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CCL CCL-CS1009 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £499
inc VAT

Despite the mediocre monitor, this PC packs in a lot of power for a low price.

Specifications

2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400, 4.000000 RAM, 18.5in 1,366×768 display, Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit

CCL

CCL’s CCL-CS1009 outperformed the other £500 PCs here, and its benchmark scores even matched or exceeded those of more expensive PCs.

This isn’t surprising when you look at its specification, which includes an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 processor, 4GB of RAM and a Radeon HD 4850 graphics card.

The Q8400 isn’t a cheap processor, and has led to costs being cut on the monitor, which is a disappointing 18?in AOC 931Swl. It has a resolution of just 1,366×768 and suffers from slightly uneven backlighting. However, viewing angles and contrast are fairly good and colours look vivid. It only has a VGA port, though.

It’s nice to see a decent set of wireless peripherals in Logitech’s Deluxe keyboard and mouse. Inside the case, the CCL-CS1009 has a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics card, with DVI, HDMI and VGA outputs. The card put in a good performance in our tests, but you may have to settle for resolutions below the monitor’s native setting to make the most demanding games run smoothly.

The Gigabyte microATX motherboard doesn’t have much room for expansion and the case is a little cramped, but everything inside is neatly laid out, including all the wiring. One PCI slot is obstructed by the graphics card. The slot below it is free, but installing a card may block airflow to the Radeon’s fan. A single PCI-E x1 is positioned above the occupied PCI-E x16 slot, so there’s nothing blocking it. The board can take a maximum 4GB of memory, which is already installed. There’s a 500GB hard disk; you’ll need to buy SATA cables with right-angled connectors if you want to connect any more, though, as the other three SATA ports are directly beneath the graphics card.

Another reservation is that the CCL-CS1009 comes with Windows Vista Home Basic edition as opposed to Home Premium. However, as long as you order on or after 22nd October, CCL will be selling the CCL-CS1009 for the same price with Windows 7 Home Basic, which has full media-playing capabilities. If you’re happy to live with the drawbacks for the great performance on offer, the CS1009 is a good choice and wins a Budget Buy award.

Basic Specifications

Rating *****
Processor Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400
Processor external bus 333MHz (1,333MHz quad-pumped FSB)
Processor multiplier x8
Processor clock speed 2.66GHz
Processor socket LGA775
Level 1 cache 4x 64KB
Level 2 cache 2x 2,048KB
Memory 4.000000
Memory type PC2-6400
Maximum memory 4GB
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2
Motherboard chipset Nvidia GeForce 7100 + nForce 630i
Power consumption standby 54W
Power consumption idle 72W
Power consumption active 167W

Ports

USB2 ports (front/rear) 2/6
Firewire ports (front/rear) 0/0
eSATA ports (front/rear) 0/0
Wired network ports 1x 10/100/1000
Wireless networking support none
Other ports VGA, DVI

Internal Expansion

Case midi tower
PCI-E x1 slots (free) 1 (1)
PCI-E x16 slots (free) 1 (0)
Free Serial ATA ports 3
Free memory slots 0
Free 3.5in drive bays 4

Hard Disk

Hard disk model(s) Western Digital Caviar (WD5000AAKS-00M9A0)
Interface SATA 300
Total storage capacity 500GB
Spindle speed 7,200rpm

Graphics

Graphics card(s) 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850
Graphics/video ports HDMI, DVI, VGA

Sound

Sound Realtec ALC662
Sound outputs 5.1 line out
Speakers none

Removable Drives

3.5in floppy drive no
Supported memory cards none
Optical drive model Optiarc AD-7200A
Optical drive type(s) DVD+/-RW +/-DL

Display

Viewable size 18.5 in
Screen model AOC 931Swl
Native resolution 1,366×768
Response time 5ms
Screen inputs VGA

Other Hardware

Modem No
Keyboard Logitech Deluxe 660 Cordless Keyboard
Mouse Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse RX 650

Software

Software included none
Operating system Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit
Operating system restore option Windows disc

Buying Information

Warranty one year RTB
Price £499
Details www.cclonline.com

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