Hoojum Design Cubit P4

If the name Hoojum doesn't grab your attention, a quick glance at the Cubit certainly will. Aimed at those who want form as well as function, its striking anodised blue aluminium casing makes this more akin to high-end hi-fi than a traditional PC. It shows just what manufacturers can do when they put their minds to it, and we wish more would. In short, it's gorgeous.

As with the latest Shuttle PCs, a small case doesn't mean poor connectivity. Our Cubit featured a total of six USB2 ports, full and mini-Firewire, Ethernet, composite and S-Video sockets, analogue and S/PDIF audio connectors and a 6-in-1 memory card reader, as well as the usual keyboard and VGA connectors. The review model actually sported two VGA sockets, and the standard audio connectors are duplicated at the front for easy access. Even with these options the case remains very stylish, with a slot-loading DVD writer and some blue LEDs finishing everything off.

Given the casing, it's a shame the designers haven't worked their magic on the keyboard and mouse. While their colour matches the system, the construction certainly isn't up to the same high standard. Both feel a little cheap and the mouse is particularly awkward to use. Moreover, both are wired models. Given the obvious effort put into the casing, we would have expected wireless peripherals. Hoojum didn't supply us with a monitor but it will happily sell you a range of suitably attractive Formac TFTs.

The size of the Cubit's case doesn't limit the power on offer. Based around a Shuttle FB61 motherboard, our model featured a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 HT processor with an 800MHz front-side bus, 1GB of DDR-Ram and a 120GB Maxtor SATA 7,200rpm hard drive. The motherboard also features an onboard Intel Extreme Graphics chip but this had been upgraded to a 128MB Sapphire Radeon 9200 via the AGP slot in our model. You can't use both at the same time but it explains the dual VGA sockets.

Those looking at expansion options will be pleased to see a free PCI slot, and you can always swap the graphics card out for a better model at a later date. However, the subject of internal expansion brings up a problem with the case design. Four hand-operated screws at the rear make it easy to get inside, but putting things back together once you've upgraded is another matter. We were forced to remove the front of the case in order to re-house the power and reset switch connector, which came loose when we slid the motherboard out. In addition, the hard disk and power LEDs came off the front panel and there's no easy way to put them back.

A call to Hoojum revealed it was aware of this difficulty. The company now provides upgrade instructions in the box. Simply adding longer internal leads would also make things easier.

This aside, we were impressed with the performance. In use the system is virtually silent and a Sysmark score of 277 means the Cubit will whip its way through standard office tasks. A 3Dmark score of just 7,229 shows the limits of the 9200 chip but real-world tests with Unreal Tournament gave a reasonably smooth 49fps. While hardcore gamers won't be satisfied with this, most people will have no problems. Other graphics options are available if needed.

Along with Windows XP Home Edition, the Cubit comes with PowerDVD, Norton Anti-virus and Nero Suite to take advantage of its two-speed DVD-RW drive. Also included is a one-year warranty. Given the price, we would have at least expected a copy of something like Works to get users started.

There's no denying that it looks great, but the Cubit P4 doesn't live up to its price. That said, we really can't fault Hoojum for trying make a PC that looks as good as it performs.

Contact: Hoojum Designs 01453 840 171
www.hoojum.com

Specifications:

• 2.8GHz Pentium 4 HT
• 1GB DDR-Ram
• 120GB Maxtor SATA hard drive
• Sapphire Radeon 9200 Pro 128MB
• Composite and S-Video in/out
• Ethernet and serial ports
• 2 Firewire
• 6 USB2
• 6-in-1 memory card reader
• Panasonic UJ-815B 2x DVD-R/RW DVD writer
• S/PDIF in/out
• 8x AGP slot, 1 PCI slot
• Symantec Norton Anti-virus 2004, Nero Suite 1, PowerDVD 5