Product Reviews

Arbico is a relatively new British PC builder based in London. Its PX 2140 doesn't come with a keyboard, mouse or monitor: it's a base unit designed for those looking to replace their existing computer while keeping their peripherals.

The PX 2140's Intel Pentium Dual Core processor has been overclocked from its usual 1.6GHz to a blistering 2.66GHz. It performed very well in our Windows benchmarks for such an inexpensive PC, scoring a respectable 280 in our video-encoding test. The 2GB of RAM is more than enough for running several programs simultaneously.

We weren't as impressed by the 3D graphics performance. The Radeon HD 3450 graphics card struggled in our Prey and Call of Duty 2 benchmarks, so this PC is best suited to 2D work. The HD 3450 chip is still an improvement over the integrated graphics chips often found in cheap PCs, as it doesn't share system memory and it can be connected to two monitors simultaneously

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for more working space thanks to its DVI and VGA ports.

Budget computers sometimes lack expansion options, forcing you to replace the entire PC rather than simply adding or replacing components to prolong its usefulness. However, the PX 2140 has two free PCI slots and an empty PCI Express x1 slot for accommodating peripherals such as TV tuners and wireless adaptors.

If the 160GB hard disk isn't big enough for all your files, there's room for an extra six hard disks. There are only three spare SATA ports, though. There's also a pair of empty 5in bays for accommodating another DVD writer or Blu-ray drive. You won't need to add a memory card reader, however, as one is already present.

The PX 2140 is good value, but there are better deals available. For example, Mesh's 6000+ X2 GT, performed similarly in our Windows benchmarks but has a more powerful graphics card that is able to play 3D games, albeit with less detailed graphics settings than the fastest cards available. The 6000+ X2 GT also has a larger hard disk and comes with a cordless keyboard and mouse as well as a 19in widescreen display, yet it costs only £70 more than the PX 2140.

Even if you already have a keyboard, mouse and monitor you're happy with, having two monitors is an easy way of gaining more desktop space for tasks such as working in multiple applications simultaneously. The PX 2140 a good debut for Arbico, though, and we're looking forward to seeing more PCs from the company in the future.