Evesham Axis 3000+ P

The impressive storage doesn't stop there either, courtesy of a 250GB Western Digital Caviar hard disk. This offers a Serial ATA interface, an 8MB buffer and more capacity than most people will ever use. That said, software of all kinds is becoming increasingly space hungry, and digital-media users will appreciate the breathing space for either storage or backup - there's even an option to set up a RAID array. This will be attractive to audio or video users, especially with the excellent inclusion of Pinnacle Studio 8 SE.

The Evesham Axis 3000+ P is a flexible and well-specified system, which is equally capable of dealing with both work and play. The only problem is the £1,449 price, especially compared with the fantastic value of Dell's £1,299 3GHz Pentium 4-based Dimension 8300 3.0GHz (see issue 105, p56). While the Axis offers faster 2D performance, more adventurous aesthetics, a larger hard disk and wider removable storage options, the Dell still pips it to the post with its superb 18in TFT, powerful speakers and faster 3D results. If you're looking for a media-savvy and flexible system, then the Axis 3000+ P is certainly worth a look, but you'll get a better all-round deal from Dell.

Author: Ross Burridge