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You can buy a lot of computer for £700 these days. This kind of money has bought a perfectly workable PC for several years, but now we're starting to see fully specified, high-quality systems for the same price.
The Intel quad-core processor (a Q6600 running at 2.4GHz with 8MB of cache) and 2GB of DDR2 memory clocked at 667MHz provide an impressive base for the Mesh Elite Quad 6600 CA, and although the midi-tower case doesn't look particularly impressive from the outside, this is a powerful computer.
Its PCmark05 score of 7,322 pitches it at the level of computers that cost nearly twice as much a few months ago. In fact, it posted a higher score than the similarly specified Advent T9509, with the same processor and amount of memory, which featured in our quad-core group test (PCW, October 2007).
Graphics performance was less impressive, but only relative to the stellar performance of the computer in general use. This is down to the Nvidia Geforce 8600GT with 256MB of video Ram. It's a decent card, but it's located towards the lower end of Nvidia's range and is no match for the Ultra cards you'll find in more expensive computers.
It would be unfair to gripe too much about this, because the computer does so well in other terms. The 3Dmark05 score of 9,357 is respectable, making the Elite Quad 6600 capable of dealing with recent games, albeit with the detail levels turned down a notch.
The card comes with dual DVI outputs and it's an SLI-compatible motherboard, which means you could add a second card to improve performance. That - or replacing the card entirely with a better one - might be a good idea for anyone buying this as a gaming rig.
The hard disk is a 500GB model, which should be enough for most users, and is complemented by a Lightscribe DVD drive. There's also a memory card reader installed in one of the drive bays.
It has six USB ports (two mounted on the front, four at the rear), External Sata, Firewire, parallel and Ethernet sockets, as well as a coaxial S/PDIF output and standard sound connections. There's plenty of room inside the case - the hard disk takes only one of the three internal 3.5in drive bays and there are two front-facing 5.25in bays available.
The same goes for memory (the usual two slots free) and expansion slots - the graphics card accounts for the only used slot, leaving two PCI slots and the SLI expansion free. It uses Mesh's easy-to-open case, which makes it a doddle to get inside the PC for upgrades.
The monitor with which our test unit was supplied was an impressive widescreen Hannspree 19in model, while other peripherals include a Creative Labs T6100 set of 5.1 surround-sound speakers and Logitech keyboard and mouse.
Windows Vista Home Premium comes preinstalled, along with Microsoft Works 8.5, and a two-year warranty (with on-site service) backs up a pretty impressive package.
The Mesh Elite Quad 6600 represents excellent value for money and makes great use of Intel's quad-core processor. The graphics let the rest of the system down, but that's only relative to the otherwise excellent performance, and has to be viewed in the context of the low price.
Given that it comes with both a monitor and speakers, we have no qualms in recommending it to those who want decent performance without spending a fortune.
See also:
A slim, whisper-quiet design with a front LCD screen and remote control 18 Sep 2007
Rumours of its death turned out to be greatly exaggerated 28 Aug 2007All Desktops Tags: Desktop
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