Cyberpower Gamer Infinity 550

It's been a while since an AMD-based system won a Labs test. Although the processor at the core of this system, an Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Black Edition clocked at 3.2GHz, fails to keep up with the fastest Core 2 Duos with a 2D benchmark score of 1.27, it's just good enough to give the rest of the package the chance to shine.

It's the second-fastest gaming rig in the group, thanks to the inclusion of a Radeon 3870 - a very capable graphics card that drove the Cyberpower to a playable 39fps in Crysis at 1,280 x 1,024 with Medium settings. High settings proved a little more testing - an average of 24fps will cause problems in busy scenes - but the 3870 will handle older games with aplomb.

It's a dual-height card with a big cooler. Luckily, the Gamer Infinity uses an NZXT HUsH case with noise-reducing foam in the side and top panels. It isn't quiet at 39dBA, but it's no noisier than the other powerhouse machines. The case is a good one, with quick-release latches on all drives, and you'll find a 320GB hard disk and a DVD writer inside.

There's also a hybrid analogue/digital TV tuner in one of the PCI slots, making entertainment a real strength, and it will look great on the 22in Acer TFT. Our only complaint is that this screen isn't up to the quality of the LG or Iiyama models, as it produces slightly washed-out colours. It's sensibly accompanied by a loudand punchy set of Creative T6100 5.1 speakers to bring your gamesand movies to life.

The Logitech 660 Cordless Desktop keyboard and mouse set is chunky and extremely robust. Then there's the standard Vista Home Premium installation, along with a very respectable three years of return-to-base cover. The Mesh may cram that little bit more into the budget in terms of extras, but the Cyberpower's addition of real gaming ability is enough to make it our Luxury £599 PC of choice.

Author: David Bayon