Mesh Matrix Elite Duo Pro

So the Core 2 Duo is a staggering performer: that much is clear from our tests. The question is, will performance enthusiasts switch allegiance from AMD's Athlon 64 X2 to Intel's Core 2 Duo? Mesh is certainly offering them a very tempting reason to jump ship, with the incredibly well specified Matrix Elite Duo Pro. And it becomes even more tempting when you consider that its noise levels never rose above the background hum of our Labs. As this mid-range 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo PC scored almost as highly as AMD's new FX-62, that's no mean feat.

Of course, a CPU doesn't make a system, and Mesh includes some coveted performance parts to help the 2.4GHz E6600 on its way to that 1.37 score. Not least are the two 1GB sticks of OCZ RAM running at 800MHz for massive bandwidth over the FSB, and then there's the Asus P5W DH Deluxe motherboard with its 975X chipset. This board even integrates an 802.11b/g Wi-Fi card to save using a USB port or PCI slot.

The 975X has the advantage over its P965 sibling in supporting ATI's CrossFire. As we saw in our last graphics cards group test, both SLI and CrossFire are only worthwhile if you pair two top-end cards for best overall performance, and that's what Mesh has done here with an X1900 XT and X1900 CrossFire Edition master card. Unfortunately, a technical glitch with the early BIOS prevented us from testing the cards at our highest resolution, but at 1,280 x 1,024 they blew our benchmarks out of the water: an average of 66fps in the punishing Call of Duty 2. They're also more than capable of running the latest games at 1,600 x 1,200 with maximum detail settings. We also know that the two cards tend to make quite a racket after half an hour of gaming.

But while the cards are eminently capable of running games at these high resolutions, the 19in TFT screen supplied can only manage 1,280 x 1,024. At this resolution, the CPU becomes a limiting factor - even one as speedy as this Core 2 Duo - and the cards aren't pushed to anything like their maximum. Effectively, one of them will be completely wasted at this resolution.

The ViewSonic VX922 panel itself is reasonable, although its electronics have changed since we first saw it. The contrast range has narrowed - despite being quoted as growing from 550:1 to 650:1 - so that shadows and bright areas are now less detailed than before. We also saw banding on colour ramps and greyscales, especially toward the darker end, so colour handling is less adept. The 2ms response time remains, with fast-paced action in films or games being blur-free, but with all the application and gaming performance, a higher-resolution panel would be a better addition (or substitute) for the second graphics card.

But Mesh hasn't scrimped elsewhere, with a huge 500GB hard disk, two optical drives and the feeling of quality throughout. Despite both graphics cards needing external power as well as the cabling for the optical drives and hard disk, Mesh has managed to keep the internal mess to a minimum. The CPU socket and RAM sticks are mostly clear to benefit from the airflow from the quiet 80mm intake fan and even quieter 120mm exhaust. And, to top things off, there's the three-year on-site Mesh Premier warranty (visit the website for details, especially if you don't live on the UK mainland) and Windows XP MCE 2005.

As it is, this choice of OS is more helpful to access your video and audio files than to watch TV with, as there isn't a TV tuner or remote supplied. Should you want to expand on that, a USB option would be the best choice, as there's precious little space between the graphics cards. This also means you should settle for the integrated 7.1 High Definition audio - more than adequate for most purposes.