Labs

Evesham has been through difficult times during 2007, with a change of ownership, but has a solid reputation for customer service. The Solar SX900 provides an equally solid specification. The nippy Core 2 Duo processor provides more than enough power to deal with intensive applications such as photo and video editing, and 2GB of RAM will keep things running smoothly. The monitor is an equally sensible choice: the 19 incher, made by GNR, isn't the biggest or best here, but offers decent quality.

Indeed, viewed on its own the Solar SX900 would be easy to recommend. The 320GB hard disk will satisfy your storage needs for ages, and there's plenty of upgrade

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potential inside the PC's full-size case. You also get a good set of Creative speakers - five satellites plus a subwoofer - and although they'll never be mistaken for high-end stereo equipment, they're fine for filling a party with music.

They're good for games as well, and the Solar's nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card, although it's a budget model, copes reasonably well: a score of 152% in our Call of Duty 2 3D benchmark reflects a very playable speed of 44.7 frames per second, although newer and more demanding games will show its limitations. The keyboard and mouse proved responsive, and it's nice to see wireless units at this price.

It's only the incredible value of its competitors that denies the Evesham an award this time. The Mesh Hydrogen E6850 CBX, for instance, costs the same, yet offers a faster Core 2 Duo processor, an even larger 500GB hard disk, a slightly better graphics card and a 22 inch monitor. And, at the risk of giving away our winner, the Fujistu Siemens Scaleo is nearly £130 cheaper, yet comes with a bigger hard disk, a far superior processor, and a much better screen.

The Solar is a very good system, and wouldn't disappoint. But we reckon there's better value for money in this group.