Mesh Matrix64 4000+

Along with Evesham, Mesh is one of the first companies to take advantage of AMD's new Athlon 64 4000+ processor. The Matrix64 4000+ Pace costs £1,600 and isn't cheap, but you get the power you pay for.

Based on the Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard, it comes with 1GB of Ram provided by a pair of PC3200 modules. These are complemented by a 300GB 7,200rpm Maxtor Sata (Serial ATA) hard disk, but this is a single drive, not a Raid set-up.

There is also a pair of optical drives: a Sony DVD rewriter, which will handle DVD+R/RW, DVD+R dual-layer and DVD-R/RW discs; and, oddly, a standard CD-RW drive. It's a matter of choice whether a CD rewriter is preferable to a second DVD reader, but most would plump for the DVD option.

The case is built to the usual Mesh standards, opening with a clunk of the top catch. The front would be fairly bare were it not for the ports on the Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum soundcard.

This, coupled with a Leadtek Nvidia 6800GT graphics card, places it in the gamer/enthusiast bracket. The Leadtek helped the Mesh to a score of 11,390 in 3Dmark2003 and 110 frames per second in Unreal Tournament 2003. A 19in Viewsonic flat panel and the Creative Inspire 7900 7.1 speakers finish it off.

With a Sysmark 2004 score of 209, this is one of the fastest PCs around. The price tag is reasonable, making it attractive in more ways than one.

Contact: Mesh 08700 464 747
www.meshcomputers.com

Specifications

• Windows XP Home
• AMD Athlon 64 4000+ processor
• 1GB DDR Ram
• Maxtor 300GB Sata hard disk
• Sony dual-layer DVD writer
• Leadtek 6800GT
• 256MB of Ram
• Viewsonic 19in VG910 TFT
• Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
• Inspire 7900 7.1 speakers
• Logitech cordless desktop
• Office 60-day trial, Pinnacle Studio 9SE, Instant CD/DVD, Intervideo WinDVD
• 3yr warranty