Product Reviews

Although the base unit of this PC distinctly fails to impress, and its bundle doesn't appear at first sight to bulge, the extras with this system actually add up to a pretty impressive package.

Features 4/6

What no CD burner? Not at all? Not even as part of the bundle? 'Fraid not, mate. Like it or lump it, you won't be burning any CDs with this system, so that's one point knocked off for a start. Fortunately for Multivision, however, things get better. With 256Mb of RAM and a 40Gb hard disk, this computer is well-equipped to handle any of the current generation of software. Because it's based on an nForce motherboard, it comes with an integrated 10/100 Mbit/s network controller. You also get a solid handful of video-editing software from the market leader Ulead for your money. Not to be sniffed at!

Bundle 5/6

OK, so there's only a printer and a scanner, so why are we getting so excited? Well, because the HP 920C is a really good printer, the kind of thing you wouldn't mind actually going out and buying. When it was reviewed in Buyer, the 920C won our Top 50 Best Buy award in its own right for the all round quality of its

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prints, both text and photo. We're gobsmacked - and delighted - to see it offered here as an added extra. Likewise, the BenQ scanner, which also crops up with the JAL, is a really cracking catch, allowing you to scan your pictures into your PC at high resolutions.

Ergonomics 5/6

The Iiyama monitor that comes with this PC shows almost no signs of misconvergence, when the red, green and blue dots that make up each pixel don't line up. Its focus tails off a little towards the edges of the screen, but on the whole it's pretty good. The only let-down is the power regulation, which wasn't up to scratch at all. The keyboard and mouse are both made by Logitech. They're both decent parts that are accurate and comfortable to use.

Expansion 3/6

The inside of this case is rather claustrophobic. Only one PCI slot is free, so if you want to add anything to your PC, it'll pretty much have to be an external device. This leads us on to next problem: the system has only two USB ports. Unless you buy an external USB hub, you'll be limited to just two devices, and if you go for the bundle, the scanner will use up one of them from the off.

Performance 4/6

We really don't want you to think we have something against nForce in Buyer Labs. We actually rather like it. It's packed with features, and has the only integrated graphics that are good enough to play games with. The thing is, though, it can't compete with GeForce4 - something that's proved yet again by this PC.

Overall

The overall score and the award here reflect the strength of Multivision's bundle. The PC itself is all right - it just isn't as good as some of its competitors. But as a £599 bundle, this system is a cracking good buy.