Targa Ultra AN64 3700+

If you're a Computeractive regular, then you'll have noticed some of the Aldi 'Special Deal' computers that pop up from time to time. If so, you'll be pleased to hear of some new competition on the cut-price-computer front, coming in the form of Lidl supermarkets.

Unsurprisingly, the Targa Ultra AN64 3700+ is a bargain. As its name suggests, it uses an AMD Athlon 64 3700+ processor, which is one of the fastest 64-bit processors around. Couple this with 1Gb of memory and you have a computer that will handle any task comprehensively; justified by our system tests which proved this computer is one of the quickest we've seen in the last few months.

Graphics are provided in the shape of a 128Mb GeForce 6600 GT (TARGA edition) card. This is a cut-down version of nVidia's fully-blown 6600 GT card and, as such, didn't perform as well as some similar cards we've seen in the past. But, make no mistake; it will still be able to play the latest 3D games at a respectable resolution with most special effects switched on.

There are also two 200Gb hard disks inside the case, which use the latest SATA connection to shift data much faster, thus speeding up the overall performance of the computer.

The case itself is rather large, but it houses a lot of hardware. There's a recordable DVD drive that supports all disc formats (including double-layer DVD), apart from DVD-RAM. Underneath this is a DVD drive for disc-to-disc copying.

Then there's a digital TV-tuner card on the back and accompanying software for turning this PC into a PVR. Because it uses some 'silent' technology to quieten fans, it's not that noisy either and won’t make too much of a racket if connected to a television in the front room.

The monitor's speakers aren't very good at all, and it's a shame the supplied speakers aren't surround sound. However, are loads of audio connections to hook this computer to a surround sound amplifier, which will make use of the on-board 7.1 soundcard.

Other ports and sockets such as USB 2, FireWire and memory card slots are hidden behind a flip-down panel on the front and more are located on the rear. This provides great connectivity for attaching digital media players, DV cameras and any external audio source that you might want to record from or to.

Lidl has also bundled a webcam and headset, although the webcam uses the older, slower USB standard. A USB Bluetooth stick is also included for connecting to compatible devices, as is a wi-fi adapter, which plugs into a free USB port. A wireless keyboard and mouse are also part of the deal.

Inside the case are free expansion slots for adding more memory and another PCI-based piece of hardware. There's also one 3.5 internal and one 3.5 external drive bay free for adding another hard disk or a floppy drive, for example.

On the software side of things we were pleased to see Microsoft Work Suite 2005, eTrust 7 anti-virus, Nero 6 disc management, Nero OEM SIPPS internet telephony, Ulead Photo Explorer 8 SE Basic, Ulead Cool 360º SE Basic and some free games. Plus it comes with a three-year warranty.

Usually, we'd expect to pay well over £1000 for a system such as this, but Lidl are offering it for £749 exclusively through its nationwide stores from 17 October for two weeks.
In short, it's a steal and if you need a new computer, hotfoot it down to Lidl to bag this bargain. What's more Lidl is also selling a 19in LCD at the same time for £199, which is also worth considering.

Contact:
Lidl Stores 0870 444 1234
www.lidl.co.uk