB (1,000GB) hard disk, which is large enough to install lots of programs on and still have plenty left over for music, video and pictures.

It has eight USB ports, VGA, HDMI, DVI and Displayport sockets for connecting to monitors or TVs, and the supplied Windows 7 operating system runs really well. It has a DVD drive which can read and write all CDs and DVDs, but not the newer Blu-ray discs. It’s worth upgrading to a Blu-ray drive, since the screen is a perfect size for watching films. The black metal case is bland and we prefer the reliability of wired keyboards for games rather than the wireless one that comes with the computer.

These criticisms are minor, though. The Taser Fusion performs well for games, which is what it’s designed for, and the large screen makes it suitable for those who want to edit video or pictures or just enjoy big-screen movies on a computer.