Fujitsu Siemens G2 P4 2800 review

Here at Computer Buyer we're no strangers to finding PC systems that offer great value for money - but even we don't know of many ways to save hundreds of pounds on your new computer.

Savings

One way of making significant savings is to buy this 'Grade 2' Fujitsu Siemens system. Grade 2 systems are machines that have been returned by their original owners as faulty, although in most cases the problem turns out to be a software error. Fujitsu Siemens sends these machines to PC-Interworks, which diagnoses the fault, replaces any problem parts with components direct from Fujitsu Siemens and re-installs Windows. PC-Interworks then sells the PCs as bargain-priced Grade 2 goods - Grade 1 being brand new computers. All these machines come with a six-month guarantee direct from Fujitsu Siemens.

In the case

The G2 P4 2800 has a slightly dull grey case of the type you'd expect to see in an office. It's not going to win any design awards, but it looks smart enough. Inside there's a plentiful 512MB of DDR memory and a big 160GB hard disk. This should give you enough room to store all the music and video files that inevitably end up on a well-used family PC. A pair of stereo speakers is included, but anyone with even a passing interest in music will probably want to replace them with a decent set that includes a subwoofer for boosting the bass frequencies. Serious film lovers will want a surround sound set to enjoy DVDs to their full. No office software is installed, but you get a copy of Nero Burning ROM for writing CDs and DVDs, and a copy of InterVideo's WinDVD 5 for watching DVD videos. The PC has two optical drives, one of which can write DVD+R and DVD+RW discs. This drive isn't as fast as most modern drives - it only writes DVD+R at 4x - and doesn't support DVD-R or DVD-RW discs, but it's still a useful addition.

The system doesn't include a monitor, which is unusual. This gives you the advantage of being able to choose one to suit your needs, but you'll need to budget another £150 if you want a new CRT monitor, or £250 for a 17in flat-panel. A mouse and keyboard are included, and although these are of the plain, wired variety, they're of decent enough quality. The PC's front panel is more of a mixed blessing. Two USB ports, a FireWire connector and audio outputs are available for easy access, but they're covered by strange hatches that tend to fall off and get lost rather than simply folding down. The inside of the case is large, and there's room for expansion in the future - you could certainly squeeze in an extra CD or DVD drive, or a second hard disk. The 2.8GHz Pentium 4 processor isn't the very latest type. You'll be able to upgrade, but not with the very latest chips, and in a few years you'd need to replace the motherboard in order to gain a significant speed boost.

Performance

For the moment, though, the 2.8GHz processor and 512MB of RAM provide plenty of computing power. The system scored 1153 in our 2D speed test, which is more or less what we'd expect from a system that cost around £600 including VAT. It's not the score of a cutting-edge supercomputer, but for £325 it's pretty impressive and offers more than enough power for such tasks as office work, browsing the Web or even some video editing. Similarly, the graphics card is solid rather than spectacular: games fans will probably want something with more power, but it's good enough to run Doom 3 at 11.6fps, and should handle most recent games.

Buying Decisions

Overall, the G2 P4 2800 is a solid PC, but it won't suit everybody. Many people will be put off by the lack of a monitor, surround sound speakers and a big software package, and others will want a longer warranty than the six-month cover included here. There are two groups who might find the G2 P4 2800 perfect for their needs. If you want a low-cost PC for home or home office use, adding a decent screen to the G2 P4 2800 will provide you with a fairly powerful, no-frills PC that's perfect for the task. Alternatively, if you simply want to upgrade an old PC system and you're happy to use your existing monitor, speakers and software, this PC could buy you extra speed for very little cash.