Mesh Matrix II review

The monitor is a 22in Iiyama ProLite E2208HDS-1 with a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 - that's enough to playback HD video in 1080p. Picture quality is reasonable, but there was nothing we could do about a small amount of backlight bleed at the bottom of the screen. Connection options are limited to DVI-I and VGA, but it's a more than adequate screen for both work and play.

The speakers are more impressive: Creative's T6100s are a surround sound, 5.1 set that provide booming, loud bass and clear, crisp treble. Sound quality was good throughout our tests, with games, music and movies sounding sharp. If anything, we'd say that the bass is a little too pervasive - but this is only a minor complaint.

All in all, this system from Mesh represents an enormously promising debut for the new Phenom X4 II. AMD has gone for the same balance of price and performance that has proved so successful in ATI's HD 4000-series of graphics card, and it's clear that approach pays off here, allowing Mesh to produce a package that offer not only good performance, but also a good selection of components and an excellent chassis at a great price.

Author: Mike Jennings