Labs

The 'OC' in the Modula's name has nothing to do with US TV teen dramas, but signifies that, unlike most of the machines on test, this system features an overclocked processor. The part in question is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, a quick chip under normal circumstances but capable of blistering benchmark times when revved up to 3GHz.

There's a larger Alpine Pro fan attached to keep the boosted processor cool, but the rest of the case is a potential airflow problem: the big GeForce 8800GTS graphics card isn't helped by a multitude of large wires disrupting the cooling effect of the case fan, and the hard drive manages to disrupt any decent circulation from the front panel of the case.

Still,

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a 2D (general) benchmark score of 206% is very creditable, even if it's not the highest we saw in this group. The RL's 3D score was similarly impressive at 246%, and this pair of results indicates that even the most intensive of applications won't tax this system.

The monitor, like most others this month, is a 22 inch model that's perfectly capable of handling normal desktop applications but not quite accurate enough for serious image editing work. Whites had a hint of red about them, and colour gradients featured some distinct banding.

The case also hints at a few more corners cut. It's a bland model that's not particularly well built; the removable side panel felt a little flimsy to us. There are no spare RAM slots in the initial configuration, so you'd have to chuck out some of the existing 2GB of memory to add more, which is annoying. There are plenty of ports, though: seven USBs for connecting a multitude of peripherals, and even a parallel port for any old printers or robots you might have lying around.

The included speakers are, for a 2.1 set, impressive: sound was surprisingly rounded and well-defined, with plenty of depth to the bass.

All round, this is a competent system. But for the price, there are better deals to be had here.