Product Reviews

Desktop computers

Compute-IT Home Discovery 1800+ [Computer Buyer]
COMPANY: Compute-IT	PRICE: �599 �704
RATING:	ISSUE: 138 DATE: Sep 02

Compute-IT has taken a slightly different approach from most of its competitors, and it's really paid off. This corker of a machine positively pulsates with power - and gives you plenty of ways to harness it.
Features
The Compute-IT's Creative Inspire 5300 speakers got a smashing five out of six last time we reviewed them. Though not quite as good as the VideoLogic ZXR-500s that come with the New Dimension PC, they still offer great quality surround sound - perfect for home cinema or simply chilling out to. Although it doesn't come with a TV Card, this PC does have a FireWire card. FireWire is a fast cable connection, perfect for getting large files, like video, from external devices onto your PC. So if your idea of fun is making your own DV movies then this system, complete with its video editing software, is just the ticket. On the other hand, if you'd rather just kick back and watch a DVD, you have a DVD drive, top-quality surround sound and a connection that lets you feed the picture through to your TV.
Ergonomic
Although it sounds like it's the next model up, the Hansol 720ED monitor that comes with this PC isn't actually as good as the 710D that comes with the JAL and the Multivision machines. That said, it's still not bad. There's hardly any misconvergence (when the red, blue and green parts of the picture don't quite align), the focus is good, and there was only a little wobble in our power regulation tests.
The Compute-IT's mouse and keyboard are both made by Logitech. At first, we thought the M-502 mouse was some cheap, no-name job, but it is in fact a bona fide Logitech. It doesn't fit as comfortably in the hand as some of Logitech's other offerings, but it's still pretty snug. More importantly



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it's also accurate, and the action of the scroll wheel is smooth. The keyboard is more of a known quantity in Buyer Labs. It's the same model as the one that comes with the Multivision, and is a pleasure to use. Its keys are well sprung and well spaced, so they travel well and you won't end up hitting two or three at time.
Expansion
With so many devices like printers, scanners and joysticks now coming with USB connectors, you'll soon find that you just can't have too many USB ports. The good news is this PC has no less than six, all ready for you to plug in your toys. Inside the chassis, things are even better. There's plenty of room, and the cables are well tidied, so they won't get in the way when you're upgrading.
There would be four PCI slots free, but the extra USB ports block one. No need to be too down in the mouth, though - three free PCI slots is still plenty to work with. Likewise, if you want to install some extra storage you shouldn't have any problems, there's space here for two more CD drives, an extra floppy or Zip drive and a second hard drive.
Performance
This PC comes with a Radeon 8500LE graphics card. This might sound less powerful than the newer Radeon 9000, but in fact the reverse is true. The 9000 is a slightly simplified version of the 8500 chip, able to texture slightly fewer pixels per second. There isn't much in it, but enough to make this PC noticeably faster than the Multivision, even though the Multivision has a faster processor. Not all the credit goes to the graphics card, however. The Maxtor hard disk used here picked up a Recommended award in our last hard disk group test, and the AMD Athlon 1800+ processor packs enough power to cope with even the most demanding games.
Overall
This PC is a blindingly good buy for �599. Just six months ago, machines none too different were being reviewed for �999!
Of course, there's no use having a fast PC if the sound and images it produces are garbled rubbish. Fortunately, that's not the case here. The Hansol monitor might not be top of the range, but it still produces a decent image. And the Creative Inspire 5300 speakers are perfect for gaming, with clean sound and thumping bass.
Add in this system's video-editing capabilities, and it becomes clear why the Home Discovery is this month's winner.

By Karl Wright

SPECIFICATIONS:
AMD Athlon XP 1800+, 256Mb DDR RAM, 55.8Gb hard disk, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE graphics card, LG 16xDVD 48xCD drive, CyberDrive 48xCD 32xCD-R 12xCD-R/W drive, integrated sound, Creative Inspire 5300 speakers (5, 1), 17in Hansol 720ED monitor, 56K V.90 modem, 3-port FireWire card, Gimic Stereo headphones and microphone.