Cyberpower Gamer Infinity Yin

It may have a bargain-basement price, but Cyberpower's AMD-based Gamer Infinity Yin (there's also an Intel equivalent called the Yang) is built around a triple-core processor and a surprisingly capable graphics card. For such a low-cost system it packs quite a punch.

The former is AMD's 2.6GHz Phenom II X3 710, with 6MB of L3 cache, and it's partnered with 4GB of DDR2 memory. An excellent 2D benchmark score of 1.51 isn't far behind machines at twice this cost, and is proof positive that AMD's latest parts offer plenty of processing power without breaking the bank.

And, rather than relying on a previous-generation part or even integrated graphics, as we've seen other budget systems do, Cyberpower has included an ATI Radeon HD 4830. It can't compete with ATI's top products, but it's no slouch. Constructed from the same RV770 core that forms the superb HD 4850 and HD 4870 chips, there's a core clock speed of 575MHz alongside 512MB of 900MHz GDDR3 memory.

The Radeon HD 4830 is one of the more modest cards in ATI's range, but that doesn't mean it's not up to the stresses of modern gaming. Our medium-quality Crysis test was handled at 61fps, and the high-quality benchmark saw it clinging onto a just-playable 29fps. It's a card that'll be able to handle modern games, but be aware that you'll have to rein in the settings with the most demanding titles.

Cyberpower's choice of the Cooler Master Elite 330 chassis isn't perfect either. Build quality is less than ideal, with flimsy sides and meshed front panels prone to dings and dents. The Yin is a loud machine, too: to keep costs low, Cyberpower has stuck with the stock AMD CPU cooler when a cheap-but-effective alternative, such as the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro, would have made a world of difference to the noise levels.

Thankfully, the rest of the interior is far more accomplished. Wires are tied to the chassis and have been bundled together to ensure they're kept out of the way, and the numerous empty drive bays leave plenty of room for future expansion. It's disappointing there's no second PCI-Express 16x slot, though; if you want better graphics in the future you won't be able to take the CrossFire route.

It wouldn't be a Cyberpower machine without some lighting, either, so the bottom of the chassis is decorated with a red cathode strip-light. The red glow this casts over the 500GB hard disk and the rest of the components looks almost as if the machine is declaring allegiance to its graphics card, but it's wasted here - the light is barely visible through the meshed facade of the chassis and through a small mottled area on the side panel.

Unfortunately, if the Gamer Infinity Yin's impressive specification belies its low price, the peripherals certainly don't. The monitor is a 19in Hanoi panel that looks very much like a budget TFT and has quality to match; the backlight bleeds in from all four sides and colours aren't exactly vibrant and immersive. It's decent enough for surfing the web and using office applications, just don't expect to be blown away while gaming.

The keyboard and mouse aren't much to write home about, either. They're budget sets from Logitech and, while not uncomfortable, lack the media features or shortcut buttons of even cheap mid-range models.

It's rough around the edges, then, but this Cyberpower still has plenty going for it. AMD's triple-core Phenom II X3 710 offers plenty of power, the video card is good enough for most modern games and this price for a complete desktop package is certainly tempting. The budget shows through in some key areas, but if you can put up with those the Gamer Infinity Yin offers great value for not much money at all.

Author: Mike Jennings