Zoostorm 65-5504 review

With an iMac sitting demurely in the corner, it's impossible to describe any of the desktop PCs here as particularly beautiful, but Zoostorm's 65-5504 is better looking than most. The swoop of brushed aluminium complements the gloss black drive covers nicely, and a slide-down panel masks two USB ports and a card reader.

Like Arbico, Zoostorm has opted for a dual-core processor, namely the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500. It might have only two cores, but its 3.16GHz clock speed and the accompanying 4GB of memory are enough to propel it past all the other systems bar Chillblast's overclocked monster, with a score of 1.76.

And when it comes to gaming, the Zoostorm has no peer. While the other contenders all settle for single-card ATI options, the 65-5504 goes for two Nvidia GeForce 9800GT cards running in SLI. It's a potent combination, providing a smooth 47 frames per second in even the most demanding of our Crysis benchmarks. If gaming is top of the agenda, it's a tempting proposition.

The 65-5504's gaming prowess is matched with a 22in Hanns.G HG216D monitor, although the lack of contrast, slightly dull colour reproduction and noticeable backlight leakage leave it trailing the best models here.

The Edifier M1550 5.1 speakers are another budget addition, but actually sound good. Games and movies benefit from their gutsy, if unrefined, performance and they're a perfect foil to the 65-5504's supreme gaming abilities. They're also essential for covering up one of the Zoostorm's less positive traits: its noise. The Intel CPU cooler emits an aggravating hum that resonates throughout the case. Push the 65-5504 a little harder and, as the graphics cards and CPU fans speed up, the noise becomes intrusive.

A three-year on-site warranty is very reassuring. But, with Chillblast's Fusion Dominator offering a better-balanced build for the same cash, we know where we'd choose to splash ours.

Author: Sasha Muller