Product Reviews

Systemax has selected an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ to power its machine. This runs at exactly 2GHz, and sits in a bang up-to-date MSI MS-6590 motherboard. The motherboard is based on VIA's KT-400 chipset, which allows for the use of 400MHz DDR RAM. But such RAM is scarce at the moment, so a single stick of the slightly slower 333MHz 512Mb DDR SDRAM is supplied. This is still more than fast enough, though.

The motherboard also supports AGP 8x, a quicker standard for getting information to and from a graphics card. This enables Systemax to get the most from an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card - itself AGP 8x capable. Currently no software comes close to taxing AGP 8x, but once there is, you'll be glad you didn't settle for the older AGP 4x standard.

Besides the fast interface, this card has all the raw power and fancy new features required to pump out pixels at a furious rate. In testing it propelled the Systemax to a score of 12,440 in 3DMark 2001. Very impressive.

Not only is it fast, but the Radeon 9700 Pro supports DirectX 9 - a set of graphics instructions that haven't even been publicly released yet! When games that support DirectX 9 start appearing, the 9700 Pro equipped Systemax will make them look fancier than less up-to-date cards.

In 2D tests, the Systemax isn't quite the same superstar, managing 1162. This is a cracking score, but plays second fiddle to that of the Evesham Axis 2600+.

Systemax has kitted the Inspire 7342 out with fine audio capabilities. It has a Creative Audigy card and VideoLogic ZXR-500 speakers. With this setup, you can enjoy both games

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and movies in glorious 5.1 surround sound. The Audigy provides a FireWire port to add to the six USB 2.0 ports included on the motherboard, two of which are conveniently placed at the front. This will make it easy to connect plenty of fast, new peripherals.

The system arrives with a 17in PR705F CTX monitor. This provides a sharper image than the Advent's 19in Philips, and it can handle resolutions up to 1,152x864 at a stable refresh rate of 85Hz - though it looks its best at 1,024x768.

The keyboard and mouse are decent rather than excellent. The keyboard is a tad too small, and there are only three shortcut keys for programs such as Media Player. The Microsoft Sidewinder gamepad supplied is comfortable, and just the ticket for blasting aliens.

Next come the storage and backup devices, where the Systemax puts in a consistent showing. There's an 80GB hard disk which, though big, is actually the average size for drives in machines of this price. Accept no less.

CD writing is handled by a Samsung CD-R/W, with 40-speed CD-R and 12-speed CD-R/W writing. Good stuff. And for those with an eye for symmetry, the machine packs a 16-speed DVD drive, also from Samsung.

Systemax has included a games bundle so that you can get playing as soon as your PC is unwrapped. Sadly, the games are quite old, and include the likes of MDK 2 and Star Trek Elite Force. These certainly won't tax the power of the Radeon 9700 Pro, but will keep you amused until the game shops re-open!

The Systemax is a powerful system that can handle today's games with ease, but still has plenty in reserve for next year's titles. Sadly its gaming extras aren't quite as impressive as the ones that come with the Advent, but you'll get more long-term value and gaming pleasure from this machine's faster processor and stonking Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card.

For those with an eye on the future, the Systemax is a great buy- it can handle this year's games effortlessly, but its Radeon 9700 Pro graphics card has really been designed with an eye on upcoming titles. Add in the bundle of starter games, gamepad and the decent warranty, and this PC is granted entry into our hallowed Top 50!