Packard Bell Ixtreme 6060

The designers of the Ixtreme have clearly been inspired by Apple's Imac and G4 tower machines, and there's no denying the 6060 has some particularly impressive features given its low cost.

That said, we do disapprove of the method of accessing the system's optical drives. Instead of simple buttons to open them, Packard Bell has hidden the units behind plastic covers you press to open, making the act of putting a disc in the drive pretty awkward.

The Ixtreme 6060 is powered by a 2.6GHz Celeron processor with 256MB of DDR memory and an Nvidia Geforce MX graphics card. In tests these provided a Sysmark score of 150, while Unreal Tournament frame rates came in at 33fps (frames per second). This won't set pulses racing, but it should be enough for the average home user.

Storage is provided by an 80GB Western Digital hard disk, but where the 6060 excels is in the fact that it is the lowest-priced system currently available with a DVD-RW drive. A secondary DVD drive is also included, so you can make direct disc-to-disc copies. Also useful is the bundled software. Alongside Windows XP Home, Packard Bell has provided Microsoft Works 7, education software, games, and essential antivirus and DVD/CD utilities.

Despite its lack of power, awkward drive coverings and odd-looking CRT monitor, the 6060 has features usually found on more costly machines. As such, we would recommend it to those needing a budget system.

Contact: Packard Bell 0870 046 4747
www.packardbell.co.uk

Specifications:

• Windows XP Home Edition
• Intel Celeron 2.6GHz processor
• 256MB DDR Memory
• Columbia VI motherboard
• 80GB hard disk
• 16x DVD-RW
• Nvidia Geforce MX 440 graphics card
• HP FC700 monitor
• Storm stereo speakers
• Microsoft Works 7
• 1yr standard warranty