Mesh Matrix64 3000+ELX review

Even then, we had to fiddle around with the settings to get a square-ish image. We also had to put up with lacklustre focus towards the edges of the screen. With the ViewSonic, it was a simple matter of pressing one button. What's more, it takes up much less desk space and consumes less energy.

We were also impressed by the Mesh's speakers. The VideoLogic ZXR-750s on with the Systemax look impressive, because they're 'seven-point surround' speakers, compared to the Mesh's Creatives, which are only six-point. But we found that the Creative's delivered a cleaner treble and plenty of bass. However, you'll need to add a separate sound card to reap the full benefits of all these speakers. Both PCs rely on the built-in sound chip on the motherboard.

Where Mesh puts clear blue water between it and Systemax is the sound generated by the cooling fans. By using a nice, large fan to expel air from the back, the fins rotate less quickly and are quieter - it's also a lower, less annoying drone than the Systemax's.

EXPANSION

If you're the sort of person who likes to fiddle around with the insides of a PC, you'll appreciate the Mesh's design. Everything is geared towards maintenance, with the lockable side panel removed by simply lifting a lever. (Systemax still relies on two crosshead screws to secure its panel.) It's similarly tool-free inside, with a clip to keep PCI cards in place and sliders to attach to hard disks and internal drives. Once again, Systemax's reliance on crosshead screws lets it down here.

Whichever you choose, there's room for expansion, with two spare hard disk bays and one empty drive bay for an optical drive such as a CD or DVD available in both systems. Note that the Mesh's spare optical drive bay can't take a full-length drive, as it would collide with connectors on the motherboard. Not that this matters too much: just like Systemax, Mesh has provided a fast CD-RW drive to accompany the DVD rewriters, and we can't think of many reasons to add a third drive.

We could be tempted to add another hard disk when prices drop a little further. Both Systemax and Mesh are sensible enough to include whopping 160GB models. They both use the latest Serial ATA technology, too. Its thinner cables make a PC's insides neater, and it's easier to add a second disk, because SATA drives mean you don't have to fiddle around with 'master' and 'slave' settings.

Another area in which it's nice to have room to grow is memory. Mesh supplies 512MB of RAM as standard, but Systemax tops this by supplying a gargantuan 1GB. Then again, 1GB is a bit of a luxury -you'll only notice it when opening lots of huge files at once. This was the only area in which the Systemax system was faster than Mesh in our 2D benchmarks - but even then, the Inspire only beat its rival by a second.

Both systems are equally impressive when it comes to external expansion. They offer two front-mounted USB 2 ports for easily connecting devices like digital cameras and USB Flash memory drives, with a further four on the back of the Mesh and six on the Systemax. Systemax again edges ahead for FireWire connectors, with a small, four-pin connector to accompany the single large connector found on both machines. Both machines have three spare PCI slots and provide S/P-DIF outputs.

BUYING DECISIONS

On paper, the Matrix has better extras to offer. Top of the list comes Microsoft Works Suite 2003, which includes Word XP, Works 7 (itself a suite of office programs), Encarta and AutoRoute. Systemax's choice of Ability Office 2003, a basic office suite, simply can't compare.