Mesh Matrix XP 2000+ So Pro

At £998 inc VAT Mesh is wooing the back-to-school market with the Matrix XP 2000+ So Pro, including, as it does, a decent mix of hardware, software and peripherals.

Inside is an AMD Athlon XP 2000 processor sitting on an Athlon DDR 333MHz motherboard, with a 256MB stick of memory filling one of the three Dimm slots.

The system put in a good Sysmark 2002 performance with an overall score of 176, and should provide more than enough power for its target student market.

The inclusion of a Geforce4 MX440 graphics card is slightly disappointing for a PC at this price point. Nevertheless, the So Pro performed well in the graphics tests with a respectable 3Dmark score of 5,956 and an impressive 83.3 frames per second (fps) in Jedi Knight II, making it suitable for gaming.

Creative's Audigy soundcard is one of the best around, and it has the added bonus of a Firewire port.

The excellent Inspire 5300s are included, and around the back there are six USB ports. In addition, the hardware bundle includes a solidly built Epson Stylus C42UX printer, which gives good picture quality for an inexpensive printer, and a Benq 4300USB scanner.

Although the Microsoft Internet keyboard and Microsoft Intellimouse are nothing special, the inclusion of a 19in monitor is impressive, though this model gives slightly disappointing picture quality.

Its max resolution is 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. Mesh's standard three-year on-site warranty applies, and there are also 50 blank CD-R discs.

Windows XP Home and Lotus Smartsuite 9.7 come preloaded. Overall, this is a good buy if you're on a budget and are looking for an all-in-one package.

SPECS

• Athlon XP 2000+
• 256MB PC2100 DDR
• Athlon DDR 333MHz motherboard
• 60GB hard drive
• 40x CD-RW
• Geforce4 MX440 graphics card
• 19in Hansol 920P
• Creative Audigy sound card
• Creative Inspire 5300 5 speakers
• Lotus Smartsuite 9.7
• Windows XP
• 3yr on-site warranty

Contact: Mesh 020 8208 4744
www.meshplc.co.uk