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The launch of Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor heralds a new dawn for computer gaming enthusiasts.
The dual-core processor that powers this PC is the fruit of Intel’s Core Microarchitecture research. The CPU itself is significantly more powerful than the Pentium D or AMD’s X2 dual core but is also more power efficient.
The Chillblast Fusion Hardcore Crossfire has a Core 2 Duo E6700 with a regular clock speed of 2.67GHz overclocked to 3GHz. No changes to stock voltage need to be made, but an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 pro cooler is used to prevent the processor running hot.
It didn’t disappoint in performance benchmarking, managing a whopping score of 424 in Sysmark04 and an equally impressive 7,930 in PCmark 05.
This is the fastest PC we’ve ever had in the PCW labs. It‘s regained the top spot on the Test Bed PC performance charts for Chillblast which was knocked off, albeit only for a day, by Hi-Grade’s Core 2 Duo PC: the Ultis Tachyon.
To cement the gaming credentials of this PC Chillblast included 2GB of Ram and two ATI X1900XTX graphics cards connected in a Crossfire configuration. An excellent score of 17,388 in 3Dmark05 was achieved with this setup.
Four monitors can be supported with the two DVI outputs on each of the cards, but only two when Crossfire is enabled.
Storage space isn’t a problem in this PC as 474GB is supplied by way of a 74GB Western Digital Raptor and a 400GB Seagate disk. The high speed 10,000rpm Raptor is used for storing data and programs that are regularly accessed.
The potential for you to build upon the current hard disk setup is aided by the motherboard which supports Raid. Further, an external Sata connection allows you to hook up an external drive with a faster channel than if you were to use an external USB2 or Firewire drive.
The PC is housed in a dark metallic Coolermaster case which has a solid feel. Access to the NEC DVD Burner is via a door on the front panel. Along the top lie two USB ports, a Firewire port, headphone and microphone sockets.
Four additional USB ports are located at the back. The positioning of the ports along the top and front door coupled with the Crossfire cable at the back mean this case isn’t a good idea for space restricted areas.
Two Gigabit Ethernet ports and 54Mbits/sec wireless capability are provided for the ultimate level of network connectivity. The PC is shipped with Windows XP Professional, which has a greater networking capability than XP’s Home edition.
Other features include a 5-in-1 memory card reader and a high-speed USB floppy disk drive. Both are at front of the case.
It is unusual for modern PCs to cater for floppy disks. They are often useful as a last resort to update a motherboard’s Bios, but this drive uses a USB connection so can’t be used in this manner.
The benchmark scores this PC delivered are unparalleled in the context of pre Core 2 Duo computing so high-performance users and gamers using it will certainly be well served.
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