Labs

Glancing around the case of the Cube247 Serpens, you might be fooled at first by the preponderance of cheap plastic, but once your eye is caught by the remarkably extensive array of ports and sockets, you'll start to realise just how well-equipped a machine this is.

Twelve USB ports, for instance, mean that a huge peripheral collection could be connected with room to spare. There's also a generous range of display outputs: VGA, four DVI-I sockets (which most monitors use), and two HDMI ports, one of which can drive the supplied HDMI-equipped monitor. There's even a pair of Display Port sockets, the standard that will eventually supersede HDMI and DVI-I. So the Cube is future-proofed, too.

It's just as impressive on the inside. The quad core processor is ready to race through any task, especially excelling with multiple applications - a good complement to the 22 inch screen, which gives you room to have several programs open at once. It's also overclockable, should you have any reason to need even more processing speed.

Graphically, the Serpens is even more capable, as there's an SLI pair of GeForce 9600GT graphics cards slotted in. Cube247 was one of a trio to go with this ultra-quick arrangement this month, and in this instance it resulted in a brilliant benchmark score of 318%, proving the Serpens capable of playing even the most demanding 3D games on the highest settings. Even Crysis might be within reach, and if you've tried getting it working on a mere mortal PC, you'll

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know that's high praise. The bundled copy of Tomb Raider: Anniversary isn't quite so state-of-the-art, but a nice touch.

This versatility and performance comes with a couple of caveats. Windows Vista Home Premium is included, but it's the 64-bit version. This does mean every ounce of the installed 4GB of RAM can be used, a further boost when you're trying to do several things at once. But it also brings restrictions: many peripherals won't be able to take advantage of all those lovely ports, because 64-bit drivers aren't available for them yet, and the same goes for some internal components you might want to add. Look into this before buying 64-bit.

Our only other minor issue with this system concerned the monitor. It's acceptable for everyday work, Internet browsing, gaming or watching movies, but there were a few too many soft edges compared to other screens in the group. It's worth looking elsewhere if precise rendering is a significan concern for you, but adequate for general use.

Omnia vincit vipera

The other components do justice to the excellent core specification. Realtek's High Definition Audio is standard among the PCs in this month's group, and that's for a reason - it's generally very good, unless you're keen enough to need a specialist sound card. The Creative T6100 speakers make good use of this integrated audio: the surround set is excellent for games and movies. Again, audiophiles might be inclined to indulge in higher-quality equipment, but the T6100s are fine for a family setup like this, especially at the price.

Niggle aside, there are enough clear advantages to the Cube to make it our overall winner this month, though it has to be said that it only narrowly pipped the Mesh. The double-edged sword of 64-bit Vista is offset by a stunning spec and a brilliant range of ports and sockets, which makes the Serpens the natural choice for sheer performance. If breadth of features and multimedia extras are more your thing, go for the Mesh. Either way, you'll have a PC that'll satisfy for a good long time to come.