Product Reviews

It wasn't until Intel's quad-core processors had blown out their first candle that we finally caught a glimpse of AMD's riposte - the long-awaited Phenom (web ID: 145203). PC Specialist's Fusion RV670XT uses the accompanying Spider platform, with its trinity of AMD Phenom 9-series processor, ATi 3800-series graphics card and AMD 7-series motherboard.

The processor here is AMD's mid-range Phenom X4 9600. With four cores running at 2.3GHz and 2MB of L2 cache, it looks almost on a par with Intel's budget quad-core, the Q6600, despite the latter's 2.4GHz clockspeed and superior 4MB of L2 cache.

The entry-level Phenom 9500 left us underwhelmed, however, and despite our hopes that AMD's new platform would unleash some previously hidden power, our benchmarks didn't do much to assuage our doubts. The Fusion RV670XT scored a modest 1.38 overall; a result which, in isolation, looks perfectly acceptable.

Set this against PCs powered by Intel's Q6600 processor, though, and it's altogether less rosy. To put it in context, PC Specialist's Q6600-powered Apollo Q660GTS system (web ID: 137322) scored 1.44, while Mesh's Tempest Quad Pro (web ID: 137316) managed to reach 1.50 without recourse to overclocking. Both of those PCs are substantially cheaper, too.

Where the Fusion beats its rivals is for gaming potential. The Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe motherboard boasts AMD's range-topping 790FX chipset, with four

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PCI Express 16x slots in readiness for triple- and quad-card CrossFire X setups. However, until ATi releases its CrossFire X-compatible graphics driver, we can only speculate on what benefits such a setup might bring.

Those four PCI Express slots also leave room for only two standard PCI slots, one of which is obstructed by a double-height graphics card.

A single, rather chunky ATi Radeon HD3870 is fitted for now, dispatching our Call of Duty 2 benchmark at an impressive 39fps at the highest settings. While we'd expect a £130 graphics card to flounder when faced with the demanding likes of Crysis, it achieved 24fps at 1,280 x 1,024 with high detail settings.

The LG L226WTQ monitor is an able companion, too. Its 1,680 x 1,050 resolution and 22in diagonal make for a roomy Windows desktop and the quality is good too, with even backlighting, vibrant colours and ample brightness. High-definition video looks detailed and crisp, and the low response time makes the most of the latest games.

Storage is catered for by two 500GB Western Digital drives (kept cool by the 120mm intake fan), and the LG DVD writer is capable of writing to every disc format except HD DVD and Blu-ray.

The two empty drive bays are matched by two spare internal SATA ports, and a single eSATA port is at the back. Onboard 7.1 audio and Creative T6100 5.1 speakers make up the sound system. While lacking in finesse, together they have a good go at bombastic soundtracks.

The case's blue glowing rings aren't entirely to our taste, but there's precious little else to criticise about the overall system. Build quality is solid, and the component selection exhibits a sensible and balanced approach to system building - we also appreciate the quiet and efficient CPU cooling.

But PC Specialist's Fusion RV670XT is ultimately too expensive - the company's own Apollo Q660GTS offers better performance for more than £200 less. Until AMD's Spider platform is able to equal or better Intel's enviable price-to-performance ratio, it's unlikely to catch many prospective users in its web.