Product Reviews

If you want to play the latest games, you probably think you need to buy a really expensive PC. Vantage's X2 shows that this doesn't have to be the case.

Despite costing under £1,000, the X2 packs in an Nvidia GeForce 7800 GTX graphics card. Although the 7800 GTX is no longer Nvidia's top-of-the-line card, our tests show it can still produce impressive results. It steamed through our Doom 3 and Call of Duty 2 tests. While the X2 should have no trouble with the latest games, it is also SLI-capable, so you can add another 7800 GTX for a healthy 3D performance boost.

The X2 also performed well in Windows, as shown in our applications benchmarks, thanks to the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processor and a healthy 1GB of RAM. We would have preferred a larger hard disk, although 250GB should be enough for most. The convenient second optical drive makes copying CDs easier.

While we were pleased by the

It's not uncommon for PC manufacturers to place all the emphasis on the processor and graphics and ignore the audio capabilities of a computer. Vantage has avoided this trap. It has paired the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 4 sound card with Creative P5800 5.1 surround-sound speakers, which will provide an impressive soundtrack to playing games and watching DVDs. The Audigy 4 can support 7.1 surround-sound speakers should you wish to upgrade. The X2 also has plenty of expansion options. There are eight USB2 ports, although two of these are located on a riser that will have to be removed or relocated if you want to add a second SLI graphics card. As well as the two free PCI slots, there are two free 31/2" hard disk bays and three 51/4" bays.

The wired Microsoft keyboard and mouse are basic but comfortable. We were pleasantly surprised by the basic version of Acronis TrueImage 9 included. It's not as well known as Norton Ghost, but it allows you to make exact copies of your hard disk, safeguarding your data.

The X2 isn't perfect, and we were disappointed by the poor-quality monitor. But with good performance in Windows applications and 3D games, plus a decent spread of expansion options, it's still great value.