Labs

Very PC spurned the Intel Core 2 Duos and nVidia GeForce 8800s of the other PCs in favour of an AMD processor and two ATi Radeon graphics cards running together in CrossFire mode. An odd decision.

Comparing the 3GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ of the General to the 3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo in the PC Nextday showed a massive difference in 2D performance: 175% to 203%. Why Very PC uses a significantly

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slower processor is puzzling. Gaming performance was even worse, with a very low score of 112% to the 200+% elsewhere. Very PC says ATi has promised up to 30% extra performance in the next few driver releases, but that would still mean only around 145%.

To add to our confusion, Very PC supplied Windows Vista 64-bit, which at present is notable mainly for causing all sorts of incompatibility woes. All 64-bit drivers must be WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) tested, which in practice means the software to run your existing devices will either be delayed or never appear.

The screen was also poor, with restricted viewing angles and poor definition in shadow, even if it gave reasonably vibrant colours. The cheap feel of the case was exacerbated by clumsily applied lettering.

The warranty is also odd: five years might look good, but to qualify you have to update the supplied Kaspersky security package and have the PC serviced every year. Not a very attractive deal.