Evesham Solar Quattro G8

UPDATE: 6 August 2007. Evesham Technology has gone into administration; click here for details. Until we have ascertained the shape of the new company, and where that leaves potential purchasers, this product will be effectively removed from the A List.

This Labs was always going to be won by the PC capable of offering the ultimate in power coupled with excellent build quality, a raft of features, quiet running and a price that still meant good value. And, the Evesham Solar Quattro G8 stood head-and-shoulders above the competition in every respect.

The hulking Cooler Master Stacker case opens easily without tools thanks to catches on the rear. While at first glance the interior isn't the tidiest - largely due to the power cables trussed up between the motherboard and the drives - this sense of clutter is magnified by the sheer number of components.

Under the standard Intel heatsink is a Core 2 Quad Extreme QX6700, while 2GB of 800MHz RAM and a GeForce 8800 GTX occupy two DIMM sockets and one PCI Express 16x slot respectively. Despite the stock cooler, the Quattro idles at a relatively quiet 38dBA. Storage is handled by a 1TB striped RAID array over two Western Digital Caviar SE16 disks, and it's the only PC to come with a pair of DVD writers. Then there's the 2GB Crucial USB flash drive supplied expressly to take advantage of Vista's ReadyBoost function.

Beneath the graphics card you'll find a Hauppauge Win-TV Nova-T-500, with dual-digital tuners for watching one channel while recording another in Media Center. Below that sits an 802.11g Wi-Fi card, an item that's still rare in the expensive PCs we see, especially given its relative low cost.

The Evesham still has room for expansion; the mammoth 850W power supply will easily cope should you add a second graphics card. There's no sound card, but the onboard 7.1-channel audio is more than capable of driving the decent 7.1 Creative Inspire T7900 speakers.

ViewSonic's VG2230wm 22in TFT matches the case well. It isn't quite as vibrant as the Asus MW221U, but it's a fine choice for work or gaming at 1,680 x 1,050. And you can type in comfort thanks to the excellent Microsoft wireless laser keyboard and mouse set.

Of course, the £1,233 Zoostorm remains a very attractive option to anyone with a tighter budget, but the Evesham has a quality and completeness unmatched in this group. And when you add Vista Ultimate, a three-year on-site warranty and the company's superb record in our Reliability & Service Awards, it easily deserves its Labs Winner award.

Author: David Bayon