Evesham ebox a

The audio output options can't compete with the Artisan, though: there's no S/PDIF output, and only support for up to 5.1 audio on mini-jacks.

There's an extra 50GB of hard disk space over the Artisan, courtesy of a 250GB Western Digital hard disk, as well as dual-layer DVD writer for archiving or backing up. Arguably, Evesham also has the edge for warranty: both companies include three years of cover, but the first two years of Evesham's warranty are on-site. Plus, Evesham has a proven track record of customer service, as shown by our most recent reader survey.

We like the ebox a: it's got bundles of power, so if you plan to use it as a working PC, too, it will cope with anything that you throw at it. It's also £100 cheaper than the Artisan, though this reduces to £60 once you factor in delivery. And it's also worth bearing in mind that the more tangible benefits of Intel's Viiv certification, as boasted by the Artisan, won't kick in until the latter half of this year.

However, the Artisan remains our number one choice. Viiv may be unproven but it's certainly a push in the right direction, and the ebox can't match Elonex's offering for style. The ebox a only makes a convincing case as an alternative if every penny counts and you're after the extra power an Athlon 64 X2 provides over the Pentium D.

Author: David Bayon