Labs

The second of our AMD-based systems this month comes from PC Specialist, and it's a solid all-round package. We haven't seen much of the 3GHz Athlon 64 X2 6000+ processor, thanks to Intel's recent dominance at the top end, but it performs as well as most here: a score of 1.24 in the 2D benchmarks is plenty for most tasks. Like all the others, it comes with 2GB of RAM, so multitasking in Vista Home Premium is perfectly smooth.

The Fusion 860GT Pro is one of only three PCs to include a wireless adapter - we're surprised we don't see more, as wireless networks are so prevalent now - and it earns bonus points for its 500GB hard disk, too. A

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20x DVD writer sits at the top of the Trident case, and you'll also find a memory card reader for all the major formats except xD-Picture.

The 22in monitor - the same LG L226WTQ as the Chillblast's - is one of the best in the group, with a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution and a sharp overall image. Colours are accurate, although slightly darker at the top than the bottom, and the 2ms response time makes it ideal for the fast motion of the latest games. The Logitech S200s are a nice little set of speakers, but they don't hold a candle to the 5.1 sets for sheer oomph.

The GeForce 8600 GT graphics card boasts 512MB of memory, compared with the 256MB of the Mesh, but the PC Specialist still couldn't match any of its rivals in our gaming tests. We needed to drop to 1,024 x 768 and Low settings to get Crysis running, while even the far-less-intensive Medium Call of Duty 2 test averageda mere 24fps. In short, this isn't a gaming PC.

There's plenty to like, though: the keyboard and mouse are comfortable, and you get a two-year warranty for reassurance. The first year is collect-and-return, while the second is return-to-base. Nero 7 Essentials comes bundled, too, making the Fusion 860GT Pro a decent, if unspectacular, package.